CONFIRMATION 2020

On March 14, at the 5:00pm Mass, 29 young people
from our parish were confirmed by Bishop Edward Rice.
Please keep the following young people, their families
and their sponsors in your prayers as they continue on
their Catholic faith journey: Ethan Bell, Robert Brown, Nhat
Bui. Alexander Byram, Dan Carroll, Mya Davis, Kaydie
Demster, Elizabeth Fairchild, Joseph Fairchild, Tristen
Gosnell, Long Hoang, David Le, Phien Le, Rose Pham Le,
Tam Le, Tien Le, Annabelle Moore, Ian Morgan, Vanessa
Ngo, Phuong Tran Nguyen, Truong Nguyen, Peggy
Nwodo, Emily Phan, Isabella Rangel, Benjamin Rapp,
Brandon Duy Truong, Jay Vo, Charles Waterhouse, Gina
Wittu and Benjamin Yarnall.

AREA PENANCE SERVICES

March 15, Sunday - Sacred Heart, Bolivar 3pm
March 16, Monday - Holy Trinity, Springfield 7pm
March 22, Sunday - Our Lady of the Cove, Kimberling City 3pm
March 22, Sunday - St Francis de Sales, Lebanon 3pm
March 29, Sunday - St. Joseph, Billings 4pm
March 29, Sunday - Our Lady of the Lake, Branson 4pm
March 29, Sunday - Holy Trinity, Marshfield 4pm
March 29, Sunday - Sacred Heart, Conway 7pm
March 30, Monday - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, 7pm
March 31, Tuesday - St. Joseph, Springfield 7pm

From The Pastor’s Desk

We have moved from Ordinary Time to the Lenten Season. Each season of the Church Liturgical year has
different emphasis. Advent is the season of looking to the future. Isaiah prophesying 700 years before the birth of Christ gave the people hope when all seemed lost. All the prophets beginning with Moses pointed to the coming of the Messiah. They sought to motivate the people to plan for the future, when God would send a savior.
We are a people who plan for the future. We plan for short term as well as long term events. We plan for our
vacations, we plan for our retirement. In a parish setting we plan our liturgical celebrations and liturgies, we plan for our buildings’ upkeep, we plan budgets to follow, we plan for growth as well as what we believe will be the future needs.
Over the five and half years since I have come to St. Agnes Cathedral we have accomplished much in providing for safety, especially the front of the Cathedral, the new doors of the Cathedral, new LED lighting in much of the school, the new carpet in the Cathedral, new doors in the school, the addition of cameras throughout the school, the removal of the old convent which was deteriorating from the roof to the outside brick walls. The construction of the new storage building for the school, the parish, health care, PCCW, Knights of Columbus, and Scouts, has fulfilled a great need that every parish has, storage for things that are only used a few times a year or for items that need to be stored for future use. All of this has been accomplished without having to ask for money. Much has been accomplished through our bingo
funds and through people making private donations.
Since I have come to St. Agnes I constantly hear people expressing their desire for a parish building for parish
functions, not a cafeteria for students, but a large enough space for the parish to host dinners and different events. The Vietnamese community is also needing a larger space than the school cafeteria for dinners. After discussing with our Parish Council, Finance Committee and the Vietnamese Council President, Fr. Mac and I sat down to talk with the Bishop several weeks ago. The Bishop asked for a line drawing of a building from an architect just to look at what space is available for building and the estimated cost. If this is the direction we are moving toward, I do not want to use money on a professional fund raiser to tell us whether or not we can afford to build. If we truly want and need a facility then I believe our parish communities here at St. Agnes can raise the money needed to build.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

Knights Breakfast: The next Knights sponsored breakfast is scheduled for March 15th after the 7:00 & 8:30 Masses. Come join us for biscuits & gravy and all the extras.

AREA PENANCE SERVICES

March 9, Monday - St. Francis of Assisi, Nixa 7pm
March 10, Tuesday - St Agnes - 7pm
March 15, Sunday - Sacred Heart, Bolivar 3pm
March 16, Monday - Holy Trinity, Springfield 7pm
March 22, Sunday - Our Lady of the Cove, Kimberling City 3pm
March 22, Sunday - St Francis de Sales, Lebanon 3pm
March 29, Sunday - St. Joseph, Billings 4pm
March 29, Sunday - Our Lady of the Lake, Branson 4pm
March 29, Sunday - Holy Trinity, Marshfield 4pm
March 29, Sunday - Sacred Heart, Conway 7pm
March 30, Monday - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Spfld 7pm
March 31, Tuesday - St. Joseph, Springfield 7pm

Youth Activities

Stations of the Cross for Families
Our Parish School of Religion program will sponsor Stations of the Cross for families & parishioners on Sunday, March 8th at 10:00 AM. The Stations will be held in the cafeteria & are very appropriate for our young people. Come grab a donut and then stay for Stations.

