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Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Agnes Community,
I greet you, first of all, not only from my desk, but
also from our renovated St. Agnes Church. Our Feast
of St. Agnes is very close. On January 21st
andespecially on January 24th we will give our
thanksgiving to God through our Patron Saint, St.
Agnes.
This past year, 2009, was and is the 40th
Anniversary of our St. Agnes Church.
Through the special events: Gala and
Anniversary Mass on November 1st,we sang
Glory to God for Gods immeasurable
graces and gifts: Baptisms, Holy
Communions, Weddings, Confirmations,
Funerals and the many Holy Masses.
I am proud of everyone who participated
in the active life of our Parish in the arch
of the last 40 years. Every gesture of
generosity, every word of mercy and
consolation, every smile of an older
parishioner or cry of an infant or child,
have created and are creating the beauty
and uniqueness of our St. Agnes
Community. Thanks be to God for you and for
everyone!
I want to express my gratitude and thanks to all of
you who participated in our Project Overhead. Thank
you for your prayers and money. I am convinced,
your generosity is endless when you think about the
here and now, and about the future of our St. Agnes
Church. Probably in the near future we have to think
about the churchs roof, and later about the painting
of our church, and still later about a new carpet, and
later yet... etc, etc.
Nevertheless, what is most important is the creating
of our Community of Faith and practicing of healthy
Christian values.
I expressed, in my last Christmas letter titled The
Holy Family as a School of Faith for Today, my
concern and preoccupation of proper and
healthy education. We are proud of our
Christian civilization. It was created on
the pillars of the literature and
architecture of ancient Greece, on the
law of the justice of Rome, and was
baptized by Christianity. I said thatpractically everything we use today, we
have, thanks to our Christian heredity
and Christian Tradition from the care of
the unborn child to the defence of the
dignity women.
Following the words of Bishop Tonnos,
shared with us at our October Gala, we
discovered the necessity of defending
Catholic education in Canada, the proper
understanding of Christian values and the right placefor the Crucifix in our churches, schools and homes.
The Holy Cross is our love and our pride.
My Friends St. Paul said: where sin increased, grace
abounded all the more. There is a toxicity just as
dangerous as air pollution, and it is the pollution of
the spirit, which leads to gloominess and the
tendency to see persons as mere bodies. The new
year 2010 has begun with Mary who is the Mother of
Pastors Message
75 Bluevale St. N, Waterloo
Phone: 885-4480 Fax: 885-6421
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.saintagnescatholicchurch.org
Saint Agnes Catholic Church
Winter 2010 Newsletter
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I have been a parishioner at St. Agnes Parish forabout 20 years. I have been the pastoral assistanthere for 16 years. I dont know how to begin to
express my thankfulness for the people I have met
and the things I have been able to do over the last
two decades. I have helped prepare over 600 families
for Baptism. There is nothing like being a part of a
childs first encounter with the sacredness of a
sacrament, even if they do sleep right through the
celebration. I have had the pleasure of preparing
over 1500 children in Grade 2 and 8 for First
Communion and Confirmation. Every year we have
our challenges and struggles, but the rewards are
great when celebration day arrives. I have had the
privilege of knowing countless teachers, educational
assistants, custodians, librarians, and principals at St.
Pastoral Assistant Report of Joanne Thorpe
SAINT AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH WINTER 2010 NEWSLETTER
Current Parish Council Members
Administrative Assistant Judy KerrLiturgy Fr. Piotr Machnacki
Communications Margy Wardell
St. Vincent de Paul Eugene McCarthy
Finance Jim Lehman
Maintenance Chris Thorpe
Mike Van Dam
Spiritual Director/Pastor Fr. Piotr Machnacki
Chair Randy Palach
Parish Council Secretary Rachel Trump
Pastoral Assistant Joanne Thorpe
Catholic Womens League Marilynne Feeney
St. Agnes School
Representative
Elizabeth Ingle
St. Luke School
Representative
Mark Wardell
St. Matthew School
Representative
Mary Scott
PAGE 2
God Theotokos. We can reflect on the pollution of
the air and the purity of Mary. Mary constitutes a
sweet and reassuring presence in our Church and in
the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, she recalls the
presence of a Mother who constantly watches over us
today and over the new children of our Community.
She repeats: Do not be afraid, Jesus has conqueredevil. He has conquered it at the root, freeing us from
its dominion.
