THE MIRROR SUBSCRIPTION

It’s that time of year again! The diocese will send us a bill in the coming weeks for each St. Agnes parishioner to receive this weekly newspaper. Each subscription is $14.00. Last year’s bill was over $9,000 and St Agnes paid nearly $6,000 that wasn’t covered by the envelopes. Please be sure to use your Mirror envelope and if possible include gift subscriptions for parishioners who may not be able to afford theirs.

From The Pastor’s Desk

In the early 1900s, many European families moved from their European countries to the United States. Immigrants from places like Italy, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, Germany and Bohemia. They left behind the only life they knew to establish a new life in a promising country without nobility, titles and class rules. My grandfather came first to the United States, worked, saved his money and sent for my grandmother.

Those millions of immigrants helped to build up our country and prepare it for the two world wars which occurred. They brought their talents and work ethic to build their new lives. I have often wondered what our country would be like today without that migration of all those immigrants. I have also wondered if I would even exist since my grandparents were of different classes and not able to marry in Bohemia.

The immigrants came for many reasons: a better future for their families, jobs, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, away from all the political strife between the royal families that were trying to hold on to their power, simply away from the violence of the wars. All of those immigrants changed our country. Being a student of history, we know many felt the Irish and the Italians should not be allowed on our shores.

Now in the year 2019, our country, our government is facing the same type of issues, immigrants coming by the millions from Mexico and South America. Why are they coming, flowing across our borders? They are coming for the same reasons the immigrants our ancestors came at the beginning of the last century: a better future for their families, jobs, freedoms, to escape violence coming from the drug cartels.

As in the past, many are saying no, we do not want them. Keep them out, arrest them, build a wall and send them back. While it is impossible to know exactly what the Great Wall of China cost to build, modern calculations estimate the cost to be approximately $360 billion. The wall is 4,160 miles from end to end. The Great Wall of China is the longest man-made structure in the world, and construction began between 260 and 210 B.C. RandomHistory.com reports that more than one million people died due to accidents during construction.

No society could sustain such a terrible burden. Taxation became heavier and heavier. Some 3,500,000 are estimated to have been involved in the building of the Great Wall. That was 70% of the total population of China at that time. For each worker working on the wall 6 were required to feed and support them. Construction of the wall became the most hated imperial project in Chinese history. In 209 B.C., millions of peasants rose up and ended the tyranny and bloodshed of the building of the wall. It brought down that government and within 10 years much of the wall was a neglected ruin. Will humanity ever learn from our past mistakes?

PCCW PAINT PARTY RETURNS!

Last year PCCW sponsored a Mardi Gras Paint Party & it was a huge success! This year we will add a new twist to the party. Last year, we painted on canvas, but this year participants will choose a wood painting; a 16 " board, 2 12x12' boards or painting a wooden box. RSVP Paint will again provide experts and supplies for the party. Come join us on Tuesday, February 26th at 6:30pm in the dining room of the St. Agnes Cafeteria. PCCW will supply snacks and drinks for all to enjoy. Donations to help cover the cost of supplies will be graciously accepted, but ALL are welcome. Bring a friend, a daughter, a mom, but just come and get to know other ladies of the parish. We do ask all to call the parish office by Feb 20th at 831-3565 to sign up!

CONFIRMATION

Confirmation for St. Agnes Cathedral will take place on Saturday, February 16th at the 5:00pm Mass. Bishop Edward Rice will confirm 34 of our young people during Mass. Please keep these young people in your prayers as they continue their faith journey. Parishioners are also welcome to congratulate them in the reception that will be held in the cafeteria after the Mass.

Camp Re-NEW-All

Camp Re-NEW-All registration is open! The summer camp program for the Diocese of Springfield Cape Girardeau is now taking applications for summer 2019. Camp is open to campers going into 5th-9th grades in the fall; high school staff going into 10th-12th grade; and adult staff. Parents and grandparents are invited to volunteer too! Campers are placed on a first-come, first served basis and weeks fill quickly, so apply early! Online applications may be completed at https:// dioscg.formstack.com/ forms/camp_re_new_all_2019, or call Katie at the Catholic Center at 417-866-0841 with questions.

From The Pastor’s Desk

I am continuing my discussion of Catholic Schools from last weeks’ bulletin. Following World War II many changes took place in the United States. The veterans came back from the war with benefits such as higher education, medical care, cheap housing and loans. Americans began to move out into the suburbs, and the building craze began. Middle class American Catholics attempted to reproduce out in the suburbs what they had known in the inner cities. Hundreds if not thousands of new parishes were built, parishes which contained a church, school, convent and rectory.

