A Cathedral Born of a Railroad
Saint Agnes Cathedral sits at 533 South Jefferson Avenue in Springfield, Missouri, a short walk south of the railroad tracks that once split the city in two. The parish was founded in 1908 by Bishop John J. Hogan, the second bishop of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, at the request of nearly one hundred Catholic families who lived south of those tracks. They wanted their own church, school, and pastor rather than the daily crossing of the Atlantic-Pacific Railroad line, where more than twenty passenger trains passed each day. Bishop Hogan named the new parish St. Agnes, and the congregation spent its first two years leasing the vacant Central Congregational Church at the southeast corner of Walnut and Market while a permanent cathedral was built.
Today Saint Agnes is the cathedral church of the diocese, the seat from which the bishop ministers to Catholics across southern Missouri. The current rector, Reverend Lewis Hejna, has served the parish since August 2014. A priest ordained for thirty-six years, Father Hejna began his ministry at St. Mary Annunciation Cathedral in Cape Girardeau, taught at Notre Dame High School, and pastored Immaculate Conception Parish before coming to Saint Agnes.
The Mass Schedule, in English and Vietnamese
Weekend Masses at Saint Agnes open with the Saturday Vigil at 5:00 PM. Sunday brings four additional celebrations: 8:00 AM, 9:45 AM, 11:30 AM, and 5:00 PM. The 9:45 AM Sunday Mass is bilingual, celebrated in both Vietnamese and English to serve the parish's significant Vietnamese Catholic community. A Vietnamese Mass is also offered on Christmas Day at 5:00 PM, on New Year's Eve at 8:00 PM, and on New Year's Day at 8:00 PM.
Weekday Mass is celebrated Monday through Friday at 5:30 PM in the Cathedral. The Saturday Vigil and the 8:00 AM Sunday Mass are livestreamed on Facebook.
Reconciliation is heard in the Chapel Reconciliation Room on Wednesdays and Fridays from 4:45 to 5:20 PM, and on Saturdays from 3:30 to 4:30 PM. Priests are also available for the sacrament by appointment.
The Blessed Sacrament is exposed for Eucharistic Adoration every Monday from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM in the Chapel. The hour closes with the rosary at 5:00 PM and the daily Mass at 5:30 PM. During Lent, Stations of the Cross are prayed with the school on Fridays from 2:30 to 3:00 PM, and again in the evening from 7:00 to 7:30 PM.
The Seven Sacraments
As at every Catholic parish, Saint Agnes celebrates the seven sacraments instituted by Christ. Parents seeking Baptism for an infant or older child contact the parish office to arrange a preparation class. First Reconciliation and First Eucharist are typically received in the second grade year, after the child has been enrolled in the Parish School of Religion or the parish school. Confirmation is a two-year diocesan process beginning in eighth grade, with classes, a retreat, and a service project. A separate Confirmation track is offered for young people with special needs using an adapted curriculum.
Adults who have never been baptized, or who were baptized in another Christian tradition, journey through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, called OCIA. The program begins in September and runs through mid-May, following the four stages of Inquiry, Catechumenate, Elect, and Mystagogia. The Elect are signed in the Book of Elect and presented to the bishop at the Rite of Election, and they receive the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil.
Couples preparing for Marriage are asked to contact a priest or deacon at least six months before the wedding and to take part in diocesan marriage preparation. The Anointing of the Sick is offered to those whose health is seriously impaired, to those facing surgery, to the elderly, and to children mature enough to be comforted by it. Men discerning a call to priesthood or diaconate are invited to speak with Father Hejna about Holy Orders.