Our Community is formed by each one of us. We are
all actors and, in evil as in good, our apostolate has
an influence on others. We cannot always be only
spectators, because we received the dignity given to
Gods children. We are responsible for one another on
the path to the Kingdom of Jesus and Mary. And,
Mary helps each one of us to re-discover and defend
the depth of parishioners, because in her there isperfect transparency of the soul in the body. She is
purity personified; soul and body are in her, fully
consistent between themselves and the will of God.
We want to be people with a clean spirit and we want
to eliminate any pollution because with pollution of
the spirit our faces are not smiling even worse,
they are gloomy, which leads us to not greet or look
at one another in the face. We become, simply,
bodies without souls, and things like objects,
without a face.
With all that has happened, great and positive in our
Parish, today and throughout the last forty years, we
are going to Mary, our Mother of the Church, with the
desire to consecrate ourselves and the future
generations to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We
want to sing with Mary the joyful Magnificat: With
all our hearts we praise the Lord and we are glad
because of God our Saviour. He shows mercy to
each one of us.
Fr. Piotr Machnacki, SAC
Pastor of St. Agnes Parish
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PAGE 3SAINT AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH WINTER 2010 NEWSLETTER
Parish Finance Report of Jim Lehman, Chair of Finance Committee
In 2009, we have seen our weekly Sunday offeringsdecrease by $12,000, which in all probability wasdue to the focus on Project Overhead. Due to tight
control of expenses and Father Irek not yet being re-
placed, we hope, with your continued support for the
rest of the year, to keep the shortfall for 2009 in the
$5 - $10,000 range. This is certainly remarkable inlight of the success of Project Overhead and the
hard economic times.
St. Agnes parishioners and friends must certainly be
commended for responding to the challenge of raising
$175,000 for Project Overhead over the past 12
months; it is even more astonishing considering the
tough economic times we are experiencing. The spirit
of the St. Agnes community came through. This
money paid for the required roof beam repairs and
placed us in a position to retire our existing debt to
the Diocese. As you are well aware, our church roof
has been a major concern for a number of years and
our maintenance committee is reviewing the situation
and plans to make a recommendation to the Finance
Committee in the new year. At this point, we willevaluate our priorities.
Your continued support is appreciated. The chal-
lenges we face today, though different, are the same
we have faced in the past 40 years. We survived our
first 40 years and with these experiences we will sur-
vive and flourish in the 40 to come.
Thomas, St. Agnes, St. Matthew, St. Luke and St.
David schools. For the past few years, I have
thoroughly enjoyed working with parent and youth
volunteers in our Sunday school program that has
affected the lives of over 200 children in our parish.
Spending time with those little ones is what makes
9am Holy Mass a little easier to get up for. Childrensliturgies, Christmas pageants, feast day celebrations
and Passion Plays have offered me a unique and
fulfilling time of preparation throughout the church
year. A young woman who was very active in my first
school-based social justice team, and took on the role
of Jesus in one of my first Stations of the Cross
tableaus for Grade 8s, is now teaching at St. Luke
School. She and her husband are expecting their first
child. Whenever I become frustrated or think I cant
do my job anymore, God sends one of those children
to find me at a school, in the mall or in the grocerystore. Their memories and smiles are a reminder of
the gifts He has given me over the years. The
community of St. Agnes Parish is very lucky to have
had consistent pastoral guidance and care during the
last 20 years as I have only worked with three
priests during that time. Each of them offered me
support and encouragement and for that I am
grateful. I am also thankful for the parishioners at St.Agnes who participate in our programs and
celebrations. Many of them have shared with me
their thanks, their prayers, their encouragement,
their tears and laughter. They are the heartbeat of
this community and I would not have much of a job
without them. Finally, I am thankful to God for
waiting so patiently for me to answer His call to
Parish Ministry. I hope I can continue to answer that
call for a few more years.
God Bless
Once we open our hearts to holiness, it can only grow. We smile not for a reason, but because the
Lord smiles with us.
He has found joy for us, an all-encompassing joy echoing through the chambers of our souls and find-
ing Jesus there & there & there . At each encounter He says, Everywhere you look you will findme, but you must never stop looking. Let my gift to you be the conviction of love.
Rachel Trump
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SAINT AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH WINTER 2010 NEWSLETTERPAGE 4
As our calendar is about to turn over another page,we too are turning a page in the 40 year historyof St. Agnes Parish.
