St. Agnes Parish in Springfield will celebrate its 125th anniversary Saturday, Nov. 16. Bishop Thomas John Paprocki will preside at the 4:30 p.m. Mass at St. Agnes Church, 245 N. Amos Ave. A reception will be held after Mass in the parish hall.

The parish was established Oct. 1, 1888, by Bishop James Ryan of what was then the Diocese of Alton. It was the sixth Catholic parish established in Springfield, which at that time had a population of 33,000.

Parish boundaries took in the west central section of the city, south of Carpenter Street and west of what is now referred to as "the Third Street rail corridor."

The first church building was built of red brick in the Gothic style with a tall steeple on the northeast corner of College and West Capitol streets, just a few blocks northwest of the Illinois State Capitol. The church cornerstone was blessed Aug. 25, 1889, and the first Mass was celebrated on May 4, 1890.

The first St. Agnes School was built down the block from the church, and opened in 1897. A convent was erected on the block for the Springfield Dominican Sisters who taught at the school, and in 1913, a new and larger school was constructed to accommodate growing enrollment.

Over the years, close proximity to the ever-expanding capitol complex and the growth of membership from 180 families in 1888 to over 1,000 families in the centennial year, led to the decision by Bishop Joseph A. McNicholas to relocate St. Agnes Church and School further west in Springfield, and adjust the boundaries of Christ the King, Cathedral, Ss. Peter and Paul and St. Joseph parishes to accommodate the change.

The new church was dedicated by Bishop Daniel L. Ryan on Nov. 26, 1989. The new brick and limestone church is built in the form of a Greek cross and provides a seating capacity of 950. The parish hall, which can accommodate 300 people, includes a kitchen, storage areas and movable walls to subdivide the area into smaller areas when needed.