These new parish plants were funded by the people and staffed by a tremendous vocation boom following WWII. The late 40’s and in to the 50’s was a period of time of such growth in the Catholic Church in the United States that bishops and pastors believed that parish life and Catholic education would continue until the end of the century.

When the Second Vatican Council closed in 1965, changes in the Catholic Church opened many ministries to lay people. You did not have to be a religious or ordained priest to teach in Catholic Schools, work in hospitals or in many other areas of ministry. Vocations dropped drastically and within a few years the staffing of Catholic Schools became a great challenge. The religious communities of women had been the backbone of the Catholic Schools of the United States. In fact the religious women had been the work horse of the Church, many times with very little financial compensation. They were expected to work their whole life for the people and then return to their convents in old age.

When I began teaching at Notre Dame High School in 1981 there were 3 diocesan priests, 3 Notre Dame Sisters teaching and a Notre Dame Sister as Principal. The 7 of us received a stipend for teaching not a salary. When I left Notre Dame to come to Immaculate Conception parish here in Springfield 20 years later, only the principal, Br. David was a religious in the school and he received a full principal salary.

Catholic Education requires a financial investment for salaries, supplies, buildings upkeep, insurance and utilities, but the investment has great dividends. I believe that Catholic Schools reinforce the Christian values that are taught in our Catholic homes, in the Gospels and from the pulpit at Sunday Masses. They form the character and prepare our young people for success in life. A success that is molded by the Gospel of charity, love and forgiveness taught by Jesus Christ and not mandated by law courts.

I want to thank all the St. Agnes parishioners who give in the Sunday collection that allows us to finance our schools, and pay our parish bills on time. Thank you for all your support.

CONFIRMATION

Confirmation for St. Agnes Cathedral will take place on Saturday, February 16tlh at the 5:00pm Mass. Bishop Edward Rice will confirm 34 of our young people during Mass. Please keep these young people in your prayers as they continue their faith journey. Parishioners are also welcome to congratulate them in the reception that will be held in the cafeteria after the Mass.

PCCW PAINT PARTY RETURNS!

Last year PCCW sponsored a Mardi Gras Paint Party & it was a huge success! This year we will add a new twist to the party. Last year, we painted on canvas, but this year participants will choose a wood painting; a 16 " board, 2 12x12' boards or painting a wooden box. RSVP Paint will again provide experts and supplies for the party. Come join us on Tues, Feb 26th at 6:30 pm in the dining room of the St. Agnes Cafeteria. PCCW will supply snacks and drinks for all to enjoy. Donations to help cover the cost of supplies will be graciously accepted, but ALL are welcome. Bring a friend, a daughter, a mom, but just come and get to know other ladies of the parish. We do ask all to call the parish office by Feb 20th at 831-3565 to sign up!

WOMEN OF FAITH

Accept Father Joseph’s challenge and meet new parishioners! Women of Faith will gather this Wednesday, February 6 for noon Mass at Life House followed by lunch. Women of Faith cordially invites women to participate in monthly gatherings of prayer and socializing and an opportunity to occasionally assist in service to the parish. Please call Katie Williams for more information. We look forward to meeting you!

From The Pastor’s Desk

This week we celebrate National Catholic Schools Week. I would like to take a look, at not so much our Catholic Schools, but why, who, how our Catholic Schools were started here in the United States. The American Catholic Church created its own style of Catholic school system as a response to the felt need to protect itself and its people from the cultural animosity they felt in the America of the 1800-1900’s.

The bishops of the 19th century were aware of the great pressure that new immigrants coming from Catholic countries felt, striving to practice and teach the Catholic faith to their children. Therefore, they sought to insulate them from the pressures of American society. The great architect of the Catholic school system was Bishop John Hughes, the first archbishop of New York, 1842-1864. Archbishop Hughes took on the Public School Society of New York and demanded that they deal more sensitively with the immigrants and not force/coerce Catholic children to adopt the mainstream non- Catholic religions of the American society. He got nowhere by the authorities and thus decided to start a parallel school system in which the faith would be preserved. That system survives to this day.

As bishops meet together in councils throughout each country, the council of Baltimore in 1884 decreed that every parish had to have a school and that the school should be the first building built in any parish. At the same time the bishops were involved in the construction of what has been called the “empire of charity”: a network of social and educational institutions that were thought to be necessary to maintain the faith in a hostile cultural environment. The staffing for the schools, hospitals and orphanages came from huge numbers of vocations to religious congregations of sisters and from European missionaries. Thus the schools as well as all “church” institutions became very diverse. They reflected linguistically and culturally the neighborhoods in which they were located and which religious order staffed that institution.