After an 18 month campaign, we are closing the bookon the Project Overhead Fundraiser. Without the en-
thusiasm and support of our parishioners the goal of
$175,000.00 could not have been achieved. The cam-
paign launched in April 2008, officially ended with the
Gala Dinner held in October 2009.
Through the generosity of many, we were able to
raise the funds needed to pay for the work done on
the beams in the church and to fulfill our financial
obligation to the Diocesan office. Your monetary aid,
along with your enthusiasm for the events planned by
our committee, was vital to the success of this pro-
ject. As chair of Project Overhead, I would like to
take this time to offer my heartfelt thanks to the
many dedicated volunteers who shared their time and
talents planning and carrying out the many wonderful
and profitable activities and events. These events not
only raised much needed dollars, but also brought a
renewed community spirit to our Parish.
Charity comes from the heart and in these tough eco-
nomic times we appreciate the fact that it took a lot
of heart to commit your hard-earned dollars to thiscampaign. We would like to thank all who supported
this campaign whether large or small, your donation
was critical and much appreciated.
With the conclusion of this very successful fundraiser,
lets not forget the needs of our Parish. St. Agnes
Church will always be our spiritual refuge and will
continue to require our financial support. Your con-
tinued weekly offering is essential in meeting the on-
going expenses of the parish, and the upkeep of the
Church building.
*Bingo will continue to run as long as volunteers are
available to work at it....Funds derived from Bingo
will be directed to the expenses of special projects
pertaining to the church building specifically*
Thank you to all who supported this effort with their
prayers and kind words of encouragement.
Thanks to our Brilliant Committee!
Fr. Piotr Machnacki
Randy Palach, Parish Council Chair
Michael Fitzgerald, Fund Raising Chair
Jim Lehman, Treasurer
Ann Marie Sehl
Elizabeth Ingle
Alfie Renon
Bill Weiler
Our committee invited as many parishioners as pos-
sible to assist in the many events. Thank you to the
individuals and families who pitched in along the
way!
Special Mention
Sandy Weiler and the many volunteers associ-
ated with the dinner theatre
St. Agnes, St. Luke, and St. Matthew Schools
Catholic Womens League
St. Agnes Quilting Group
St. Vincent de Paul Society
Ken Benninger & Schneider Male ChorusSweet Adelines and St. Agnes Childrens
Choir
Judy Kerr and Joanne Thorpe
Catherine Palach
Susan Fitzgerald
The Weber and Renon Families
Bill Weiler & our Bingo Volunteers
And...The many unsung heroes of the cam-
paign quietly working behind the scenes.
Thank you!
A complete financial breakdown of Project Over-
head can be found on the next page......
Fundraising Committee Report by Michael Fitzgerald, Project Overhead Chair
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PAGE 5SAINT AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH WINTER 2010 NEWSLETTER
Event/ Organization AmountPledges
$127,775.00
Bingo$16,000.00
Catholic Charities Lotteries Rebate $90.00
Dinner Theatre $15,000.00
Pallottine Fathers $1,000.00
St. Agnes Catholic Womens League $4,333.00
St. Vincent de Paul Society $1,000.00
Tuesday Morning Group $85.35
Schneider Male Chorus $1,025.00
St. Agnes Quilters Group $1,000.00
Sweet Adelines/ St. Agnes Childrens Choir Pot Luck $616.07
Ennios Spaghetti Dinner $3,301.84
Mission Possible (Including Skating Party, Family Picnic, Beach PartyPoinsettias & Mothers Day Flowers and the following school totals)
St. Agnes School Mission Day $689.38St. Luke School Mission Day $300.00St. Matthew School P.J. Day $364.00
$4,398.45
Misc. Donations and Memoriams$840.51
40th Anniversary Gala Dinner$1,020.03
Grand Total $177,485.25
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An example? The MISSION: POS-
SIBLE! student volunteers
were out in full force serving
Poinsettia customers before
Christmas with eagerness andenthusiasm a wonderful dem-
onstration of what is POSSIBLE
when we give kids a chance to
get involved in service to oth-
ers...they rise to the opportunity & spread joy!
Thank-you to all! -
SAINT AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH WINTER 2010 NEWSLETTER
Catholic Womens League Report by Marilynne Feeney, 2009/2010 Past President
T
his year we celebrated the St. Agnes Churchs 40th
Anniversary. Our Council began in 1967. Our St.
Agnes Church was built in 1969. What is old is new
again.