Youth in grades 8-12: Mark your calendar. The Open gym/ Dodgeball tournament is today in the St. Agnes Gym from 6:00-8:00pm. Bring a team ready to play! Great opportunity to invite other youth from outside the parish. We will provide pizza, drinks and other snacks. There will also be board games for those who do not wish to play dodge ball or basketball. We do ask that each person attending make a $2 donation to attend. This money will be donated to the "Lenten Mission of Mercy" sponsored by Bishop Rice. This money will benefit "Whole Kids Outreach", an organization serving the most poverty stricken communities in our diocese.
Come join us!

Confirmation 2020
Bishop Edward Rice with confirm 29 young people of the parish on Sat, March 14th at the 5:00 P.M. Mass. Please pray for these young people, their sponsors and their families that the sacrament of Confirmation will strengthen their faith in the coming years. There will be a reception immediately following the Confirmation Mass in the St. Agnes

Lenten Lock-In for Youth Adventure Program Members
Our annual Lenten Lock-In will be held Saturday/Sunday, March 21-22 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish in Springfield. All members in Kindergarten-5th grade in Scouts, American Heritage Girls, Trail Life USA, Little Flowers, etc. are invited. Those in 2nd-5th will be invited to spend the night. (6th-12th graders are invited to help out on Saturday night only.) For more information or to register, visit https:// dioscg.formstack.com/forms/lentenlockin or call the Office of Youth Formation, 417-866-0841.

IGNITE
Youth in grades 7-8 are invited to attend a Diocesan Youth Conference specifically for 7th & 8th graders. This is a one day conference titled "Ignite" and will be held in West Plains. The date is March 28th from 10:00 AM-5:00 PM at the West Plains Theater of the Civic Center. Parents are encouraged to attend with their child. Bishop Edward Rice along with other nationally known speakers will speak at the event. The cost is $25 and will include lunch and a tshirt. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish will be taking a bus and have a few open seats they will open to other parishes. Register online by March 6th at to dioscg.formstack.com/forms/youth_conf_registration. With more questions, contact Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org.

WE ARE CALLED

Lent began last Wednesday, but you still have time to join Mathew Kelly’s free computer program. Simply go into DynamicCatholic.com, and then type in BEST LENT EVER 2020. You will be asked to enter your name and email address twice and then send. You will receive a brief message from Mathew each morning. If you would like one of his free Lenten Journals to spend a few minutes in quiet contemplation, call me at 889-7052. We still have some Journals left.
Beginning March 2, we would like to invite you to join us in small groups to share thoughts, ideas, and fellowship. We’ll meet in the Upper room in of the grade school each Monday at 6:10 for those who would like to attend the 5:30 Mass. Let’s do Lent together!
Ginny Smithberg

From The Pastor’s Desk

The month of March is our month to highlight the Knights of Columbus. The Knights of Columbus are found in many of our parishes throughout our diocese, although they stand apart from the parishes. I am not very active with our council here at St. Agnes, simply because of all the different hats that I already wear; diocesan, helping to cover South Cox, North Cox Hospitals, foundation boards and directing the theater at the high school.
To follow what our bishop in the past has written to our Knights here in the Diocese, “As Catholic gentlemen, we are called to a life of service. We are called to care for our families, serve our communities and serve our Holy Mother Church.” It is a great and wonderful opportunity that exists for Catholic men to answer the call to serve by becoming a member of the Knights of Columbus.
The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 by a simple parish priest who had the vision and foresight to
conceive of an organization which would provide Catholic men the opportunity to live their faith through charitable works, caring for their families and defending the Catholic faith. There are almost 2 million Knights located in 15 countries. They are a strong moral example in a time in which our cultures and societies promote secularism over service to others.
The Knights of Columbus here in the United States donated more than $185.7 million to charitable causes and over 76.7 million hours in charitable work in 2018.
I congratulate all of our Knights here at the St. Agnes Knights of Columbus Council, as well as those members
throughout our Diocese who work hard in the support of the Church and their charitable causes. I invite any male over the age of 18 to learn more about the Knights of Columbus and ask the question of whether or not the Knights might not be the organization for them to grow in their faith, serving the church, their family and their communities.
Pope Francis has asked that the Church go to the peripheries. The Supreme Grand Knight said that, “We can reach half way around the globe to help those in need and we can reach to our neighbor next door. And we do that every day. That makes us witnesses to the faith.” We invite you to consider becoming a part of an international organization of Catholic men whose work involves helping others in need.

