Showing posts with label Mary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mary. Show all posts

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Bulletin 274

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching

September 20th, 2015

17th Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: Eph. 4: 1-6
Gospel: Mt. 22: 34-46

Mon 21 No Latin Mass
Tues 22 St. Thomas of Villanova, Bishop & Confessor
Wed 23 Ember Wednesday
Thu 24 Our Lady of Ransom
Fri 25 Ember Friday


Our goal is this life should be to serve God perfectly. Faith is necessary in order to be saved. Hope is also necessary in order to have pure and right motives so as to please God in all our actions. But charity urges us to love God because He is infinitely good and He deserves to be loved.

Charity is a theological virtue that God infuses into our hearts by which we learn to love Him with our whole heart and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God. We must pray each day that we learn to love God above all things, even ourselves! To love God means being willing to lose fortune, good name, parents, friends, children, husband, wife, even our own life, rather than to lose God by committing a mortal sin.

Man was created to love God, therefore we can only find happiness in God alone. God alone is capable of satisfying us and making us truly happy. Turn to Him!


In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,

Father Jeff Fasching

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Bulletin 264

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching

July 12th, 2015

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: Rom. 6: 19-23
Gospel: Mt. 7: 15-21

Mon 13--No Latin Mass

Tue 14—Saint Bonaventure-Bishop, Confessor, & Doctor

Wed 15—Saint Henry the Emperor, Confessor

Thu 16—Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Fri 17—Saint Alexis, Confessor


Effective Tuesday, June 30th 2015 the daily Mass in the Extraordinary Form will be at 6:30am. There will no longer be Mass in the Extraordinary Form at 12:15pm beginning on June 30th, 2015.

Father Fasching's schedule for the Sacrament of Penance effective Tuesday, June 30 2015 will be as follows:

Tuesday-11:30am-12:15pm
Thursday-11:30am-12:15pm
or by appointment


God is all powerful because He can do all that He wills; and He can do as He wills, when He wills, without any limitations! Nothing can impede His action, nor oppose His will; nothing is difficult for Him! God's works, even the greatest, are performed in one instant by as simple act of His will. God is so omnipotent that with a single word He has brought all things into existence out of nothing. God's word is omnipotent, creative, operative, and effective, so that it infallibly produces whatever it expresses. God is so omnipotent that He can change men, the children of sin, into His adopted sons, called to share in His own divine life! He can even draw good from evil! God is infinite goodness! Let us worship Him!


In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,


Father Jeff Fasching

Friday, June 12, 2015

Bulletin 260

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching

June 14, 2015

Third Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: 1Pet. 5: 6-11
Gospel: Lk. 15: 1-10

Mon 15 -- No Latin Mass

Tue 16 – Feria

Wed 17 – Saint Gregory Barbarigo, Bishop & Confessor

Thu 18 – Saint Ephrem of Syria-Deacon, Confessor & Doctor

Fri 19 – Saint Juliana of Falconieri, Virgin



Deacon Joseph Kelly will be ordained to the priesthood by His Excellency Bishop James V. Johnston on Friday, June 12 @ 6:00pm here at St. Agnes Cathedral...Kindly keep Deacon Kelly in your prayers. Fr. Kelly will offer his first Mass on Saturday, June 13 @ 9:00am here at St. Agnes. As Father Joseph Kelly he will also offer a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form on Sunday, June 14, 2015 at 2:30pm here at St. Agnes Cathedral...JOIN US!


There will be a pot-luck dinner following Fr. Kelly's Solemn High Mass in the school cafeteria.


O Lord, reveal to us the infinite treasures of mercy contained in your Heart...


We must have confidence in the merciful love of Jesus Christ. “Rejoice with Me for I have found the sheep that was lost.” This is the story of the love Jesus Christ has for all mankind and especially for every individual soul. The good shepherd and the Sacred Heart of Jesus are both concrete expressions of the merciful love of Jesus and they urge us to go to Him with complete confidence!

The Heart of Jesus is thrilled with joy when we humbly acknowledge our faults to Him and implore forgiveness! We must ask Jesus Christ to help us penetrate the secrets of His infinite, merciful love!