A new feeling of family then, we still have a new
feeling of family with families joining our Parish, pa-
rishioners being married, children being Baptized, and
new Altar Servers joining the experienced. Forty
years ago the group was only boys, but now we have
boys, girls and men ranging in age from 8 to 82.
St. Agnes Parishioners began celebrating Holy Mass in
the St. Agnes School building until our Place of Wor-
ship was built. We had C.W.L. members read at Mass,
commentate and assist as Min-
isters of Communion. New
beams recently went up above
our heads to secure the origi-
nal beams built 40 years ago.
C.W.L. council members con-
tributed towards the Elevator
Project approximately 10 ago
PAGE 6
MISSION: POSSIBLE!
Returns For Another Great Year!
As with last year, our Primary Focus is the involve-
ment of our fantastic students in fun activities
that allow them to demonstrate the many Christian
values and basic positive life skills we strive to teach
in our Homes, Schools & Churches. Through volun-
teering their time, skills & talents in the running of
these social events they get a chance to live these
values, serve others....and participate in creating a
great time for all!
Misson Possible Report by Elizabeth Ingle
January 29th, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm Fun On Friday Drop In, Hang Out & Make New Friends!
A place for kids Grades 6 - 8 to get together in a positive & safe environment & have some fun
hangin out..
Music, movies, munchies, ping pong, chess, board games and a chill zone to just get together with
friends.....
Supervised
Watch for more details coming soon!
February 13th St. Agnes Family Pot Luck Dinner & Dance, Parish Hall
Bring your friends & family for dinner and a chance to hit the dance floor! JP the DJ from last yearshugely successful Beach Party will be back with lots of great music for all! Details to be announced
soon!
March 6th The Skating Party returns! Albert McCormick, 4-5 pm. Stay tuned.
Would you like to help out? Please let us know! Elizabeth Ingle [email protected]
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PAGE 7SAINT AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH WINTER 2010 NEWSLETTER
The Knights of Columbus are very active in St.Agnes parish, serving in all of the various liturgi-cal roles Lectors, Commentators, Ministers of Com-
munion, and in Marriage and Baptism Preparation.
The Knights also serve the St. Agnes community di-
rectly by sponsoring a monthly Holy Hour, and by our
4th Degree Honour Guard participation in Confirmation
and other special liturgical celebrations, including
honouring our deceased members with an annual Me-
morial Mass that is normally held in St. Agnes church.
Members of our council are also actively involved in
charitable activities such as our New Toys for Needy
Kids Toy Drive, which provides toys to the St. Agnes
Conference of St. Vincent de Paul. Our other fund-
raising activities allow us to regularly support the par-
ish with funds for St. Vincent de Paul, and other ac-
tivities such as the Good Shepherd Atrium and last
years Vacation Bible School. Our members are also
Knights of Columbus by Jamie Jewer
active in the parish by provid-
ing time and money to various
parish fundraising efforts.
The Knights of Columbus,
which is thankful for our many
strong members from St. Agnes
parish, is also actively involved
in other community charitable
and pro-life activities. We provide funds to DogGuides Canada to sponsor dogs for children, and our
sales of pro-life roses go to raise funds for the KW
Right to Life. At this time of year, we also support
the message of Keep Christ in Christmas by sponsor-
ing a lighted nativity display at the Wonders of Win-
terlight display in Waterloo Park.
as well as Project Overhead this past year, and of
course, towards many smaller events along the way.
Our C.W.L. Council began 42 years ago with over 200
members. Our current membership is over 250. We
began with German Pallotine Fathers as our Spiritual
Directors. Currently we have a Polish Pallotine Father
as our Spiritual Advisor.
Our Executive members are still busy ladies with
families and careers. While our committees have
changed, we still work for God, Canada and St. Agnes
Church. Oh and our members! Our ladies do every-
thing from own their own businesses to being Stay-at-
Home Moms and Grand Moms. We may happily say
that we can count among our membership many
mothers and daughters and daughters-in-laws from
16 year old new members, to members who have
joined over 65 years ago. We even have a memberwho has been in the St. Agnes Choir since its incep-
tion. We have a member who has laundered, cleaned
and mended Altar Linens and garments for over 40
years. We also have new members who have just had
a baby. We have an adult member of 15 years who
has just gotten her first actual job outside the home.
And as well, we have members who have just retired
after years in the workforce.
