Bulletin – September 13, 2015

BACK TO SCHOOL

Welcome back! We hope you have had an enjoyable summer. For those young people who are off to university, we wish you every success as you begin a new stage of your life. For those students and teachers returning to elementary and secondary school, we wish you a very positive and rewarding year.

STUDY GROUP ON LAUDATO SI’ AT ST. GABRIEL’S

Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, which is addressed to all men and women of good will, reminds us the earth is our common home; yet because humankind has not been using the gifts of creation responsibly, the earth is suffering, the poor and vulnerable amongst us are also suffering. We need to work towards an ecological conversion.

For all who are interested in getting to know more about the encyclical, and to reflect on it, a study group will be held at St. Gabriel’s. We’ll be meeting six times, beginning October 5th, studying one chapter at each meeting.

The Co-leaders of Study Group will be Fr. Steve Dunn, CP and Dr. Dennis O’Hara

Dates of Meetings: Mondays – October 5th, 19th, November 2nd, 16th, 30th, and December 7th.

Time: 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM.

The meetings are free of charge, but donations will be gratefully accepted.

To register or for further enquiries, please call the Parish Office (416) 221-8866 or email Fatima Lee at fatimalee@bellnet.ca.

OUR PARISH’S RESPONSE TO THE SYRIAN CRISIS

The situation in Syria and the news about the plight of Syrian refugees have touched many of our hearts. The parish is considering sponsoring again a refugee family. The help you can give, financially and/or as a volunteer will be most important for the success of this effort. Please stay tuned for how you may help.

If you would like to serve as a volunteer to help with the application and settlement process, please contact Fatima Lee at (416) 221-8866 or email fatimalee@bellnet.ca. A meeting will be arranged shortly to discuss how we can go forward.

BAPTISM

The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome:

Remy Marc Durieu
Aria Evangeline Elgbe
Mason Alexander Galloro
Cecilia Jaein Lee
Mark Lai Mano
James Edward Murray-Fellin
Julienne Margarrette C. Poscablo
Julian Andres Salcedo
Ethan Li Ngan Sun
Braedyn Liam Wong

All received the Sacrament of Baptism during the months of July and August. Congratulations!

ANNOUNCED MASSES

September 14th to September 19th, 2015

MONDAY – HARRY LEUNG – Requested by John Chan
TUESDAY – MARIA CHOI – Requested by Cecilia
WEDNESDAY – SR. GEORGINA KAMBEITZ IBVM – Requested by Margaret Anne Leckie
THURSDAY – MARGARET, BETTY & POLLY NEWMAN – Requested by Sheila Emblem
FRIDAY – FIORENTINA GIANNOTTA – Requested by Lina Giannotta
SATURDAY – HEUNG-WAH LAM – Requested by Fung, Lam & Montero Families

REGISTRATION FOR SACRAMENTS FOR SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN

St. Gabriel’s Church

September 15th, September 16th, September 22nd and September 24th from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM.

Registration for children who wish to receive the Sacraments of First Communion, Reconciliation and Confirmation will be held at St. Gabriel’s Church from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM on the following evenings:
Tuesday, September 15th Wednesday September 16th Tuesday, September 22nd Thursday, September 24th

Please Note:A copy of the child’s Baptismal Certificate is required if registering for First Communion or Confirmation. A fee of $20 is required for Confirmation.

CHILDREN’S FAITH PROGRAM

The Children’s Faith Program for children attending private or public schools will begin on Sunday, September 13th at 10:00 AM. Classes are held at St. Gabriel’s School.

PARENTS CONFIRMATION INFORMATION MEETING

Wednesday, October 7th at 7:30 PM.
St. Gabriel’s Church

There will be a meeting here at the Church on Wednesday, October 7th at 7:30 PM. for parents of children receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation this year.

ST. GABRIEL’S MUSIC MINISTRY

“Those who sing pray twice.”

Our senior choir practices on Tuesday evenings, 7:30-9:00 P.M. and leads community song at the 10:30 AM Sunday Mass.