In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,


Father Jeff Fasching

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Bulletin 254

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching

May 3, 2015

Fourth Sunday After Easter

Epistle: Jas. 1:17-21
Gospel: Jn. 16: 5-14

Mon 4 -- No Latin Mass

Tue 5 – No Latin Mass

Wed 6– Feria of Paschaltide

Thu 7 – Saint Stanislaus, Bishop @ Martyr

Fri 8 – Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Graces


Saint Agnes Cathedral celebrates First Holy Communion Mass on Sunday, May 3rd at 2:00pm.

The Latin Mass on Sunday, May 3rd will be at 7:00pm.


Christ has confided to His Apostles the sacred deposit of the truths which are to form the object of our faith. During these forty days of Easter we must follow Him in His work of instituting the sacraments. We must not only believe, but we must also incorporate within us the great fruit of our redemption which is called grace. We are living members of our Divine Head and thus joint heirs with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven! It is by means of the sacraments that Christ produces in us this wondrous work of our justification. He applies to us His Incarnation and Sacrifice by a means which He Himself in His power and wisdom has instituted.

When instituting the sacraments, our Lord assigned to each an essential rite: and this rite is outward and sensible. He made the Flesh, which He united to His Divine Person, become the instrument of our salvation by His Passion and Death on the Cross. He redeemed us by shedding His Blood for us! The same is true with respect to the sacraments. He follows the same mysterious plan, taking physical things as His auxiliaries in effecting the work of our justification. He raises them to a supernatural state, and makes them the faithful and all-powerful conductors of His grace.


In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,


Father Jeff Fasching

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Bulletin 221

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching

September 14th 2014

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Epistle: Phil. 2: 5-11
Gospel: Jn. 12: 31-36

Mon 15 No Latin Mass
Tue 16 SS. Cornelius * Pope, & Cyprian * Martyrs
Wed 17 Feria
Thu 18 Saint Joseph of Cupertino, Confessor
Fri 19 Saint Januarius & Companions, Martyrs

Our next pot-luck dinner will take place in the school cafeteria on Sunday, September 14th immediately following the 2:30pm Mass. All are invited. In conjunction with the potluck dinner J.B. Kelley's family business will have their “traveling gift shop” set up in the Saint Agnes cafeteria to offer Catholic books, bibles, 1962 missals, DVD's, devotional items, Mystic Monk coffee and tea, and many other gifts.

If you have a special request for a book or other item, please contact J.B. Kelly prior to September 14th. This is provided as a service to the Latin Mass community with thanks to J.B. Kelley.

In addition to serving as celebrant for Mass in the Extraordinary Form (Latin) here at Saint Agnes Cathedral in Springfield, Fr. Fasching continues to serve as chaplain to the non-Catholic hospitals in the Springfield area. These include Cox South, Cox North, Cox Walnut Lawn, Ozarks Community Hospital, and Select Specialty Hospital.

Fr. Fasching also assists Father Paul Wightman, O.M.I., with his parishes including Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mansfield; Sacred Heart, Mountain Grove; Saint Leo the Great, Ava; Saint William, Gainesville; and Saint Michael, Cabool.

As you know, there is no scheduled Latin Mass during the week on Mondays. This is Father Fasching's day off. You are asked not to attempt to contact him on this day.

You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, soul and strength. God promises an eternal reward to those who faithfully keep His commandments. On the other hand, God threatens eternal punishment to those who do not. If we find ourselves constantly troubled in this life, it is because we fail to keep the commandments of God faithfully! God has said: “If you keep my commandments faithfully I will bless you in many ways; if, however, you transgress them, you will be cursed in everything you do.” If we wish to be truly happy in this word insofar as we can, there is no other means but that of keeping God's commandments faithfully. The minute we turn aside from God's path, both body and soul will be unhappy not only in this life, but possibly in the next life as well! Eternal happiness truly depends upon our ability to faithfully observe the commandments which God has given us. God rewards in this life those that are faithful to Him.

