St. Paul of the Cross was the founder of the Passionists in the year 1720. Born in northern Italy in 1694, Paul experienced conversion at the age of 15 and began a lifetime of devotion to prayer life as a soldier, but left after one year. Six years later, having had several visions, he determined that his vocation was to found an order dedicated to the Passion of our Lord. Officials declared the visions authentic and Paul withdrew to write a rule. He was joined by his brother, who remained with him for the rest of his life. By 1747, the Passionists had three houses and were preaching missions throughout Italy. At the time of his death in 1775, Paul was establishing a congregation for Passionist nuns.
October 14th /15th and October 21st /22nd
Cardinal Collins has requested that a weekend Mass attendance count be conducted annually in all parishes and missions of the Archdiocese. The attendance count will take place this weekend, October 14th/15th and next weekend, October 21st /22nd. The purpose of the count is to have a more accurate assessment of the number of people attending Mass on a weekend.
As with last year, when you come in for Mass, you may notice a few “counters” clicking on tally counters at the doors of the church. The counters will be doing their jobs in a way as discreetly and non-intrusively as possible. Thank you for your support.
St. Gabriel’s School is looking for a Nutrition Program Co-coordinator for the school snack program. If interested in this position, please call the school principal, Ms. Crispo at 416-393-5256.
October 16th to October 21st
MONDAY – MICHAEL McDONOUGH – Requested by His Family TUESDAY – SEE HIM CHIU – Requested by the Chiu Family WEDNESDAY – BASIL MARKIDES – Requested by Jeanne Robinson THURSDAY – VINCENT HA – Requested by Laura, Sylvia & Valerie Ha FRIDAY – ROMULO CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ – Requested by Rosa and Romulo SATURDAY – KENG OWYONG – Requested by Helen Owyong
Thursday, November 2nd at 7:30 PM. St. Gabriel’s Church
There will be a meeting here at the Church on Thursday, November 2nd at 7:30 PM. for parents of children who will be receiving the Sacrament of First Communion in 2018.
Meetings in preparation for the R.C.I.A. (Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults) will begin in October. 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 contact Fatima Lee at fatimalee@bellnet.ca or call the Parish Office at 416-221-8866.
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 fatimalee@bellnet.ca.
Thank you so much for your overwhelming support of our Thanksgiving Food Drive for the Good Shepherd Centre. Good Shepherd provides hot meals and shelter for the homeless in our city as well as a chance to start again through the Resettlement or DARE Programs.
Your donations were very much appreciated by the young families and homeless of Toronto.
Weekend of October 21st/22nd
Fair trade organic coffees will be on sale after all the Masses next weekend. Regular ground coffee: $5.50 Decaffeinated: $6.00 Whole Beans: $5.50 Chocolate Bars: $4.50 incl. Taxes Hot Chocolate and Cocoa: $6.00 Teas: $4.25
Wednesday, October 18th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM
Gabriel Room
The next Milk Bag workshop led by Sharon Gusz will be held in the Gabriel room on Wednesday, October 18th from 1:00 to 3:30 PM. No experience needed! All are welcome!
Passionist Christmas cards will be available for purchase after all the Masses next weekend. The suggested cost is $2:00 per card.
All donations will go directly to support the Passionist Missions in Haiti, Honduras and Jamaica. Your support is invaluable in caring for the needy in some of the poorest communities of North America.
Over the course of the past several weeks, hurricanes, tropical storms and violent earthquakes have devastated a number of countries in the Caribbean and Mexico.
In an effort to support people in that region who have been impacted by these disasters, the Archdiocese of Toronto is accepting funds that will be sent through Catholic relief channels. Contributions can be made through our parishes and through the Archdiocese of Toronto online portal at www.archtoronto.org.
Those wishing to help may do so in the following ways:
We offer our prayers for all those impacted by these tragedies. Thank you for your ongoing efforts to assist those in crisis
October 22nd from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Jaffari Islamic Centre, 9000 Bathurst Street, Thornhill
MOSAIC Interfaith (of which St. Gabriel’s is a member) invites you to attend the annual Peace Meal on Sunday October 22nd from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Mulla Ashgar Memorial Library and Islamic Resource Centre in Jaffari Islamic Centre.
The theme will be “An Interactive Experience of the Golden Rule” – a presentation and workshop by Kathy Murtha, Director of Scarboro Missions Retreat Centre. This will be followed by the Peace Meal. Attendees are asked to bring a nut-free dish (and alcohol free) for the vegan supper – i.e. no meat, poultry, eggs, fish or dairy products.
To RSVP please contact Nora at 416-218-0680 by October 18th. For more information see poster on bulletin board.
Thursday, October 26th 7:00 PM
St. Joseph Morrow Park is holding an Information Night for students who are entering secondary school on Thursday, October 26that 7:00 PM. Parents/Guardians and students are cordially invited to attend. Join them at 3379 Bayview Avenue, just south of Steeles on the east side. For more information please call 416-393-5516.
Thursday, October 26th at 7:00 PM
211 Steeles Avenue East
Brebeuf College is holding an Open House for students who are entering high school on Thursday, October 26th at 7:00 PM. Parents/Guardians and students are cordially invited to attend. They can be reached at 416 -393-5508.
Guided Church Tours after each Mass, Saturday, October 28th and Sunday, October 29th
Do you know that St. Gabriel’s is the first green church in Canada to receive a LEED Gold certification? How is our church “green”? Why a green church? You may wonder.
On the weekend of Oct 28th/29th, the parish will be offering guided tours of the church after all the Masses. You will be able to find out more about our green church.
The tours, each lasting about 30 minutes, are for all parishioners. If you are new to this parish, or you have never had a chance to hear about the special design of our church building and the gardens, you may find the tours especially interesting and informative.
It is a unique opportunity. Do consider joining us if you can, and discover the gem right in our midst. More information will be available in the Gathering Space at the end of all the weekend Masses this weekend and the next. You can also pre-register for the tours.
Friday, November 3rd at 7:00 PM to Sunday, November 5th
St. Augustine’s Seminary
Inviting single Catholic men 17 years and older, to cultivate a deeper prayer life and relationship with Jesus Christ; leading to a better discernment of God’s call for their lives. Time for prayer, reflection and information on the process of becoming one of Christ’s disciples as a Catholic priest. Register online at www.vocationstoronto.ca. Registrants 17 years old require parental consent.
Please contact Fr. Brando or the Office of Vocations at: 416 968 0997 or email: vocations@archtoronto.org
June, 2018
Are you interested in witnessing the work of the Passionist Community in East Africa in June 2018? Travel in a small group and visit some of the Passionist Communities in Kenya and Tanzania. Have the experience of a lifetime on an East African Wildlife Safari.
For more information please contact Steve Carey at carey@travelonly.com or call 416-278-9346.
October 15th, November 5th, November 19th after the 12:30 Mass
Robert Cordy, our landscape designer, will be holding gardening workshops this fall on Orchard Tree Planting. Please mark your calendars for the following Sundays after the 12:30 Mass: October 15th, November 5th and November 19th. Everyone is welcome.
This Bulletin entry was posted on Saturday, October 14th, 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