CONFIRMATION

The next Confirmation session will be held Sunday December 2nd at 3:00pm in the cafeteria. Candidates should be ready to share the name of their Confirmation sponsor and be thinking of the saint name that they would like to choose for Confirmation. All should plan on attending. Contact Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org if you have questions.

The Confirmation class for 2019 would like to thank our volunteers who served as group leaders for our recent retreat. You helped to make our weekend an important part of our Confirmation process. God bless each of you. Special thanks to Steve Lobdell, Sr. Grace Nguyen, Catherine Nguyen, Bruce and Sheila Bodine, Rachel Bodine, and Chloe Bruce.

Josh Carroll & Iris Bounds

PCCW CHRISTMAS COOKIE EXTRAVAGANZA

St. Agnes PCCW will be sponsoring a Christmas cookie extravaganza!  This evening of fun will be Wednesday, December 5th at 6:30pm in the St. Agnes dining room. All ladies of the parish are invited! A cookie decorating expert will be there to share tips and secrets. St. Agnes will furnish all supplies for the evening.  The evening will also consist of a "Most Original Christmas Sweater contest!" Wear yours! Of course there will be prizes for cookie decorating and Christmas sweatering!  We do ask that, if possible, you bring a dozen of your favorite cookies for Sister Elizabeth Ann to fill Christmas tins to distribute to our shut ins of the parish.  Food and beverages will be provided.  There is  no cost except to have fun and share a good time with fellow parishioners.  Please invite a friend especially if they are new to the parish.  We do ask that you sign up by calling the parish office at 831-3565!

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From The Pastor’s Desk

In 1941, the “Thanksgiving Day” was officially set by the United States government on the fourth Thursday in November. All of the early Thanksgiving celebrations had one thing in common; the celebrations were always directed toward God. It did not matter how good or bad the times were, the people knew God was their creator and provider and that all good things ultimately came from Him. As the United States celebrates Thanksgiving this week, the secular holiday has nothing to do with our Catholic faith, but at the same time it has everything to do with our faith.

Each time we gather around the Eucharistic table we are giving thanks to our God who sent His Son to suffer and die for us, that we might have eternal life.

The Catechism reminds us that “Believing in God, the only One, and loving him with all our being has enormous consequences for our whole life,” and then it adds that this involves, “living in thanksgiving: if God is the only One, everything we are and have comes from Him: “What have you that you did not receive?” “What shall I render to the Lord for all his bounty to me?”

Each family has their own traditions, their own way of celebrating; birthdays, weddings, the different sacraments, the holidays of Fourth of July, Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. I encourage that your family include God in every holiday.

This coming week as we celebrate with family and friends, let us not forget that the whole reason for the day, is to GIVE THANKS TO GOD. If you are here in the Springfield area, come to church Thanksgiving morning at 8:30 for our Thanksgiving Day Mass, and give thanks to God for all that He has given you/us. This year we have a little break between Thanksgiving and the first week of Advent, a little breathing space before the 4 week count down to the birth of Christ. Enjoy and give thanks, first of all to God for all that He has given you/us this year, and then make the time to spiritually as well as physically get ready for the birth of Christ by walking through the Advent Season

The spring of the first year that I was assigned here at St. Agnes, I invited a mixed group of parishioners: school parents, single adults, senior adults, married couples to come together in a series of gatherings and after some meeting present to me the needs of the parish and where they would like to see the parish headed in the next 5 years. The list they presented me with was detailed, but attainable. Over the last two years, guided by the finance council and with the help of the parish council, we are meeting many of those concerns. We have replaced much of the old lighting throughout the school with all LED lights. We have re carpeted and enhanced the Cathedral and Chapel, the front entrance to the Cathedral handicapped accessible and safe, front doors are on order and are to be installed before Christmas, cameras and new doors in the school for safety, clergy involved more in the classrooms, more offerings of adult formation/education, priests involved in sacramental preparation of young people (penance, Eucharist, Confirmation), better communication through a new website and OneParish app., being able to meet our bills on time.