The Scriptures themselves show us that all those who chose to observe God's commandments were always happy. God never abandons those who do what God commands them to do. In the Book of Genesis Adam is a great example! As long as Adam observed God's law faithfully, he enjoyed a blissful state in absolutely every respect. His body, soul, mind and all his senses were directed to God alone. He even kept company with the angels of heaven! The bliss of our first parents would have remained forever had they continued faithful to their duties. But unfortunately we know that this happy state did not last long. The evil one, so jealous of such bliss, robbed them of all their possessions which they should have enjoyed for all eternity. The very second they chose to transgress God's commandments, everything went wrong with them. Troubles, cares, sickness and fear of death and punishment in the next life took the place of their former bliss. Their lives became nothing but tears and sufferings!


In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,

Father Jeff Fasching

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Bulletin 220

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching

September 7th 2014

13th Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: Gal. 3: 16-22
Gospel: Lk. 17: 11-19

Mon 8 No Latin Mass
Tue 9 No Latin Mass
Wed 10 Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, Confessor
Thu 11 Feria
Fri 12 Most Holy Name of Mary

Our next pot-luck dinner will take place in the school cafeteria on Sunday, September 14th immediately following the 2:30pm Mass. All are invited. In conjunction with the potluck dinner, J.B. Kelly's family business will have their “traveling gift shop” set up in the Saint Agnes cafeteria to offer Catholic books, bibles, 1962 missals, DVD's, devotional items, Mystic Monk coffee and tea, and many other gifts.

If you have a special request for a book or other item, please contact J.B. Kelly prior to September 14th. This is provided as a service to the Latin Mass community with thanks to J.B. Kelly.

There will be no Latin Mass on Tuesday, September 9th.

In addition to serving as celebrant for Mass in the Extraordinary Form (Latin) here at Saint Agnes Cathedral in Springfield, Fr. Fasching continues to serve as chaplain to the non-Catholic hospitals in the Springfield area. These include Cox South, Cox North, Cox Walnut Lawn, Ozarks Community Hospital, and Select Specialty Hospital.

Fr. Fasching also assists Father Paul Wightman, O.M.I., with his parishes including Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mansfield; Sacred Heart, Mountain Grove; Saint Leo the Great, Ava; Saint William, Gainesville; and Saint Michael, Cabool.

As you know, there is no scheduled Latin Mass during the week on Mondays. This is Father Fasching's day off. You are asked not to attempt to contact him on this day.

God said to Moses: “Tell my people that if they faithfully observe my commandments, I will fill them with all kinds of blessings, but if they dare to transgress them, I shall punish them with all kinds of sufferings.” God said to Abraham: “Because thou hast faithfully kept my commandments, I will bless thee in everything. I will bless all those who bless thee. I will curse all those who curse thee. Out of thy race the Redeemer of the world shall be born.” God made known to Abraham's people when the time had arrived for them to enter into the promised land. “The people who dwelt in this land committed great sins. For this reason I shall drive them out and put you in their place. But take care not to transgress my commandments. If you keep them faithfully, I shall bless you in and above everything. When you are in the fields or in your houses I shall bless your children, who will then love you, respect you and obey you, and give you all kinds of consolation. I will command the heavens to give you rain at the proper times, as much as will be necessary to water your fields and your meadows. Everything will prosper for you.”

In another place in the Scriptures God says: “If you keep my commandments faithfully I shall watch unceasingly over your preservation. You can be without fear in your houses. I will prevent the wild beasts from harming you. You will be able to sleep in peace. Nothing will disturb you. I will always be with you. I shall walk with you. I am your God, and you will be my people.” Again He says to Moses: “Say unto my people, that if they keep my commandments I will deliver them from all evils that oppress them.” And the Holy Ghost says that “he who keeps the commandments of God is happier than if he possessed all the wealth on the earth.”