So many activities are new, yet old, at our Church/
Parish/Council. We have a continuing yet renewed
spirit of the Holy Spirit, with the celebration of Holy
Mass. Our Prayer Network prays for the needs of a
few particulars folks and for all members across Can-
ada. For many years we have led fellow Parishioners
in Stations of the Cross during Lent, and for three
years now we have led in the Stations of the Nativityduring Advent.
We have held Card Parties to raise funds for needs of
our Parish and Church. We have raised funds for wells
to be dug in South America providing water for hun-
dreds. We have been donating to the Attawapiskat
Mission in Northern Ontario for over 40 years. For
many years we donated clothing and now it is best
that we donate funds, so we shall.
I am proud to say, the St. Agnes Council members
take their pledge For God and Canada to truly
mean here at St. Agnes Church and out into the
world, joining, leading and following for the glory
of God. To all our charter members, our long-time
members and our new members, thank you and I ask
that you join me in a silent prayer, thanking God for
our St. Agnes Church, a sanctuary of hope, love and
the goodness of God.
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Our Schools
St. Agnes
In the role of School Representative forSt. Agnes School, I have the opportunityto keep both the school and the parishinformed about relevant activities &
initiatives which have mutual impact.
During St. Agnes school council meetings
for example, I will present a report which
not only informs about news of possible
interest, but will strive to engage support for
programs and initiatives underway at the parish. This
Christmas for example, extra support was requested
and successfully received from the school for the St.
Vincent de Paul food needs for the hamper program.Also in this forum, programs like MISSION:
POSSIBLE! are shared and participation is promoted
and encouraged.
Similarly, news and updates from the school level are
brought to Parish Council meetings. This way our
Parish stays aware and connected with the needs and
concerns of St. Agnes School.
Our objective is to ensure that acommunication link exists between our
Parish and its schools. This creates
opportunity to build and grow relationships,
and to ensure that our Catholic Christian
values are being supported, nurtured,
demonstrated and expanded wherever
possible.
My husband Steve and I have two daughters attending
St. Agnes school Sarah (11) in Grade 6, and Olivia (8)
in Grade 3. This extra level of involvement with their
school life is very rewarding to us. I personally enjoy
the opportunity to contribute my time and
perspective in ways that can have a positive impact
on their experience at St. Agnes school and their
Parish.
Elizabeth Ingle
Parish Representative
SAINT AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH WINTER 2010 NEWSLETTER
St. Matthew
As usual St. Matthew School has had a very busy
first term. We welcomed Mary Mayer as our newVice Principal this September. Our Open House was
very well attended as was our first School Council
meeting. On September 21st we celebrated our
opening School Mass and the Feast of St. Matthew.
Our fall fundraiser was once again a great success,
with funds raised being used to support initiatives
such as: in-class learning
presentations, faith, art, and to
offset transportation and agenda
costs.
October and November have also
been busy with our participation
in the Thanksgiving Food Drive, Grade 4 Bible
Celebration, Advent preparations and monthly
assemblies to name just a few.
In reflecting on the theme of Thanksgiving, I would
have to say that, as serving as the ParishRepresentative for St. Matthew School for the last 6
years, the most gratifying aspect of this ministry is
having the opportunity to get to know my fellow
members of Parish Council. They have continually
offered me their friendship and their support.
Being a member of St. Agnes Parish does feel like
family on so many levels. By taking the chance on
volunteering for this particular ministry it has led to
my involvement in other Parish activities. For that I
am truly grateful.
Mary Scott
Parish Representative
PAGE 8
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PAGE 9SAINT AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH WINTER 2010 NEWSLETTER
St. Luke
We are in the midst of a busy school year at St.Luke School. The Dance-a-Thon was held at theend of October. This year the School Council decided
to collect food rather than funds for the school.
Nearly 5000 lbs of food was collected and donated tothe Food Bank in the name of the St. Agnes St.
Vincent de Paul Conference. Students from all classes
participated in donating food and in taking turns
dancing to music in the gym.
The students of St. Luke performed the play The
Christmas Carol on the evenings of December 15, 16,
and 17th to a packed gymnasium. Thank you to all the
students who shared their gifts and talents received
from God. Thank you to the students and staff for
their hard work and months of preparation and to
those who attended the shows.
We would like to thank Fr. Piotr and Joanne for their
support of the faith development and the sacramental
preparation programs this year, which includes manyclassroom visits. We are especially grateful for the
frequent Holy Masses celebrated in the gymnasium.