There are more items to come, a youth program, storage needs for parish and school, a parish center for the parish with meeting rooms. Over the years since I have been here the Loretta House has deteriorated due to the roof no longer being able to be repaired without major and costly replacement. To bring it up to code, remove walls and install elevator, center air and heating, handicapped accessible and the removable of asbestos, we would still have an old building which would not meet the needs of our parish. As I have met and discussed with the finance council, parish council, and with the bishop, a decision has been made to build a storage building to meet the needs of the parish and the school at the west side of the parish and to remove the Loretta House. Both of these projects will be paid from our Bingo funds which we have been saving.

Fr. Joseph on KQOH 91.9 FM

Fr. Joseph “LIVE” On Catholic Radio Please listen live to Fr. Joseph on Wednesday, November 28, at 10:15am when he is interviewed live on KQOH 91.9 FM, Springfield’s own Catholic Radio Station.

BREAKFAST

The Knights of Columbus breakfast for November is today after the 7:00 and 8:30am Masses. Come join us for biscuits and gravy plus all the extras.

JESSE/GIVING TREE

Looking ahead to Advent, this year the “ornaments” on the Jesse/Giving tree will be designated for three different sets of individuals:

♦ the homeless who go to Grace United Methodist church for meals

♦ the foster children who go to Sammy’s Window from 29 counties to get personal items and clothing

♦ toddlers whose families get baskets from Christmas at Crosslines.

Sr. Elizabeth Ann

LES MISERABLES

Due to all 4 shows being sold out parking will be at a premium! Please plan to come early, especially anyone with mobility issues. Friday, November 9th, the football team has a home game at 7 pm. Parking at the front of the high school is reserved for theater goers.

From The Pastor’s Desk

This past Tuesday we chose whether to exercise one of our most important rights which we have as American citizens, to vote or not to vote. It is a right that we have had so long that for many Americans it is “just something else to do”. Since I am composing this on Monday the statistics are not out on how low the voter percentage was on Tuesday. I do not mention this to point fingers, but rather to celebrate the men and women who fought and many times died that we would have the freedom to vote for our form of government and the taxes we pay to support our government and public services.

At the risk of being criticized for sounding too political, I am writing about the importance of being an active American. We live in a democratic society, and it is through our involvement in our government that our great nation has withstood the problems of the past. It is the duty of each American citizen to vote in the country’s elections. Whether it is city, state, or national elections, we as citizens are choosing whom we will entrust the authority for promoting the common good. Our choices have profound, important consequences that affect the lives of millions, especially the most vulnerable people in society: the elderly, children, handicapped, and the unborn.

As we celebrate Veterans Day, we give thanks to the millions of veterans from the various United States wars who are still alive. There are approximately 620,000 veterans alive today who fought for our freedom in WWII. This year the estimate is that 555 are dying each day. That generation who gave so much to keep us free are now returning to the Lord. From 1941 to 1945 the United States fought across the world to stop dictators and their governments from seeking to dominate the world. We owe so much to those men and women. There are also many veterans from the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf, and the Afghan and Iraq Wars. Let us keep all veterans of our past wars in prayer, as well as those still fighting today that we may be free.

I would like to express our appreciation to all those who contributed their time, money and effort to the musical Les Miserables. Thank you to all the patrons, business partners, parishioners and all who filled the seats for 4 sold out shows!

#iGIVECATHOLIC November 27,2018

All the parishes in the Springfield-Cape Girardeau diocese are participating in the day of giving November 27, 2018. St. Agnes Cathedral is raising money to make the school doors and windows safer to protect our children. To see images and video of the new safety improvements, go to www.igivecatholic.org and select St. Agnes Cathedral's profile. Advance day giving begins Nov. 12 through the 26th. Encourage everyone you know to support us in our efforts!

MANY THANKS FROM THE BAZAAR COMMITTEE!

MANY THANKS FROM THE BAZAAR COMMITTEE!