A Pipe Organ With Two Lives
The Cathedral is home to a Casavant Frères pipe organ of twenty-three ranks and 1,333 pipes, opus #3841, built in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. It arrived in January 2005 and was dedicated on March 6 of that year, with a Dedication Concert on April 17. The Casavant replaced the original 1910 Felgemaker organ, which had been purchased for $3,000 from the A. B. Felgemaker Company of Erie, Pennsylvania. The project to replace the aging Felgemaker began in 2000 under the leadership of David Nace, Ken Pesek, Helen Howard, and Jim Moore, expanded in 2001 to include Yvonne Bussmann, Greg MacLean, George Johnson, Peggy Kubicek, and Judy Rippee, and culminated in a contract with Casavant in the fall of 2002. A Winter Concert in January 2003 and a June 2002 fundraiser hosted by Yvonne Bussmann and attended by Bishop Leibreicht helped underwrite the $350,000 instrument.
Choirs, Bells, and Cantors
Music at Saint Agnes is led by Cathedral Music Director Kevin Otradovec. The Adult Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings at 6:30 PM in the Cathedral; some members sing at the 8:00 AM Sunday Mass and others at the 5:00 PM Mass, and the choirs combine for Christmas Midnight Mass, Easter, and Confirmation. The Bells of St. Agnes handbell choir rehearses on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:30 PM and is open to anyone with prior musical instrument experience; it is directed by Ryan Villapiano, who also leads the Youth Choir. Updates are shared through the Saint Agnes Cathedral Choirs on Facebook.
The Parish School and the Parish School of Religion
Saint Agnes has educated Catholic children since the early years of the parish. The original St. Agnes Elementary School grew out of a house purchased in 1906 by H. A. and L. S. Meyer at South and Elm Streets, originally known as St. Ann's School of Loretto. In its opening year the grade school enrolled thirty-five students taught by two Sisters of Loretto. The children nicknamed the rundown building the Stable of Bethlehem. The school today is part of the Springfield Catholic Schools system, with Paige Duda as principal.
For children who attend public school or are homeschooled, the Parish School of Religion offers religious education from preschool through twelfth grade on Sunday mornings from 10:00 to 11:00 AM in the parish school. The program is built on a diocesan-approved curriculum and prepares students for Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation. Children's Liturgy of the Word is offered for preschoolers through second graders during the 11:30 AM Mass. A separate Special Needs Class, taught by a certified instructor, is held at the same Sunday morning hour for children and adults. Confirmation classes for eighth graders and above meet in the School Library. The Coordinator of Religious Education, Iris Bounds, works with families across the program.
Youth Group and Conferences
Saint Agnes runs an active Youth Group for students in grades six through twelve, directed by Becky Wieberg. The program combines spiritual, social, and community experiences and uses Flocknotes for communication; parishioners can text SAC533 to sign up. Youth attend the Steubenville youth conference, the diocesan Camp Re-NEW-All summer camp, and the one-day Diocesan Regional Youth Conference for seventh through twelfth graders. The parish also supports young adults attending college through the Catholic Campus Ministry, collecting snacks, household supplies, and gift cards for students.
Care and Outreach Ministries
The parish reaches beyond its walls through a wide network of care and outreach ministries coordinated by Sister Catherine Kulangara. Trained extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist bring Communion to parishioners in nursing homes, hospitals, and homes. A card outreach ministry keeps in touch with homebound and nursing home parishioners by phone, card, and letter, and the parish prepares bereavement dinners for the families of the deceased.
The Well of Life Resource Center at 418 South Kimbrough Avenue is the food pantry of the Center City Christian Outreach, an ecumenical endeavor of nine Christian churches that includes Saint Agnes. The pantry is open from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The parish also supports Birthright, The Kitchen, the Beginning Experience, and Voice for Life, the diocesan pro-life organization.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has its Saint Agnes Cathedral Conference, a worldwide lay organization of Catholic men and women dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor. The group meets the second Thursday of each month at 6:00 PM.
Knights of Columbus Council 13682
The Saint Agnes Knights of Columbus Council 13682 is an active fraternal organization with Father Hejna as Chaplain and Gary Momphard as Grand Knight. The Knights sponsor a monthly breakfast after the 7:00 AM and 8:30 AM Masses from September through May, a Lenten fish fry on the first Friday of Lent, the annual State Tootsie Roll Drive for children with disabilities each October, parish grounds keeping assistance, and the exterior Christmas light installation each Advent. The Council meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM.