The bishops sought to keep the Catholic Church together by catering to the different needs of their people. German immigrants differed in their needs from the Irish immigrants, etc. Money was always a major concern, since the immigrants brought very little with them to America other than their families and their faith.

In every immigrant neighborhood: family, parish, school and hospital all believed the same things. The lessons that were

taught around the dinner table were reinforced on Sunday from the pulpit, in the classroom during the week and on the streets of the neighborhood. The product was an extraordinary achievement, a school system that was owned by the people who paid for it voluntarily and who believed that its central proposition was the passing on of the faith. Faith and character were stressed in all that was/is done in the Catholic schools. (to be continued)

PCCW PAINT PARTY RETURNS!

Last year PCCW sponsored a Mardi Gras Paint Party & it was a huge success! This year we will add a new twist to the party. Last year, we painted on canvas, but this year participants will choose a wood painting; a 16 " board, 2 12x12' boards or painting a wooden box. RSVP Paint will again provide experts and supplies for the party. Come join us on Tues, Feb 26th at 6:30 pm in the dining room of the St. Agnes Cafeteria. PCCW will supply snacks and drinks for all to enjoy. Donations to help cover the cost of supplies will be graciously accepted, but ALL are welcome. Bring a friend, a daughter, a mom, but just come and get to know other ladies of the parish. We do ask all to call the parish office by Feb 20th at 831-3565 to sign up!

THANK YOU!

Dear Parishioners,

I would like to sincerely thank you for your prayers and generosity in making our Diocesan Development Fund a success. We have now reached our goal of $2.6 million. I know we simply could not have experienced this accomplishment without the leadership of our Priests and our DDF Parish Chairs, but I am even more humbled and impressed by the generosity of our parishioners from east to west. We can do so much by working together. I will keep all of you in my prayers in this New Year. I am

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Edward M. Rice

Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau

ST AGNES STEUBENVILLE 2019

St. Agnes Cathedral will again be forming a group to go to Steubenville in July 2019. St. Agnes has the tradition of assisting our young parishioners financially if they wish to attend. If you need to learn more information about this Conference held on the MSU campus, please visit: www.steubystl.com or the blog www.steubystl365.com. Please let us know if you plan to attend by emailing Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org no later than Feb. 3rd.

From The Pastor’s Desk

The human race never seems to learn from the past, but continually repeats the same mistakes over and over again. Our great nation is no different. Our government has moved into another week of two political parties at odds with each other like two children. We have national policies or the lack of policies with leaders who do not want to work together to solve the problems of our nation. Jesus came into human history at a time when much of the civilized world was ruled by the Roman Empire. Roman rule was maintained through brutal force, economic exploitation and society was secured by police and military forces.

There were very few freedoms and information was controlled by a select, powerful, colonizing group, which used local secular and religious leaders to push the Roman Imperial agenda. Dissent was not tolerated and those who protested and who dared to resist the dominant government system faced harsh punishment, torture and even death, as Jesus did. Roman rule, like other colonial dominations throughout human history, was at the time of Jesus beginning to collapse and disintegrate. Roman rule was frayed and weakening because of its arrogance, political individualism and overall corruption.

Jesus began his mission in a political, social and economic time that had many of the characteristics of the present. The promised wave of Roman prosperity did not reach the bottom of society. Jesus challenged the political, financial and religious elite that created burdens for the people, rather than meeting the needs of the people. Global prosperity did not work for the Roman Empire, neither did it work for the British Empire. There were hundreds of thousands seeking entrance into the different empires who tried to keep them out.

People during the time of Christ were searching for answers, good news and hope. Is that not the same today? The modern poor are confused, disappointed, uncertain and angry. The middle class is wanting answers and less taxation, while the rich upper class is looking for a way to move their wealth overseas. Jesus talked about taxes, the plight of women, disability, social and economic exclusion and the arrogance of power. The mission of Jesus is not about offering the poor mirages, miracles or quick fixes. The mission of Jesus is about accompanying vulnerable people in a struggle to make the structures of life resonant with the values and dignity of the individual in the light of the Gospel’s good news. We are in a time of change, and we must be certain that God is at the heart of the changes in our country and that the state does not become god and religion. We must look to the past and learn and pray for our government.

ST AGNES STEUBENVILLE 2019

St. Agnes Cathedral will again be forming a group to go to Steubenville in July 2019. We will need to confirm our space at this conference in early February. St. Agnes has the tradition of assisting our young parishioners financially if they wish to attend. If you need to learn more information about this Conference held on the MSU campus, please visit: www.steubystl.com or the blog www.steubystl365.com. Please let us know if you plan to attend by emailing Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org.

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.

P

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.