Where do we begin??

• To all those who donated items for the raffle (the most we’ve ever had) A complete list of these will be in next week’s bulletin because they need to be recognized

• To Walter Thompson and the parishioners who helped set up and take down

• ALL the parishioners who gave their time to help throughout Saturday and Sunday

• To Debbie Havens & her helpers who worked so hard on Friday baking those delicious cinnamon rolls

• To the Boy Scouts who cooked and served breakfast on Sunday

• To the parish staff who gave us their support

• AND to all those who came to shop and support our efforts to build parish community

We couldn’t have done it without these people. If you missed it this year mark it on next year’s calendar for the 1st weekend in November! We will have totals next week for our donations to Seniors Unlimited, Tuition Assistance, and Harmony House.

AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP SAMMY’S WINDOW

On average, over 7000 children in Missouri live in foster care. When children enter foster care, they may only bring with them what can fit in a backpack or small shopping bag. That is where Sammy's Window in Springfield comes in to help. Sammy's Windows helps foster families by helping to provide everything from coats to toothbrushes. Right now Sammy's Window is in desperate need especially for Fall & Winter clothing. St Agnes PCCW will be sponsoring a drive from the last weekend of October to the weekend of November 10 & 11 for Sammy's Window. This is a perfect time to clean out children's closets & share your gently used clothing. If you do not have children's clothing & want to help, bring in toothbrushes, shampoo or deodorant. Boxes will be in the back of church & in the parish office for your donations. Thank you for your help!

SENIORS UNLIMITED

are invited to a Pre- Thanksgiving luncheon on Nov. 15th at 1pm in the dining room of the school. Please call the office so there will be enough food. This is a school day so someone will be waiting at the door to the cafeteria to let you in. Looking ahead to Advent, this year the “ornaments” on the Jesse/Giving tree will be designated for three different sets of individuals:

♦ the homeless who go to Grace United Methodist church for meals

♦ the foster children who go to Sammy’s Window from 29 counties to get personal items and clothing

♦ toddlers whose families get baskets from Christmas at Crosslines.

Sr. Elizabeth Ann

From The Pastor’s Desk

Les Miserables…Due to the sold out shows, parking will be at a premium. Friday night the football team will be in the play-offs, so reserved parking for theater goers will be at the front (faces the highway) of the school. Please come early to park if you have mobility issues!

PROJECT RACHEL

Project Rachel is the Catholic Church’s bilingual

ministry (Spanish & English) of love, support and

healing for those who have been involved in abortion.

To implement that ministry, our Diocese has created an

integrated network of services, including pastoral

counseling, support groups, retreats. Opportunities for

sacramental forgiveness, and referrals to licensed mental

health professionals.

Call 417-242-9300 or email projectrachel@dioscg.org

for free, compassionate and confidential help. A list of

ministry resources is available at hopeafterabortion.com

ST AGNES LITERACY NIGHT

St. Agnes School's Student Council is hosting

Literacy Night on Wednesday, November 7,

2018. This is a family event open to parish

and school families. It will be held in the school from 5:30-

7pm. The night is themed around the Elephant and Piggie

book series. The Book Fair will be open and classrooms

will have activities for families to do together. We look

forward to sharing our love of reading with you!

SCHS THEATER PRESENTS… LES MISERABLES

The Fall Production of Les Miserables

will be performed on November 8th,

9th, 10th (7:00pm) & 11th (2:00pm

matinee) in the O’Reilly Theater at Springfield Catholic

High School.

Come and support the students’ hard work! Tickets are still

available.

From The Pastor’s Desk

This week we celebrate Halloween.  Here in the Bible belt we hear of the “paganism” of this night and some are trying hard to remove the fun day/night from our society.  Remembering saints and martyrs and dedicating a specific day to them each year has been a Christian tradition since the 4th century.  In 609, Pope Boniface IV decided to remember all martyrs and originally May 13th was designated as the Feast of All Holy Martyrs.  We know that Pope Gregory IV in 835 moved the commemoration of martyrs from May 13th to November 1st and extended the celebration to include all the saints, changing the name to the Feast of All Saints. The night before became known as All Hallows Eve, or “holy evening,” and eventually it became Halloween.