In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,

Father Jeff Fasching

Friday, August 15, 2014

Bulletin 217

CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching

August 17, 2014

10th Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: 1 Cor. 12: 2-11
Gospel: Lk. 18: 9-14

Mon 18 No Latin Mass
Tue 19 No Latin Mass
Wed 20 Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot & Doctor
Thu 21 Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, Widow
Fri 22 Immaculate Heart of Mary

Humility is the number one virtue we must strive every day to practice. There is no saint in heaven who did not learn how to be humble. In fact, we cannot hope to be saved without the virtue of humility. Christ exhorts us to learn from Him and to be humble of heart. Of all the things worthy of imitating our Lord Jesus Christ, He only asks that we be humble. It is through humility that we learn to practice all the other virtues. Without humility we have nothing. God exalts the humble and strikes down those who act with pride!

There is no greater act of humility than when Jesus Christ became flesh to save us from our sins. Let us beg God humbly for mercy as the publican in the gospel. Let us ask God to make us truly humble of heart!

In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,

Father Jeff Fasching

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Bulletin 192

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching

February 23, 2014

Sexagesima Sunday

Epistle: II Cor. 11: 19-33; 12: 1-9
Gospel: Lk. 8: 4-15


Pot-luck dinner Sunday, February 23rd in the school cafeteria immediately following the 2:30pm Mass

Mass on Ash Wednesday will be at 10:00am

Mass Schedule February 24 – February 28

Mon 24 No Latin Mass
Tue 25 Feria
Wed 26 Feria
Thu 27 Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, Confessor
Fri 28 Feria

Satan is a master of making us believe that by indulging in our sensual appetites we will somehow find happiness and peace. However, there is absolutely no peace for us when we choose to offend God in any way! We have been created for God and God alone. We are meant to be united with Him. Sin separates us from union with God. The world cannot make us happy, only God can!

People of the world toil and labor to accumulate large amounts of money and riches. The more they have, the more they want. They are never satisfied. This is why the rich are often among the most miserable people in the world. They can never get enough. The people who are truly rich are those who seek God alone. They are content with what they have.

God alone offers contentment. People of the world will never believe this fact. They believe that giving themselves to God means bitterness and discontent. But those who choose to walk with God enjoy a sweetness and peace the world cannot offer!

Fr. Jeff Fasching


Friday, January 17, 2014

Bulletin 187

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching

January 19, 2014
2nd Sunday After Epiphany

Epistle: Rom. 12: 6-16
Gospel: Jn. 2: 1-11

Mass Schedule January 20-24

Mon 20 No Latin Mass
Tue 21 Saint Agnes * Virgin & Martyr
Wed 22 SS. Vincent & Anastasius, Martyrs
Thu 23 Saint Raymond of Penafort, Confessor
Fri 24 Saint Timothy, Bishop & Martyr

The Blessed Virgin Mary’s prayers are so great in the eyes of God that they are always infallibly heard. Her merits are so great before God that her petitions cannot be rejected! Her prayers are so very powerful before God because she is His mother. The Blessed Virgin Mary’s prayers are in essence a command. It is therefore impossible that they are not always heard. Mary’s intercession is all powerful. Let us turn to Mary in our prayers and beg that she pray for us.

Fr. Jeffery Fasching


Friday, November 15, 2013

Bulletin 178

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching

November 17th, 2013
6th Resumed Sunday after Epiphany
Epistle: 1 Thess. 1: 2-10
Gospel: Mt. 13: 31-35

Mass Schedule November 18th through November 22nd

Mon 18 No Latin Mass
Tue 19 No Latin Mass
Wed 20 Saint Felix of Valois, Confessor
Thu 21 Requiem Mass
Fri 22 Saint Cecilia * Virgin & Martyr

Our next pot-luck dinner will be on Sunday, December 22nd following the 2:30pm Latin Mass in the school cafeteria. His Excellency, Bishop James Johnston will join us for Mass and dinner.

It is natural to fear death, but we really should not. In fact, it is not at all a morbid desire to long for death with one’s whole heart and soul! Actually we should rejoice at death because death means that we are finally delivered from this present “valley of tears” and all our earthly suffering! Death delivers us from our actual sins and through death we are given the chance to enter into the heavenly Paradise for which we were born!

