BUDAPEST, PRAGUE, VIENNA, POLAND TRIP

Travel with Fr. Lewis Hejna, Rector of St Agnes Cathedral, on our Budapest, Prague, Vienna, Poland trip. Where: Budapest, Prague, Wroclaw, Warsaw, Vienna, Czestochowa. Trip Dates: June 29 - July 12, 2019. Cost: $4,600.00 Airfare and ALL-Included. To register, please call (855) 842-8001 or (508) 340- 9370 or online at www.proximotravel.com..

WOMEN OF THE PARISH

St. Martha’s PCCW group is again sponsoring a Lenten week-end retreat - an opportunity to relax, spend time in quiet prayer, hear inspirational talks, and reflect on your relationship with God. The retreat is at King’s House in Belleville, Il, March 22-24. We will carpool, leaving from St. Agnes at noon on Friday. The retreat ends on Sunday following 11:00 Mass and lunch at noon. The theme is “Christ Be Our Light: Out of Darkness into God’s Marvelous Light”. Suggested cost is $175, their actual cost to provide the retreat. It is given as a freewill, anonymous offering by envelope at Mass. If you’re able to give more, they appreciate it, but they accept any offering you are able to give. Reservations are on a first come, first serve basis. If interested in attending, or for more information, call Mary Seibert at 865-5732.

From The Pastor’s Desk

As we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we conclude the Christmas     Season.  We continue to dwell upon the great mystery of a God who is made visible through human flesh and who promises to return.  As Christ celebrates His baptism by going into the desert to prepare for His ministry, each of us needs to take a good look at our own vocation.  “What has God asked me to do, and am I living what He has asked of me?”

When John the Baptist baptized, he was calling people to repentance.  He gave it to all and asked that they make a commitment to reform their lives for the coming Messiah.  His baptizing was bringing in the new age.  He was the last prophet to “look for another” and to prepare the way for another.  Jesus was baptized by John, not because He needed to repent, but as a sign that He was the NEW AGE.  Jesus’ baptism was Israel’s Red Sea crossing, and Jesus’ wandering for 40 days in the wilderness was Israel’s 40 years of wandering and looking toward the Promised Land.  Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies.  He brought forth the new era in Water and Spirit.  From Jesus’ baptism, God took His Son into His service equipping Him and authorizing Him to be His messenger and the beginning of the time of salvation.

Water is a double edge sword so to speak.   It can mean death/life, too much water and we drown, not enough and we die.  As we go down into the waters of baptism, we are going into a watery grave. In baptism we are going to our death.  As we come out of the water, we come back from the grave and we immediately are filled with the Holy Spirit.  By this dying to self in surrender to the Father’s will, a whole new Spirit, the Spirit of the living God is upon the human race.

The Baptism of Jesus is a ritual enactment of His passion, death, and resurrection.  The Church sees Baptism as dying to the evil of sin, and rising with Jesus and being anointed with His Spirit. St. Paul (Romans 6:3) summarizes the experience of Baptism “Are you…new life.”

1. Baptism is a change of allegiance.  We are no longer slaves to sin, but children of a loving God.

2. Baptism is a putting off of the old and putting on the new. (baptismal garments)

3. Baptism is a new birth. (baptismal fonts)

4. Baptism enlightens. (the candle lit from the Easter Candle and given to the person)

5. Baptism makes a person a share in Christ; therefore, like Christ, we are anointed priest, prophet, and king. (the anointing following the water rite at baptism)

We are called from baptism onward to walk as a child of God.  We are called to live out our vocation guided by the Holy Spirit, whether that be in marriage, single life, religious life or ordained ministry.  As we begin the year 2019 please keep our seminarians in your prayers.

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CONFIRMATION UPDATES

Final sessions for Confirmation will be Sunday, Jan 20th and Sunday, Feb 3rd. The session on Feb 3rd will be a session for all candidates and their sponsors. Confirmation will take place Saturday, Feb 16th at the 5:00pm Mass.

CONTRIBUTION ENVELOPES BY MAIL

Contribution envelopes will now be mailed to your house on a bi-monthly basis. January & February 2019 should have been delivered by Christmas. If you did not get your envelopes, please contact the parish office.

Knights Striking Out for The Kitchen

Sunday, January 20th, Noon  Registration 1:00pm Bowling Begins  The 24th annual Knights of Columbus Bowl-A-Thon takes place at Century Lanes in Nixa. Entry fee is $10 for three games, shoes and bowling ball (if needed). You can register your team and pay online at www.thekitcheninc.org/events, or on the event Facebook page, Knights Striking Out for The Kitchen. The Kitchen provides assistance to homeless and disadvantaged families in our community by helping them find affordable housing and services. Funds are desperately needed to help those in our community! If you can help with a gift certificate, door prize, or raffle item (value at $25 or more), contact Linda Howard, 417-818-6220,.