The Parish Council of Catholic Women
All women of the parish are automatically members of the Parish Council of Catholic Women. The PCCW sponsors events throughout the year that foster community among the women of the parish, including wreath making, paint parties, Christmas gatherings, and morning rosaries. The Council supports Crosslines food ministry and Harmony House, helps with the parish garage sale each year, and runs the Holiday Bazaar. Three sub-groups meet regularly: St. Martha's Group on the first Wednesday of the month from September through May, St. Anne's Group on the first Sunday of the month during the school year, and Women of Faith on the second Wednesday of the month.
Returning Catholics
For those who have been away from the Church for any length of time, the Returning Catholics ministry offers a welcoming path back. Father Hejna meets personally with returning Catholics to help them find their way comfortably into the life of the parish again.
Giving, SCRIP, and the Cathedral Building
Saint Agnes Cathedral sustains its ministry through a balanced giving program with a clear structure. The weekly white envelopes are shared, with fifty-three percent going to Springfield Catholic Schools, forty-three and a half percent remaining in the parish for salaries, religious education, sanctuary expenses, and youth and senior programs, and three and a half percent supporting the Priests' Mutual Benefit Society, the Catholic Center, and Bishop Rice. Improvement and Maintenance envelopes stay entirely in the parish; current priorities include a handicapped-accessible ramp and new front steps for the Cathedral. Special collections and donations for the St. Vincent de Paul / Well of Life pantry, Peter's Pence, Tuition Assistance, and the Diocesan Development Fund are passed through in full.
The SCRIP program lets parishioners purchase gift cards for restaurants, hotels, retailers, and major credit cards at face value, with proceeds going to Catholic school tuition assistance for deserving parish families. Online giving is available.
Liturgical Ministry and Volunteering
The liturgy at Saint Agnes is supported by a large body of trained lay volunteers. Boys and girls in fourth grade and older may serve as Altar Servers. The Altar Society cares for sacred vessels, vestments, and altar linens, and supervises plant and flower care, candles, and decorations for the liturgical year. Extraordinary Ministers of Communion assist with distribution at Mass and bring Communion to the homebound, in nursing homes, and in hospitals. Lectors proclaim the Word of God, Ushers welcome and seat parishioners and take up the collections, and Greeters welcome visitors at the doors of the Cathedral.
Beyond the liturgy, the parish depends on Money Counters, a Mailing Crew, Office Volunteers, a Cleaning team that meets once a month on Saturday mornings, Facility Care volunteers for grounds and maintenance, Decorating teams for the liturgical seasons, and Parish Go-fers willing to make runs.
Staff and Leadership
Father Lewis Hejna serves as Rector. Reverend Michael Quang Do, CRM, serves as Vietnamese Chaplain, and Deacon Bill Keller assists in parish ministry. Helen Rapp is the Office Manager, Connie McNabb is the Finance Officer, and Iris Bounds is the Coordinator of Religious Education. Kevin Otradovec is the Cathedral Music Director, Ryan Villapiano directs the Bell Choir and Youth Choir, and Becky Wieberg is the Youth Director. Sister Catherine Kulangara is the Coordinator of Care Ministry, and Paige Duda is the School Principal. The Parish Council works with the pastor on establishing the priorities and direction of the parish, with members elected to two-year terms each spring.
Finding the Cathedral
Saint Agnes Cathedral is located at 533 South Jefferson Avenue in Springfield, Missouri 65806. Jefferson is a one-way southbound street. The parish office can be reached at (417) 831-3565, with a fax line at (417) 865-0367. The school number is at (417) 866-5038, and the Well of Life food pantry can be reached at (417) 869-2865. Mass Intentions, the weekly bulletin, and the parish calendar are available.