What is death? Job says that our life is full of miseries, infirmities, crosses, persecutions and fears. This is not a life for rest and enjoyment, but for labor and suffering! The only way we can merit heaven is by toil, labor and pain. It is true that death is the punishment of sin, but the miseries this life offers are so great that death should seem to be a relief rather than a punishment.

If we are prepared to die, death is welcomed. In our earthly life the world, evil spirits, the flesh and the passions all draw the soul to sin and eternal death. But death brings us to the possession of Jesus Christ, our true life!

In Christ,

Fr. Jeff Fasching





Sunday, October 6, 2013

Bulletin 172

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching

October 6, 2013
External Solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary

Epistle: Prov. 8:22-24, 32-35
Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

Mon 7 Our Lady of the Rosary—No Latin Mass
Tue 8 Saint Bridget of Sweden, Widow
Wed 9 Saint John Leonardi, Confessor
Thu 10 Saint Francis Borgia, Confessor
Fri 11 Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The next pot-luck dinner will be Sunday, October 6th following the 2:30pm Latin Mass.

Wealth and power were often considered signs of God’s benevolence toward His people in Old Testament times. They were the reward for a good conscience and an upright life. In contrast, like Job, if one suffered it was believed that that person was sinful and was being punished by God.

However, in the New Testament, it is the poor and dispossessed who take priority. The weak, orphans and those who have contrite hearts are the ones that find favor with God. In and through Jesus Christ God forgives sinners of all kinds, from the prodigal son to the publican to the Samaritan. God condemns the religious leaders who cling more to their own self-righteousness than to mercy and love.

In the Blessed Virgin Mary we see the fact that God chose a member of Israel’s race to bring us His Savior. Nowhere else is God’s mercy shown more abundantly! Divine Mercy made His home in the womb of the Virgin and she became His temple. Mary’s Magnificat is the song of God’s mercy!

In Christ,

Fr. Jeff Fasching


Friday, September 13, 2013

Bulletin 169

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching

September 15th, 17th Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: Eph. 4: 1-6
Gospel: Mt. 22: 34-46

Mon 16 SS. Cornelius * Pope & Cyprian * Martyrs—No Latin Mass
Tue 17 Requiem Mass + John Scaria
Wed 18 Ember Wednesday
Thu 19 Saint Januarius & Companions Martyrs
Fri 20 Ember Friday

The Blessed Virgin Mary infinitely surpasses the angels in grace, merits, and dignity, and in all other perfections! How is it then possible not to love Mary? The world without Mary’s prayers would long ago have ceased to be. The graces we receive from heaven come though her hands. If God had treated us as we deserved after all our sins, we would long ago have been burning in hell. How many countless souls has Mary saved from the fires of hell?! We must really thank the Blessed Virgin Mary for our salvation because she throws herself at the feet of Jesus Christ and asks Him to give sinners more time in order that they may amend their lives.

Mary points out to the Father all that her Son did and suffered for mankind in order to avert His wrath. She reminds her Son of everything that she suffered during her life for His sake. We can only imagine the affection of this holy mother. How can there be people who despise her? How can people ridicule those who are devoted to her?

In Christ,

Fr. Jeff Fasching

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Bulletin 168

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching

September 8th, 16th Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: Eph. 3: 13-21
Gospel: Lk. 14: 1-11

Mon 9 Feria—No Latin Mass
Tue 10 Requiem Mass + John Scaria
Wed 11 Feria
Thu 12 Most Holy Name of Mary
Fri 13 Feria

There will be NO LATIN MASS September 2nd through September 6th. Fr. Fasching will be on vacation.

Pot-luck dinner after the 2:30pm Mass this Sunday, September 8th in the school cafeteria.

This Sunday we commemorate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary is as truly the Mother of God as any woman is mother of the child she bears, for she performed for her Son the same biological function and maternal role that any mother performs who conceives, gives birth, and nurtures a child from her own flesh and blood!

The only difference is that Mary conceived virginally by the power of the Holy Ghost, and the offspring that she conceived and bore is the eternal Son of God, who united Himself to our humanity in her womb. The child born of her is truly human, truly like us in all things but sin; He is also truly divine, the eternal Son of God incarnate. He is one person, an eternal divine person, subsisting in two natures, human and divine. Mary is mother of this divine person according to His human nature.

