CHRISTMAS DINNER AT ST. AGNES

We will have our usual Christmas dinner for anyone who wants to come eat with us in the St. Agnes Cafeteria after the 11:00am Mass on Christmas Day. There will be no charge for the meal. You may bring a dish to share if you would like to.

 Anyone who would like to donate a turkey or ham, or who wants to help prepare, serve, or clean up afterward, please call Judy Rippee or Helen Rapp at the Parish Office, 417-831-3565.  Preparation will begin by 10:00am on Monday, Christmas Eve.

 Don’t spend Christmas alone!



ADVENT PENANCE SERVICES

Dec 16                Sunday at 1:00pm               Our Lady of the Ozarks, Forsyth

Dec 16                Sunday at 2:00pm               Immaculate Conception, Springfield

Dec 16                Sunday at 3:30pm               Our Lady of the Lake, Branson

Dec 16                Sunday at 4:00pm               St Francis de Sales, Lebanon

Dec 16                Sunday at 6:00pm               St Joseph the Worker, Ozark

Dec 17 Monday at 7:00pm St Elizabeth Ann Seton, Springfield

Dec 18 Tuesday at 7:00pm Sacred Heart, Springfield

Dec 19 Wednesday at 7:00pm St Joseph, Springfield

From The Pastor’s Desk

In this season of Advent, which is a time of waiting in which we are to prepare ourselves to welcome once again the comforting mystery of the Incarnation and the light of Christmas, it is important to reflect on Christian hope. As I mentioned in my homily last weekend, HOPE is the theme word in our scriptures this C cycle of readings. It is important because hope never disappoints. Optimism disappoints, but hope does not. In our troubled times that are violent and filled with anger we have need of hope. We may feel discouraged because we are powerless and seems like there is nothing we can do. We cannot abandon our hope because God is beside us, God walks with us. God has not abandoned us, because God, with his love, walks with us. The birth of the Savior is the hope that pierces and ends violence and hatred. He brings joy, happiness and hope.

The decorating, the parties, the gifts, the cards we send, the special foods we bake, these are all ways in which we may prepare to celebrate the birth of the Son of God. As we have begun this new Church liturgical year, make the Sunday Eucharist a priority in your life. Only then can you/we put Christ first in your/our lives. Otherwise it is simply happy holidays, give me presents and get this silly tree out of the living room on December 26th. Without gathering around the Lord’s Table, without Christ in our lives on a regular basis, we really have nothing to celebrate on December 25th.

Just as our Advent prayers and Scripture readings are to prepare us for Christmas, so also should our Advent decorations lead us to the celebration of Christmas. The blue violet color of Advent can become the background for Christmas. Using ribbon or material shot through with gold can be enhanced in the Christmas season. The purples can be added to with golds or silvers. Greenery can be left unlit through Advent and then become aglow during the Christmas season. Regardless, as we celebrate Advent this year, we are called as God’s holy people to open our hearts, individually and community, to the reality of Jesus Christ.

In the Catholic Church before Vatican II, Christmas was the only time that Mass was allowed to be held at midnight. This was because in the early church it was believed that Jesus was born at midnight, although there has never been any proof of this! Although many churches have midnight services on Christmas Eve, we will continue to celebrate our major Christmas Eve Mass at 11:00pm finishing around midnight. It makes getting up and celebrating Christmas Day Masses in the morning much easier!

2019 Calendars

2019 CALENDARS AVAILABLE

Catholic calendars for 2019 are available in the vestibule. Everyone is invited to take a calendar. We are grateful to Lohmeyer Funeral Home for providing Catholic calendars each year.

KNIGHT’S CHRISTMAS

The Knights of St. Agnes will gather for their annual Christmas dinner December 17th at 6:30 PM in the cafeteria. Since this is not a regular meeting, we are inviting any men of the parish who are interested in the Knights and their families to join us. Please bring a side dish or desert. The Council will supply meat and drinks.

CHRISTMAS DINNER AT ST. AGNES

We will have our usual Christmas dinner for anyone who is alone or has a small family and wants to come eat with us in the St. Agnes Cafeteria after the 11:00 am Mass on Christmas Day. There will be no charge for the meal. You may bring a dish to share if you would like to. Anyone who would like to donate a turkey or ham, or who wants to help prepare, serve, or clean up afterward, please call Judy Rippee or Helen Rapp at the Parish Office, 417-831-3565. Preparation will begin by 10:00 am on Monday, Christmas Eve. Don’t spend Christmas alone!

From The Pastor’s Desk

This weekend we begin our Advent journey, a journey which ends at a stable in Bethlehem.  Advent is the season of the church in which we prepare to welcome the Lord Jesus who has stepped into human history.  It is a time to look forward to his coming in the humility of being born of a woman, a woman He created, born just like each of us.  It is a season of wonder, without even asking, God has given us the gift of life, the gift of our unique body and mind, our families and the situations in which we slowly but surely make our way back to our loving god.

The most surprising gift is the gift of Gods own Son, Jesus, who became human.  He is the one we concentrate and prepare for during our Advent journey.  Jesus was not satisfied simply to become human 2000 years ago, but found a way to remain with us even after his death, resurrection and ascension.  Jesus the living and risen one, continues to live within us through the power of the Holy Spirit and unites with us as we receive his Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

The prophets of the Old Testament proclaimed the Messiahs’ coming and looked to the day when he would come.  Today 2000 years after the ascension we are to be watching and waiting for the Lord with the hope of encountering him.  In our Gospel this weekend from Luke, Jesus urges us to be vigilant, to be ready to welcome him at the moment of his return.  We cannot allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by all that is happening in the world and around us, but most live with concern for others, following Jesus’s example he set during his lifetime; examples of compassion, charity and love.  The person who continues to look to the second coming of Jesus is not overpowered by discouragements, by the lack of hope, by disappointments, and are able to sidestep the vanities with which the world is filled.

Last year during the 8 days before Christmas we began a beautiful Advent tradition of a Christmas Novena here at St. Agnes leading up to the celebration of our Lord’s birth on Christmas.  Plan on attending one evening or more and let the Christmas Novena help make this a truly spiritual time. 

GIFT/PURCHASE CARDS

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!! St. Agnes Cathedral has gift/purchase cards (SCRIP) available in the parish office during business hours Monday through Friday.

These cards are full value and good up to two years or longer. Proceeds go toward our tuition assistance program for deserving children in Catholic grade or high school. There is no extra cost or fees when you purchase a card. We have cards for several restaurants, businesses, and hotels as well as Visa, Discover, and American Express cards. Buy them for gifts, stocking stuffers or purchase for your own use.

 Cards we don’t have in our inventory must be ordered by Mondays at 8:30am to receive that same week. Contact our front desk volunteers with any questions.

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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