Once again the School Council
will be providing transportation
for all St Luke students to the
year-end Holy Mass at the
Parish.
Mark Wardell
Parish Representative
The St. Agnes Parish ChildrensChoir was re-established in ourParish in 2003 by Carleen and
Michael Van Dam, along with
fellow parishioner Delores
Alexander. Now in its seventh year,
the Choir has grown from a choir of three to a choir
of 20 or so children, ranging in age from seven tofifteen. A few members have offered to become
accompanists as their skills and talents as musicians
develop, and this has definitely added a new
dimension to our Choir. Choir members are leaders of
song at our twice monthly Childrens Liturgies, as well
as our Christmas Eve Family Mass, Good Friday and
Easter morning services, and other special occasions
throughout the church year. They were invited to sing
in Concert with the Sweet Adelines in December
2006 as part of a Christmas fundraiser for Out of the
Cold, and hosted a Christmas Concert in our Parish,along with special guests, the Sweet Adelines, in
December 2008, to help raise funds for Project
Overhead. Twice the children have been asked to sing
at weddings, a definite honour for those who were
Childrens Choir Report by Carleen Van Dam
able, and we have been able to offer retreats for our
members in the past as well. The Childrens Choir
sings on the second and last weekend of each month,
at our Parish Childrens Liturgies on Sundays at 9:00
a.m., as well as occasions such as our Feast Day and
all Parish First Communions. Schedules are provided
in advance. Children must be in grade 3 or older, and
our Choir is open to new members at any time. Joinus for practices, held every Thursday evening 6:00
p.m. to 7:00 p.m. downstairs in the library in the
Parish Centre. Come on out and join us! See what we
are all about and then make a commitment for the
school year. We do not sing during July and August.
We are very grateful to the children and their families
for their outstanding commitment to this Choir, and
hope many more children will grace us with their
presence in the years to come! For more information,
contact Carleen or Michael Van Dam at 519-886-7391
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field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but
when it grows up, it is the biggest of all
plants. It becomes a tree, so that birds
come and make their nests in its branches."
Matthew 13: 31,32
Their time in the atrium presents an opportunity for
their seed of faith to sprout up. Children need time
and space to focus on their faith development and
friendship with Jesus the atrium attempts to
provide this environment and is a place free from the
distractions of the world. I am thankful for the
smiles on the faces of the children when they come
to the atrium. I am thankful for their eagerness to
learn more about the life of Jesus. I am thankful for
the parents who have decided to bring their children
week after week.
Catechists and helpers in the Atrium: M. Armbruster,
Wendy Hicknell, Maria Lambour, Margarita Varela.
The Good Shepherd Catechesis Program had itsseed planted at St. Agnes Parish in 2001. In thepast years we have had help from Catechists from St.
Louis Parish, St. Marks Parish, St. Teresas Parish in
Elmira, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, and from our ownParish family. The depth of love for God and the
Catholic Faith is evident when the families bring their
children to the atrium once a week, sometimes twice
a week if their children are in two
different levels and in some cases
three times a week when the
children are in three different age
groups. I am thankful for the
growth of the program in our
Parish. When I see the children
come to the atrium I am remindedof the Parable of the Mustard Seed.
"The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man
takes a mustard seed and sows it in his
SAINT AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH WINTER 2010 NEWSLETTER
Good Shepherd Atrium Report by Margaret Wardell, Catechist
Cheryl Ann Feeney and Jeffrey Beaupre - October 10, 2009
Marriages
In MemoriamBaptisms
PAGE 10
Douglas Haelzle Died September 12, 2009
Brian Stephens Died October 22, 2009
Peter Ancich November 30, 2009
September
Mike Hagop
Conrad Maximilian Totzke
Ruby Starla McKenna
Joseph Matthew Miller
October
Noah Wyatt Paquette
Emileigh Bonita Docherty
Saira Isabella DMello
Nichole HutchinsonJonah Peter Takacs
Conrad Maximilian Totzke
November
Olivia Marie George
Johnathan Joseph Nguyen
Brody Richard Bonn
December
Carlos Joshua Garcia
Keira Helen Prudham
Connor Garrett Blanchard-
Messent
Savana Ana-Rose Harris-
Blanchard
Lauren Christian Loucas
Olivia Mary Martin
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Carl Schropp has recently prepared an inspiring CD
with his favourite hymns. It is titled, Rejoice! A
Celebration of Life and has musical accompaniment
provided by Danny McKellar a fellow parishioner at
St. Agnes Parish. The CD was created as a musiciansthanksgiving to God for a successful quadruple heart
bypass surgery. Carl said the nurses and doctors did
such a good job that Im back again. The word
rejoice stuck in his head when he realized he was
still alive following the surgery. To show his grati-
tude to the staff at St. Marys Hospital, Carl is donat-
ing all proceeds from the sale of this CD to the St.
