My Dear Good People of St. Gabriel’s, With great joy and deep gratitude, I write to express my prayerful best wishes for a holy, peaceful and blessed Christmas.
During this Advent Season, I have been praying that each of you had a great time to ponder and reflect on your own personal faith and relationship with the Incarnate word, the Child Jesus – the reason for the season. Whatever it is that your hearts and souls long for, may you be filled with joy, hope, love and consolation at Christmas.
Christmas is a time of peace and joy, a time to celebrate with family, with friends and loved ones. However, for some, Christmas is a sad time, because they have lost a loved one, or because they are alone and lonely, or overburdened by family problems or for many other reasons. Spare a moment or two to journey with our sisters and brothers who are suffering from one kind of problem or another. Think of those Christian families in Syria, the Middle East and elsewhere around the world. Spare a moment to think of the image of the Child Jesus together with his parents, Mary and Joseph seeking refuge. They found no space in the inn. Jesus was born in a stable. God chose his Son to be born like the rest of us so that we can realize that we are important. If we fail to see the face of Jesus in the poor, then what would our faith in God have become? Would you welcome Jesus in your hearts as He gazes upon you?
Our parish community remains generous and kind as it has always been. You have never failed to see the face of Jesus in the poor and the marginalized. I want to thank you for your generosity this past year as you supported Share Life, St. Vincent De Paul, Good Shepherd Centre, Rosalie Hall and many others.
To the men and women volunteers – those sweating in the Parish gardens, milk bag weavers, casseroles makers, ushers and musicians, lectors and decorators, hospitality and Eucharistic ministers, Good Shepherd Centre volunteers and other centres to serve the homeless and the needy, the youth patrolling the street to console homeless people by preparing and distributing food, planting trees to heal the Earth and the hidden good you’ve all done so the right hand does not know what the left hand has done …For these and for all the good known to you and to God, thank you and may God multiply the good you do immersing it in the joy God brings to our needy world.
As we celebrate the birth of our Saviour and of the coming New Year, I am one with you in asking God to refresh our lives, sustain our love for each other, strengthen our faith, enkindle our bonds with our loved ones and friends and above all, to be sharers of hope to the lost and desperate. Together with our committed and hard-working parish staff, I and Fr. John prayerfully wish you all a Merry Christmas and a bountiful New Year 2018!
Blessings, Fr. Brando, CP
December 27th – December 30th 2017
WEDNESDAY – MICHAEL PALAZZO – Requested by Valentina Palazzo THURSDAY – IN THANKSGIVING – Requested by Agnes Wong FRIDAY – FR. TIMOTHY HIGGINS – Requested by Jeanne Robinson SATURDAY – IN THANKSGIVING – Requested by the Ng Family
CHRISTMAS EVE – Sunday, December 24th
Regular Sunday Masses 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM 5:00 PM Family Mass – Carol Singing 9:00 PM Adult Choir – Carol Singing 12:00 AM Midnight Mass – Contemporary Group
Office Open – 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM
CHRISTMAS DAY – Monday, December 25th
10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Office Open – 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM
BOXING DAY – Tuesday, December 26th
Office Closed
No 9:00 AM Mass
NEW YEAR’S EVE – Sunday, December 31st
Regular Masses 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM, 5:00 PM Mass Vigil for Feast of Mary the Mother of God
NEW YEAR’S DAY – Monday, January 1st
Feast of Mary the Mother of God 10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Office open – 9:30 to 2:00 PM
Collection – December 30th/31st
Thank you to the volunteers who prepared 48 casseroles for November. Your prepared frozen casseroles will be collected at the Masses next weekend for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre. Please remember to mark the label on the pan lid with the name of the casserole.
More volunteers are urgently needed to become active in helping to feed the needy and homeless in Toronto. Three different recipes are available in the Parish Office or online at the Church website. Casserole pans are also available in the Parish Office.
Please give it a try! If you require more information please contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791.
December 27th from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM
St. Gabriel’s Passionist Parish
Canadian Blood Services helps ensure lifesaving blood products are available to hospital patients in need. This organisation hosts monthly blood donor clinics at St. Gabriel’s Parish, and will again host this clinic on Wednesday, December 27th, 2017 from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM. You can take part by making an appointment for this clinic at Give Life https://blood.ca/en/givelife by selecting St. Gabriel’s Parish for December 27th, 2017.
Please note: All donations for 2017 must be received in the Parish Office by Sunday, December 31st, 2017 to be included in your 2017 Tax Receipt.
This Bulletin entry was posted on Saturday, December 23rd, 2017.
Founded by St. Paul of the Cross, every Passionist takes a special vow to spend his or her energies in promoting remembrance of the sufferings of Jesus, the memory of the Cross, and reflection of the meaning of the Cross for the world.
Learn about Passionists and our insignia »
Listen to the audio
Watch Fr. Paul Cusack’s Funeral Mass (video)
Companion for the Walk of the Stations of the Cosmic Earth
St. Gabriel’s Garden – Guided Sensory Reflective Walk