It was fitting that Mary be conceived without sin because she was destined to be the worthy, beloved Mother of the holy God. In preserving Mary from all sin, God prepared a holy tabernacle in which His Son was to dwell, a holy body from which He was to take His humanity, a holy Mother whom he could love with the fullness of His divine/human love.

In Christ,
Fr. Jeff Fasching





Saturday, October 20, 2012

Bulletin 123

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

October 21st, 2012; 21st Sunday After Pentecost

Epistle: Eph. 6: 10-17; Gospel: Mt. 18: 23-35

There will be NO LATIN MASS October 22nd through October 26th due to the annual clergy conference in Branson, MO.

Jesus had willed to be as entirely dependent upon His Mother as a tiny infant. If I am to please God as a priest, Christ must be allowed to continue toward her through my ministry that humble and loving subjection. I undertake nothing without her, without her counsel, without having asked her to enlighten me. Jesus willed to have her consent not merely to receive His human life, but also to lay it down on the Cross, for she had received a mother’s power over Him from His Father. So I also pay her the homage of my whole priestly life, of my activity, of my joys, of my suffering, even my death, because I am her son, I belong to her.

Christ’s well-beloved Mother, after having given Him His human existence, the material of His Sacrifice, offered Him to the Eternal Father as a holocaust at the foot of the Cross. And so, invisibly present at every Mass, she continues with me, her priestly son, to offer Christ as a Victim to the Divine Majesty. Before His death, Jesus gave into her motherly care Saint John, the disciple whom He loved. He represented all the faithful but especially his favored ones, His priests.

He gave me then to His Mother as well and placed my priestly career under her maternal protection. She marked me off from that moment from among all her future children and she placed on my shoulders her maternal mantle. As He gave Saint John to his Mother, so He also gave his Mother to Saint John, that he should take her home with him, that he should take care of her and console her in Christ’s absence during the rest of her pilgrimage on earth.

In like manner, Christ has given me His Mother, her honor, her glory, the defense of her privileges. I have to help spread her devotion everywhere; inspire in others the faithful confidence and love for their Mother in heaven, the Mother of Perpetual Help! Remember the tears that she shed, the anguish she endured in her Mother’s heart at the time of Christ’s Passion. Remember that in its apostolic task the Church rightly looks to the one who bore Christ. In the words of Lumen gentium: “Christ who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin in order that He might also be born and grow in the hearts of the faithful. In her whole life this virgin mother showed herself as an example of that motherly love that must animate all who share in the apostolic mission of the Church for the regeneration of mankind.”

In Christ,

Father Jeffery Fasching





Monday, February 13, 2012

Bulletin 89

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806 EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS: Celebrant Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

February 19, 2012 Quinquagesima Sunday

Epistle: 1Cor. 13:1-13
Gospel: Lk. 18:31-43

Mass Schedule February 13h through February 17th

Monday-FERIA-NO LATIN MASS
Tuesday-FERIA
Wednesday-FERIA
Thursday-FERIA
Friday-FERIA

Saint Paul in his letter to the Corinthians speaks of the three theological virtues; faith, hope and love. The theological virtues are among our greatest gifts from God. They are infused into our hearts through divine grace. However, we must remember our responsibility to nourish these God-given gifts. We must always and everyday pray for them. We should beg God that we grow in them, never take them for granted, but instead cherish them as our most prized possessions.

We are all people of faith. Perhaps we may know somebody whom we believe to be a person of great faith. Chances are we know somebody who seems to have little, if any faith at all. Faith is a precious gift. The strength of our faith depends a great deal on how we ourselves nourish it. We should constantly ask God for an increase in faith.

We see in the Gospel another great example of Jesus Christ demanding faith from the blind man who wishes to see. Our Lord gives the blind man his sight because “thy faith hath made thee whole.” The blind man believed in his heart that Jesus had the power to heal him. Therefore when the blind man asked for his sight, it was given to him.