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From The Pastor’s Desk

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of Epiphany. It is celebrated differently in other countries. Here in the United States it is simply another Sunday Liturgy following the Holy Family Sunday within the Octave of Christmas with no real fanfare, except we place the three Magi statues at the nativity scene. In some of the Western European countries it is on this day that gifts are exchanged, not on Christmas itself.

Epiphany commemorates the revelation of Jesus to the world. The three Magi, after searching for years are able to find the Christ child. Since Christmas, our manger scene in Church has shown over the past days that the Magi were not present at Bethlehem, but after talking to King Herod and then going to Bethlehem and with the help of the star were guided to Nazareth. Here they according to the Gospels presented their precious gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The Magi represent the peoples of the world other than the Jewish people. Christ was to be the savior of all peoples, not just the Jews. Traditional nativity scenes portray the skin color of the Magi as white, black and red. It was the theologian Tertullian writing in the third century who first called them “almost “ kings. The names of Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthasar were first mentioned in the sixth century. By the Middles Ages devotion to the Magi was popular all over Europe. They were venerated as saints and their images appeared in different forms of art.

As we begin this New Year, may each of us make every effort to live the Christmas message of love, peace and joy every day of 2019. Let these be our New Year’s resolutions. If we lose a few pounds or give up some of our bad habits, so much the better. But if we truly lived the Christmas message, we could affect not only our lives, but the lives of many of those around us. Smiles and forgiveness are contagious and as the Christ Child holds out His arms in the manger, He invites each of us to follow His example

Knights Striking Out for The Kitchen

Sunday, January 20th, Noon Registration 1:00pm Bowling Begins The 24th annual Knights of Columbus Bowl-AThon takes place at Century Lanes in Nixa. Entry fee is $10 for three games, shoes and bowling ball (if needed). You can register your team and pay online at www.thekitcheninc.org/events, or on the event Facebook page, Knights Striking Out for The Kitchen. The Kitchen provides assistance to homeless and disadvantaged families in our community by helping them find affordable housing and services. Funds are desperately needed to help those in our community! If you can help with a gift certificate, door prize, or raffle item (value at $25 or more), contact Linda Howard, 417-818-6220,.

CONFIRMATION UPDATES

Confirmation Sessions will take place on Sunday, Jan 6th at 3:00pm in the St. Agnes Cafeteria. This is a very important meeting as we will be composing candidates' letters to Bishop Rice and Father Lewis. These are a requirement for all candidates. Candidates should check their email for information on the form of the letters. We will also be setting up individual meetings with Father Lewis and these are also a requirement for Confirmation. Contact Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org with more questions.

Final session for Confirmation will be Sunday, Jan 20th and Sunday, Feb 3rd. The session on Feb 3rd will be a session for all candidates and their sponsors. Confirmation will take place Saturday, Feb 16th at the 5:00pm Mass.

WOMEN OF THE PARISH… JOIN US FOR THIS SPIRITUAL OPPORTUNITY

You are invited to a Morning of Reflection on January 12, 2019. Sr. Richard Mary from Mercy Hospital will be our presenter. Come and experience a New Year renewal. Saturday, January 12, 2019, meet for Mass at 8:30am in the Chapel (unless numbers exceed comfort in which case the main church) Presentation will begin between 9:15 and 9:30 (depending on length of Mass) Lunch will be served in the cafeteria about 11:30. We are so excited to bring this opportunity to you. Please feel free to invite friends and family. Also, please call the office, 831-3565, for lunch purposes, by January 7 if you plan to attend. You are most welcome, though, if you are unexpectedly able to come at the last minute. Hope to see you that morning!

From The Pastor’s Desk

As Catholic Feasts are celebrated, the Feast of the Holy Family which we celebrate this weekend is a relatively new feast. It began to be celebrated in the universal Church in 1920. Devotion to the Holy Family became popular during the 17th century. The theme of family and this feast dedicated to it, is of special importance today in the face of challenges to the contemporary family. Mary and Joseph along with the Christ Child gives us a perfection example of working together as a family. Love, compassion, sharing, caring for one another, are all examples that the three members of the Holy Family provide for us. As couples today have problems and concerns with one another, I invite them to take a good look at Mary and Joseph. Mary, a young girl finds herself expecting a child, and the child was not that of her betrothed. Joseph finds his betrothed carrying a child which he knows is not his. That had to put a strain on the relationship! It took a lot of faith on the part of Joseph to accept the story of the Angel Gabriel and the Holy Spirit. Finally it took the Angel Gabriel face to face with Joseph before the situation becomes calm.

