St. Agnes Guild News

Background about Saint Agnes and the Saint Agnes Guild ministries.   (The St. Agnes Guild is a branch of the Mothers' Union.)

By Mrs. Lois Kagwada,
Saint Agnes Guild Coordinator

There was a good story of a certain Saint by the name of Agnes. It has been an interesting story for sometime.

St. Agnes was a girl, aged 13 years, when she was killed in her home in Rome. She was a beautiful girl and liked praying. She served Jesus Christ even though the authority in Rome was persecuting Christians.

The High Priests and some followers of Christ were killed and persecuted by that time. But St. Agnes behaviour and beauty were so attractive to the King's son that he thought of marrying her.

Unfortunately St. Agnes refused him because he was not a Christian. In so doing the King's son started thinking evil of the girl since she was a follower of Christ. Hence St. Agnes was arrested and tortured because she refused the son of the King.

Later on she was thrown into the dark room while naked in order to embarrass her. St. Agnes knelt down and prayed to God, mysteriously angels dressed her with a white cloth.

People thought that after intimidation, St. Agnes would accept to marry the King's son but Agnes refused.

Thereafter she was thrown into the fire with an aim of killing her.

Fortunately enough, with the power of God, St. Agnes was not hurt and she prayed to God in thanksgiving for the blessings she got from God.

Because of this St Agnes was killed by cutting her neck with a Knife and her body was taken by the Christians to be buried.

We commemorate St. Agnes on 21st January every year for her courage and love of Christ.

St Agnes died in 304 AD.

In the city of Rome there are two churches built in memory of St. Agnes. One church was built at the place where the house was in which St Agnes was thrown naked. The other church was built at her grave.

In 1901, the bones of St. Agnes were moved to a place under the Altar. Since that time many Christians pay respect on the day on which St Agnes died.

SOME OF ACTIVITIES of ST AGNES GIRLS (YOUTH)

- They do Bible study and Bible reading.

- Practice praying.

- They help at funerals -- drawing water, washing plates.

- They do life skills.

- They do domestic chores like, baking, making jam, sewing patch (quilt) bedspreads, and making peanut butter, in some parishes.

- Welcome visitors and cheer the sick in homes and hospitals and dispensaries.

- Helping the needy e.g. elderly and their fellow St Agnes girls and fellow sick youth in hospitals.

- Cleaning in Church, e.g. sweeping, mopping and smearing.

- Conducting prayers.

- Bible reading in church and serving at the Altar.

- Encouraging those who are lazy to join the group and to their gatherings.

- Having parish links - with the aim, to learn from others.

Here are photos from the 2008 St. Agnes Conference.

St. Agnes Conference Procession with Bp. James.

Teams before playing during the conference.

One of the teams in the competition.

One of the happy winners.