Our Lord wants the exact same faith from each one of us. One of the easiest and most effective ways of nourishing our faith and praying for the other virtues is meditating on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. When we mediate upon the resurrection, for example, we must beg God for a greater faith. We should contemplate the unprecedented faith that was given to the Blessed Virgin Mary and ask God for a share in this same faith. When we focus on the ascension we should ask God for a greater hope that where He has gone, we will one day follow.

Saint Paul explains that the virtues of faith and hope mean nothing if we do not put them into practice, therefore the greatest of these virtues is love. “Holy” people are people who exercise on a regular basis the virtue of charity. Hence, charity is the key to holiness and sanctity. We can find charitable things to do each and every day that help us grow in holiness. These can be the smallest of acts, because God looks at the intention of one’s heart, not the magnitude of the act.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Bulletin 84

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806 EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS: Celebrant Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

January 8th, 2012 Holy Family

Epistle: Col. 3:12-17
Gospel: Lk. 2:42-52

Mass Schedule January 9th through January 13th

Monday-Feria of 1st Sunday after the Epiphany-NO LATIN MASS
Tuesday-Feria of 1st Sunday after the Epiphany
Wednesday-Feria of 1st Sunday after the Epiphany
Thursday-Feria of 1st Sunday after the Epiphany
Friday-Commemoration of the Baptism of the Lord

There will be a pot-luck dinner in the school cafeteria immediately following the 2:30pm Mass on January 8th.

Jesus always had His heart set on doing the will of the Father. He teaches that our primary duty is to do the will of God, even over and above any human authority. Jesus therefore asks His parents in the gospel: “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”

Although Mary knew from the start that the Child Jesus was God, the Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple sums up Jesus’ life in Nazareth, which was one of obedience. He was subject to Joseph and Mary. Jesus, who is God, obeyed His parents.

Jesus lived a hidden life for many years in preparation for His years of public life. He has left us an example. Most of us can find holiness in doing the simple, every-day things of life extraordinarily well. This should be our aim in life each and every day. We must obey the will of God unselfishly.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Bulletin 83

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806 EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS: Celebrant Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

January 1st, 2012 Octave Day of Christmas

Epistle: Tit. 2:11-15
Gospel: Lk. 2:21

Mass Schedule January 2nd through January 6th

Monday-Most Holy Name of Jesus-NO LATIN MASS
Tuesday-Feria of Christmastide-NO LATIN MASS
Wednesday-Feria of Christmastide-NO LATIN MASS
Thursday-Feria in Christmastide-NO LATIN MASS
Friday-Epiphany of the Lord-NO LATIN MASS

There will be no daily Mass in the Extraordinary Form this week. The Latin Mass will resume with the Feast of the Holy Family on January 8th at 2:30pm. There will be a pot-luck dinner in the school cafeteria immediately following the 2:30pm Mass on January 8th.

The words of the dogmatic constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council (lumen gentium, nn. 61-62) remind us that:

This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace—from the consent which she gave in faith at the incarnation, and which she continued to give unhesitatingly at the foot of the cross—lasts without interruption until all the elect enter into eternal fulfillment. When she was taken up into heaven, she did not lay aside this saving role but she continues by her intercession for all to gain for us the gifts of eternal salvation. In her maternal love she cares for the brothers of her Son as they journey on earth in the midst of dangers and hardships, until they are brought safely home to the happiness of heaven. The Blessed Virgin is thus invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix and Mediatrix. These titles must not, however, be understood as in any way detracting from, or adding to, the dignity and effectiveness of Christ, the one Mediator.

No creature can ever be classed as an equal with the incarnate Word, the Redeemer. But just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways by His ministers and His faithful people, and as the goodness of God, one though it is, is in different ways, really shared with creatures, so also the unique mediation of Christ does not exclude but brings about a variety of shared cooperation, deriving from the one unique source.

The Church does not hesitate to acknowledge this kind of subordinate role in the person of Mary. The Church has continuous experience of its effects, and commends it to the hearts of the faithful, so that as they lean on her motherly protection they may be brought into closer union with the Mediator, our Savior.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching