Ministries
There was a sign outside a simple storefront church that read, “Welcome to the House of the Lord.” There was a sign over the inside of that front door that people read as they left the church, it read, “Welcome to the Vineyard of the Lord”.
At every Mass one of our ‘prayers of the faithful ‘ is ” May we live this Mass outside these walls, in the lives we live, the work we do, the prayers we pray and the service we give.” The Eucharist we celebrate is the foundation of service we give in all our ministries, both in and out of our parish community. St. Gabriel’s main outside ministries are to the sick. We have people visiting North York General Hospital on Sundays, after the 9 o’clock, on Wednesdays, and on Fridays. The pastor of St. Gabriel’s is one of the on-call chaplains at North York.
The St. Vincent de Paul Society is available to all those in need. At all the Masses parishioners provide food for local food bank. St. Gabriel’s has an emergency needs committee that comes to the help of persons or families who find themselves in desperate situations.
Like every other parish, the ministries within the parish are meant to assist and enhance the worship of God and deepen the faith life of the parishioners. Another important ministry in the parish is that of religious education both for children and adults. Through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and Christian Initiation of Children people are prepared for reception into the Church. Other classes for adults deal with the subjects of Scripture and Theology and Creation Spirituality.
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.