Youth Activities

CONFIRMATION NEWS…
Our final Confirmation session is today, Sunday, March 1st from 3:00-4:30 in the cafeteria: All candidates should bring their sponsor or a representative of their sponsor to attend this session. This session is mandatory. Confirmation will be Saturday, March 14th at the 5:00pm Mass.
Youth in grades 8-12: Mark your calendar. St. Agnes will sponsor an Open gym/Dodgeball tournament on Sunday, March 8th in the St. Agnes Gym from 6:00-8:00pm. Bring a team ready to play! Great opportunity to invite other youth from outside the parish. We will provide pizza, drinks and other snacks. There will also be board games for those who do not wish to play dodge ball or
basketball. We do ask that each person attending make a $2 donation to attend. This money will be donated to the "Lenten Mission of Mercy" sponsored by Bishop Rice. This money will benefit "Whole Kids Outreach", an
organization serving the most poverty stricken communities in our diocese. Come join us!

WE ARE CALLED

Lent began last Wednesday, but you still have time to join Mathew Kelly’s free computer program. Simply go into DynamicCatholic.com, and then type in BEST LENT EVER 2020. You will be asked to enter your name and email address twice and then send. You will receive a brief message from Mathew each morning. If you would like one of his free Lenten Journals to spend a few minutes in quiet contemplation, call me at 889-7052. We still have some Journals left.
Beginning March 2, we would like to invite you to join us in small groups to share thoughts, ideas, and fellowship. We’ll meet in the Upper room in of the grade school each Monday at 6:10 for those who would like to attend the 5:30 Mass. Let’s do Lent together!
Ginny Smithberg

ST VINCENT DE PAUL

Jesus said, “WHEN YOU GIVE TO THE NEEDY DO NOT LET YOUR RIGHT HAND KNOW WHAT YOUR LEFT HAND IS DOING,” but I believe that it is a good time for parishioners to know what our church does with the money you give for the poor through your contributions to St Vincent de Paul and the Giving boxes during Lent.
Every month our St Vincent de Paul contributes 25% of your donations to the Well of Life at 418 S Kimbrough where we feed the poor who can now come once a month for food. Our church and 7 other churches have been doing this for over 15 years. Some of our parishioners volunteer there. In addition, in the month of February, St Vincent de Paul helped 2 families with temporary housing, provided 180 bus passes for the Well of Life to give to those in need of transport to appointments or job interviews, helped 45 people with utilities, gave 17 gas vouchers, and helped 90 families with food when working at Crosslines food pantry.
Additionally, our parish continues to help Grace United Methodist Church each month with personal items and protein foods for their closet and supports the cost of doing laundry for the homeless there at the church.

From The Pastor’s Desk

This year has been liturgically calm since the end of the Christmas Season.  We have had seven Sundays of Ordinary Time before Lent.  That was enough time to take down my Christmas décor and think about preparing for Lent.  Ash Wednesday is this coming Wednesday.  Our sanctuary is bare of greenery with bare branches and vines and a purple altar cloth.  Oh yes it is that time again.  A time that when I was a kid, there was that question of what I was giving up to “mortify the flesh”, it meant give up something I really like to eat or do. 

Now that I am an adult, not counting that I am a priest, the more important question is “what am I’m going to do EXTRA during this season?”  The question that many people, myself included may ask of ourselves, how can I fit a new activity into my schedule that already is filled to overflowing?  I’m too busy, and most of you are also.  We’ll never “find the time” for Lent or any other new activity.  We don’t “save” time for a day when we need more time.  We live time day by day, moment by moment.  No one’s going to give us more time and our time is not to be given to someone else who is needing a few extra hours in the day.  God has already given us all the time we will ever need.  We need to live and plan smarter.

If we are going to do more of something: Lenten extras, Easter preparations or celebrations of anything, we are going to have to do less of something else.  That is the essential rule of time management:  if you want a half hour here, you have to take a half hour from there.  It is a tradeoff.  DO NOT take that time from sleeping and from nurturing personal relationships.  Robbing yourself of sleep will take your energy, enthusiasm, efficiency, and none of us are spending enough time with the really important people in your life.

When I meet with our Confirmation Candidates I try to impress upon them the importance to become a person/people of prayer.  That does not mean that we need to spend hours in prayer each day, although that would not be bad.  Being a person of prayer means taking the Lord along with you throughout your day.  Begin the day with a whispered thought/prayer as you get dressed for the day, on the way to work/school thank the Lord for the day/the gasoline in your gas tank, that you are not walking to work as so many people in the world.  How about thanking the Lord for your job/your freedom to go to school.  If it is going to be a hard day at work/school let the Lord be by your side, invite Him along.  Whispered thoughts/prayers do not take time, they take effort, a conscious effort to include the Lord in whatever you are doing.  May your Lent be a time refreshing you with energy, enthusiasm through the graces of God.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS SCHOLARSHIPS

The Knights of Columbus Council 698 of Springfield, Missouri will award three educational scholarships for the 2020-2021 school year: Two $1000.00 traditional scholarships to a 2 or 4-year college payable in installments of $500 per semester.
One $500.00 non-traditional scholarship to a Trade/Tech/ Vocational school If the $500.00 non-traditional scholarship is not applied for it will be used to supplement the two $1000.00 scholarships.
The guidelines and application may be downloaded by going to www.kofc698.org and clicking button News & Announcements. Scholarship applications should be postmarked by Tuesday, March 31, 2020 to be considered. Mail completed application to:
Scholarship Chairman, Knights of Columbus 698
3294 S. Palisades Dr.
Springfield MO 65807
Scholarship recipients will be notified through mail by the end of April.

THE MIRROR SUBSCRIPTION

It’s that time of year again! The diocese will send us 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 approximately $9,500 and St. Agnes paid over $6,000 that wasn’t covered by the envelopes. Please be sure to use you Mirror envelope and if possible include gift subscriptions for parishioners who may not be able to afford theirs.

CCM ANNUAL LENTEN RETREAT

Catholic Campus Ministry (CCM) in Springfield, MO is inviting all college-aged men and women to its annual
Hosea Lenten Retreat. The retreat will be held on March 7 -8, 2020 at the O'Reilly Catholic Student Center on Holland Avenue across from Missouri State University Campus. This year's theme is "Love Reignited" and will be filled with prayer, small group discussion, adoration, and talks given by guest speaker Sr. Jeanne Roads, D.C., and the students. The cost of the retreat is $30. Sign up at CCM's website www.ccm847.org. For more information contact Maria Shockley at (417)-771-0202 or Shockley617@live.missouristate.edu.

From The Pastor’s Desk

St. Agnes Cathedral has many different types of ministries. They involve many different groups and areas; from young to old, from spirituality to social. This month we are highlighting another of our parish ministries; WE ARE CALLED. Over the past year the WE ARE CALLED ministry presented a 6 week course by Bishop Barron on David the King. This year was also the second presentation of 33 Days to Merciful Love, which is a 7 week course by Father Michael Gaitley.
The ministry also presents a coffee and donut welcome time for new parishioners. It participated in the ministry fair held at all the weekend liturgies and gave away 150 books and CDs.
Throughout the year they have presented these movies: St. Francis of Asisi, The Reformer, St. Thomas Aquinas, The Theologian, Blessed John Henry Newman, The Convert, St. Catherine of Siena, The Mystic, G.K. Chesterton, The Evangelist and Michelangelo, The Artist. These individuals have all played important roles in the Church.
The ministry has also been responsible for giving away these spiritual books throughout the year: Why I Love Being Catholic, Building Better Families, Nine Words, Building The Long View, The Joy of the Gospel, The Mega Church Pastor and the Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity.
This past Christmas the ministry gave the book, Rediscover the Saints, by Mathew Kelly to all families at the
Christmas Liturgies. They will be giving to each family this Lent a spiritual meditation book. It will contain a short scripture reading, followed by a short reflection.
As we highlight our different ministries throughout the year, we find that there are many different ways in which we are able to grow in our faith. Each parish has many ministries and then there are ministries which we share across the city parishes. These ministries we advertise in our parish bulletins and on our websites. I cannot encourage parishioners enough to search out what will help you grow in your faith.