If all of that was not enough to break Mary and Joseph apart, then there was that trip to Bethlehem; a birth in a stable, and the sudden flight to Egypt, leaving behind home and job. All of this was with the fear of King Herod seeking to kill the new born child. Couples today who are having problems need to set down together and really look to what the Holy Family teaches through their own life of family. In fact all of us can learn many virtues from Joseph, Mary and Jesus if we would study their lives.

Joseph and Mary work together to provide for the Christ Child and in turn the Scriptures tell us that as Christ grows, He is obedient to Mary and His foster father, Joseph. All three members of the Holy Family have much to teach each of us, single, married, young or old. As we celebrate this feast, let it be a feast that we keep year around.

END OF YEAR DONATIONS

For those who want to be sure and donate to the church before the end of the year for tax purposes, we will be accepting through Jan. 1st. Deposits credited to 2018 will not be made until the 2nd.

CONTRIBUTION ENVELOPES BY MAIL

Contribution envelopes will now be mailed to your house on a bi-monthly basis. January & February 2019 should be delivered by Christmas. If you do not get your envelopes, please contact the parish office.

WOMEN OF THE PARISH… JOIN US FOR THIS SPIRITUAL OPPORTUNITY

You are invited to a Morning of Reflection on January 12,2019. Sr. Richard Mary from Mercy Hospital will be our presenter. Come and experience a New Year renewal. Saturday, January 12, 2019, meet for Mass at 8:30am in the Chapel (unless numbers exceed comfort in which case the main church) Presentation will begin between 9:15 and 9:30 (depending on length of Mass) Lunch will be served in the cafeteria about 11:30. We are so excited to bring this opportunity to you. Please feel free to invite friends and family. Also, please call the office, 831-3565, for lunch purposes, by January 7 if you plan to attend. You are most welcome, though, if you are unexpectedly able to come at the last minute. Hope to see you that morning!

From The Pastor’s Desk

Last year, 2017, Fr. Joseph and I began a new Advent tradition here at St. Agnes Cathedral, a Christmas Novena. It is a beautiful tradition which many people do not even think about or enjoy. The final week of Advent, beginning on December 17th, the Christmas Novena is built around the O Antiphons.  Their main theme is messianic, stressing the hope of the Savior’s coming. Within them Jesus is proclaimed by various titles, mainly taken from the prophet Isaiah.  Each O Antiphon begins with an invocation of the expected Messiah, followed by praise of him under one of his particular titles. Each ends with a petition for God’s people, corresponding to the title by which He is addressed in the Antiphon. The Novena is celebrated in low lighting with candles, concluding with Benediction.

On December 17th, Wisdom from the Most High: O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.

On December 18th, Ruler of House of Israel: the Lord will be there with us, majestic, our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our King, He it is who will save us.

On December 19th, Root of Jesse: remember that Jesse was the father of King David, and the prophet Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be of the house and lineage of David and be born in David’s city, Bethlehem.

On December 20th, Key of David: O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of Heaven, leading the captive people into freedom and He will rule forever.

On December 21st, Rising Dawn and Dayspring: for the people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.

On December 22nd, King of the Gentiles: a King of all the nations, and He shall judge between the nations and impose His justice and terms on all peoples.

On December23rd, Emmanuel: the King and lawgiver, the desire of the nations and Savior of all peoples.  The title itself means, “God is with us.”

Many people have asked me, “Are not novenas supposed to be nine days?” The Christmas Novena continues at the Christmas Eve Mass when I sing the Christmas Proclamation and concludes on Christmas Day with Mass and the Gospel of Jesus’ Birth from John’s account.

I invite everyone this year to share in this beautiful Advent tradition leading up to the celebration of our Lord’s birth on Christmas. Let the Christmas Novena help make this a truly spiritual time. The Novena begins at 7 pm and will conclude at 7:30 and on Wednesday thru Friday we will host our open rectory beginning at 7:30. My sister has helped tremendously with all of our 46 trees, villages and 60 nativity sets from around the world. Come and pray, come and enjoy one another’s company during this hectic time of the year.

Special Time for Seniors

Seniors who do not like to drive at night are invited to come to an open house in the rectory Wednesday, December 19 from  1 to 2:30pm to see the Christmas trees and nativity scenes. There is plenty to see even if you cannot walk up steps. Come to the side door near the Cathedral and someone will be waiting to let you in.

                                                          S. Elizabeth Ann

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.