Message from Carl Schropp former Director of St. Agnes Sanctuary Choir
PAGE 11SAINT AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH WINTER 2010 NEWSLETTER
Marys Hospital Foundation, in support of cardiac
care.
The price for the CD is $20 and may be purchasedthrough the following resources:
St. Agnes Parish Office, 75 Bluevale St. N.Waterloo
Carl Schropp, 519-885-6315,[email protected]
St. Mary's Hospital Gift Shop Kitchener
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SAINT AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH WINTER 2010 NEWSLETTERPAGE 12
Born c. 291
Died c. 304 (aged 12)
Canonized Pre-Congregation *
Major shrine Church of Sant'Agnese fuori le mura
and the Church of Sant'Agnese in
Agone, both in Rome
Feast January 21
Symbol a lamb
Patronage Betrothed couples; chastity; Children
of Mary; Colegio Capranica of Rome;
crops; gardeners; Girl Guides; girls;
virgins; St. Agnes parish, Waterloo
Our Patron Saint
Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr
*Pre-Congregation Canonization
The decision as to the martyr having died for his faith
in Christ, and the consequent permission of venera-
tion, lay originally with the bishop of the place in
which he had borne his testimony. The bishop in-
quired into the motive of his death and, finding he
had died a martyr, sent his name with an account of
his martyrdom to other churches, especially neighbor-
ing ones, so that, in event of approval by their re-
spective bishops, the cultus of the martyr might
Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_of_Rome
extend to their churches also, and that the faithful,
[1] "might hold communion with the generous martyr
of Christ" (generoso Christi martyri communicarent).
Martyrs whose cause, so to speak, had been dis-
cussed, and the fame of whose martyrdom had beenconfirmed, were known as proved (vindicati) martyrs.
In the earlier ages, therefore, this veneration of the
saints was entirely local and passed from one church
to another with the permission of their bishops. This
is clear from the fact that in none of the ancient
Christian cemeteries are there found paintings of
martyrs other than those who had suffered in that
neighborhood.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-congregation#Pre-Congregation
Prayer to Saint Agnes
Let us gain courage for our own
battle
by honoring the martyrdom of
the glorious
virgin Agnes.
St. Agnes, vessel of honor,flower of unfading fragrance,
beloved of the choirs of Angels,
you are an example to the
worth of virtue and chastity.
O you who wear a Martyr's palm
and a virgin's wreath,
pray for us that,
though unworthy of a special
crown,
we may have our names writtenin the list of Saints.
www.catholicdoors.com/prayers
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PAGE 13SAINT AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH WINTER 2010 NEWSLETTER
Patron Saint of Pallotine Fathers
Saint Vincent Pallotti
Born April 21, 1795, Rome
Died January 22, 1850 (aged 64), Rome
Canonized 1963, Rome by Pope John XXIII
Feast January 22
Buried Church of San Salvatore in Onda,
Rome
In Pallottis room stood a Hill of Calvary. In front of a
painted backdrop stood the cross of Jesus. it was
an expression of his religious attitude. In the cross he
found strength and courage. He knew that Gods love
is real. For hours and through long nights he prayed
before this sign of salvation. The safest road, he
wrote, is the road of suffering. Our Saviour came
along this road, as well as His Mother and the saints.
The hardest thing in the apostolate and in all pastoral
work is not to reach the other person, to be without
success, to be misunderstood and to be left working
alone. Pallotti carried this burden without complaint
to the Hill of the Cross.
p. 34, 35 St. Vincent Pallotti A Prophet For Our Time
Against Anxiety Vincent
Pallotti often calls for
trust:
Your greatest weakness
Is your lack of trust in
God.
Your miserable condition
Has its roots in your
excessive worry.Abandon once and for all
Your destructive anxiety.
We must let a permanent
Unlimited trust in God
Rule our lives.
It will be followed by
peace.
p.20 St. Vincent Pallotti A Prophet
For Our Time
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