CONFIRMATION NEWS…

The next Confirmation session will be held Sunday, Feb 16th from 3:00-4:30 in the St. Agnes cafeteria. All candidates will need to make certain they bring their service reflection forms. Our final Confirmation session
will be held Sunday, March 1st beginning at 3:00 PM in the cafeteria: Sponsors should be present Sunday, March 1st with the candidates. If a sponsors cannot attend, another confirmed person can fill in for that
session. Confirmation is Sat, March 14th.

Knights of Columbus

The next monthly breakfast, sponsored by your St. Agnes Knights group, will be Sunday, Feb. 16th after the 7:00 and 8:30am Masses. We will be serving french toast, eggs and sausage. Hope to see you there.

Knights of Columbus: The monthly Knights meeting will be this Tuesday (Feb. 18th) 7:00 PM in the Band Room. We need to finalize plans for our yearly Lenten Fish Dinner event - so please be there if you can.

The St. Agnes Knights of Columbus will hold their annual Lenten fish dinner on Friday, February 28th in the
cafeteria. We will be serving from 5:00 to 7:00pm and the menu will include fried and baked fish, tater tots, hushpuppies, macaroni & cheese, drinks, and desserts. Come let us serve you this first Friday of Lent.

MARDI GRAS POTLUCK

Ladies of the parish; mark your calendar for Tues, Feb 25th; A Mardi Gras Potluck Dinner. Dinner will begin at 6:30 in the dining room. Bring your favorite dish and bring a copy of the recipe to share. We will also have a dance teacher on hand to show us a line dance or two. Please call the parish office to sign up so we can coordinate food. Donations will be accepted to help offset the cost of dance instructor.

From The Pastor’s Desk

Our Catholic Church is rich in our traditions. We have many forms of praying and outside of the Seven Sacraments I do not believe one is better than the other. Whether we are reading the Bible, Walking in the footsteps of Christ with the Stations of the Cross, Spiritual Reading, celebrating a Novena, praying the Rosary or any of the other form of devotionals, all are leading us closer to Jesus Christ.
During the 1980’s through 2000, many devotionals fell by the wayside, however in the last decade they are once again finding a place in our prayer life as people are searching for ways to strengthen their relationship with Christ.
For centuries, many popes, saints and spiritual leaders have strongly encouraged all to pray the Rosary. The
Blessed Mother has urged us to pray the Rosary. We see that especially in the events which occurred in the early 1900’s at Fatima, witnessed by thousands of believers and non-believers. In the apparitions of our Blessed Mother who asked that the Rosary be prayed daily. She said, “That reparation made via the Rosary holds back the hand of God from striking the world with His just punishments. She concluded her apparitions by a ‘miracle of the sun’ that was witnessed by tens of thousands of people, many who were critics.
Throughout the Rosary’s history it has been considered a powerful weapon against the forces of evil. It has been associated with countless miracles of all types. The saints have called the Rosary a “ladder to heaven”. Those who pray the Rosary on a regular basis can tell you of the spiritual benefits it brings them.

……………………….The Joyful Mysteries
1. Annunciation of the birth of Jesus to Mary by the angel
Gabriel
2. Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth
3. Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
4. Presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple
5. Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple by Mary and Joseph
………………………...The Luminous Mysteries
1. Christ's baptism in the Jordan River
2. The self-revelation of Christ at the marriage of Cana
3. Christ's announcement of the kingdom of God
4. The Transfiguration of Christ
5. The institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper
………………………..The Sorrowful Mysteries
1. Agony of Christ in the Garden
2. Scourging of Jesus at the Pillar
3. Placing of the crown of thorns on the head of Jesus
4. Carrying the Cross by Jesus
5. Crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ
…………………………The Glorious Mysteries
1. Resurrection of our Lord from the dead
2. Ascension of our Lord into heaven
3. Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles on Pentecost
4. Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven
5. Coronation of the Virgin Mary
(The Church suggests praying the Joyful Mysteries on Monday & Saturday, the Luminous Mysteries on Thursday, The Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesday & Friday, and The Glorious Mysteries on Wednesday & Sunday)