Our junior choir practices on Thursday evenings from 6:30-8:00 PM and leads the music at the 12:30 PM Mass.

We always welcome new voices and hope you will consider joining us! For more information, please contact the choir director after any of the Masses.

R.C.I.A. AND ADULT FAITH DEVELOPMENT

Meetings in preparation for the R.C.I.A. (Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults) will begin soon. These meetings are for persons interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith. The exploration may lead the candidate to seek baptism, and become a member of the Catholic Christian community; or for Christians already
baptized into another Christian denomination, the reception into the Catholic Church.

Adult Catholics who have not received the sacrament of Confirmation but who wish to do so are also encouraged to attend these sessions.

As well, these meetings may be an opportunity for “Born Catholics” to deepen their understanding of our faith. Very often, especially for those of us who received our religious instruction at an early age, we tend to grow physically, mentally, psychologically etc., but the understanding of our faith does not grow correspondingly. The RCIA may serve as a good opportunity for us to ask questions and to develop a more adult understanding of our faith.

If you are interested in joining the RCIA meetings or if you would like to have more information about it, please call the Parish Office at 416-221-8866. You can also contact Fatima Lee directly at ext. 228.

SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN PREPARING FOR BAPTISM

If you have, or know of, school age children (ages 7 to 14) who wish to prepare for Baptism, please contact the Parish Office, or Fatima Lee directly, at (416) 221-8866. Classes for them will begin after Thanksgiving.

JUST COFFEE

Fair trade organic coffees will be on sale after all the Masses next weekend.
Regular ground coffee: $5.50
Decaffeinated: $6
Whole Beans: $5.50
Chocolate Bars: $4.50 incl. taxes
Hot Chocolate and Cocoa: $5.00
Teas: $4.25

THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE

You can make a difference in the lives of the hungry and homeless this Thanksgiving by participating in the annual Good Shepherd Ministries Thanksgiving Food Drive.

Urgently needed items include: rice, pasta sauces, canned tuna, canned soups, stews, meats, fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, jam, oatmeal, pancake mix, teabags, ground or instant coffee, sugar, cookies and crackers,

Please no fresh or frozen foods.

We thank you for your generous support!

SHARELIFE

Congratulations to the good people of St. Gabriel’s. Our final total for ShareLife 2015 was $204,840. Thank you for your very generous support!

FOOD FOR ROSALIE HALL

Each month the food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall. With everyone struggling at this time, these donations are more important than ever. Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your generous support.

BUNDLE UP WEEKEND COMING UP!

Weekend of September 19th and 20th

Spring Cleaning Year Round!

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul will be collecting gently used clothing for men women and children, shoes, household goods, linens, draperies and toys to support the needy on the weekend of September 19th /20th. They cannot accept books, baby furniture, appliances or mattresses.

Please bring your donations and help others in your community. They will donate or sell these donations to support their outreach efforts. The truck will be open Saturday from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM and Sunday from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Volunteers will be there to assist with loading before and after each Mass.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR ALTAR LINEN CARE

We are in need of volunteers to care for the altar linens. If you would be willing to take on this important task, please call the Parish Office at 416-221-8866.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH IN THE SECOND HALF OF LIFE

Six Tuesday Mornings Beginning September 29th
St. Bonaventure’s Parish Centre, 1300 Leslie Street
Sr. Mary Rose Marrin CSJ will be offering a programme on the topic of Spiritual Growth in the Second Half of Life hosted by St. Bonaventure’s Church on six Tuesday Mornings at 10:00 AM between September 29th and December 1st. For more information or to register, please call 416-491-2360. or email adamscote@rogers.com.

FINANCE CORNER

Weekly Offertory

Our operating expenses average $14,550 per week.

Collection for last weekend:
Envelopes 359 $ 9,049
Loose Change 740
Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 163 3,078
Total 522 $ 12,867
Mission Co-Op Collection: $8,409
Shared Collection: $3,120