    Whether Pope Gregory was trying to simulate pagan peoples of Ireland and England into the church will always be up for debate.  There are no medieval writings which tell that the pagan peoples of these lands gathered and celebrated a major Celtic festival on the eve of winter.  In contrast New Year was a huge pagan celebration.  However, it was the Irish farmers living in Ireland hundreds of years ago which prepared for the All Saints Day and the following All Souls Day the night before, by going door-to-door collecting food and goods for a village feast and bonfire.  Those who contributed were promised prosperity; those who didn’t received threats of bad luck.  And yes you are right, the Irish Catholics who immigrated in the 1800’s brought this practice of “trick-or-treating” with them.  The rest is the great United States use of advertising and commercialism.  Next to Christmas, Halloween is the largest money “maker holiday” for businesses.  Unfortunately our society has turned a night of prayer and celebration into one of haunted houses, witches and ghosts.

   We also celebrate All Souls Day on November 2nd.  It could be said that All Souls Day is the Catholic Church’s Memorial Day/Month.  The Month of November begins with the feast of All Saints’ Day, followed by All Souls’ Day.  We distinguish between our beloved dead who are in heaven, “all saints,” who pray for us and our loved ones who have died and for whom we are moved to pray.  These are the poor souls who still may be undergoing the purging process of death-to-self that follows repentance.  In the month of harvest and dying, the Catholic Church memorializes the dead and recognizes Jesus as Lord of the living and the dead.

All Saints’ and All Souls

Thursday, November 1 is All Saints’ Day, a holy day of obligation. Mass will be celebrated on the holy day at 8:30am, 12:15, 5:30 & 7:30pm. (Vigil Mass Wednesday at 5:30pm) The Parish Office will be closed on November 1 in observance of the holy day. On All Saints’ Day, the Church celebrates all the saints: canonized or beatified, and the multitude of those in heaven enjoying the beatific visions that are only known to God. All lived lives like our own here on earth. We can join them one day in heaven.

All Souls Day (also known as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed) is Friday, November 2 and is a day set aside for honoring the dead. We are encouraged to pray especially on this day for the holy souls in purgatory. All Souls is not a holy day of obligation; however, Mass attendance, to honor our beloved dead, is encouraged. Mass on November 2 will be at 8:30am and 5:30pm

SCHS THEATER PRESENTS… LES MISERABLES

SAVE THE DATE!!!

The Fall Production of Les Miserables will be performed on November 8th, 9th, 10th (7:00pm) & 11th (2:00pm matinee) in the Meek Auditorium at Springfield Catholic High School.

Come and support the students’ hard work! Tickets are now available. 417 831-3565

ST. AGNES FALL BAZAAR…

A PARISH EVENT

Coming next weekend: November 3/4 is our annual parish bazaar.  This year, as in the past, there will be several booths for you to come and browse and, hopefully, find something for yourself or a Christmas gift or stocking stuffer.  If we support our vendors they will continue to come each year and support our causes!

We could always use volunteers who are willing to help for an hour or two each day.

¨ Friday - setting up for the event, 3:00-5:00pm

¨ Saturday & Sunday - staffing the parish booths in shifts from 9am to 3:00pm on Sat., 8am - 1pm on Sun

¨ Sunday - returning the cafeteria to its original state, 1:00-2:30pm

¨ Lots of people to bake goodies for the Senior’s Bake Sale table

If you are able to volunteer your time please contact Regina (988-9662) or Karen (761-9616).  If you are able to bake for the Senior’s table please bring your goodies to the parish office Friday, Nov. 2 or the morning of the bazaar, Nov. 3.

When we all come together wonderful things can happen! Proceeds will go toward both Tuition Assistance and Seniors Unlimited.