In this week’s bulletin, the remembrance meal of the Passover, the service of Tenebrae and the Society for St. Vincent de Paul urgently needs a crib.
From the desk of Fr. Paul
While Lent and Easter come a little later than usual this year, it is nonetheless fast approaching. This year the parish will be launching a special Lenten program: Lent 4.5.
The Lent 4.5 program is developed by the Passionist Earth & Spirit Centre based in Kentucky, USA. (It is an unusual name, but in time you’ll hear more about it.) Through the program, we approach the Lenten season of purification and repentance with a particular focus on how our lifestyles affect creation, as well as the poor of this world. It gives the traditional Lenten practice of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving a whole new meaning.
Beginning February 27th, each week during Lent, there will be an additional insert to our Parish Bulletin, covering a variety of themes, such as Christian simplicity, food, energy, water. Each week the particular theme will be explained in the insert, along with what the Church teaches on the subject. There will also be simple actions suggested so that if we decide to, we can make a difference in caring for the poor and for God’s creation.
We encourage you to take a few moments each week, using the insert to ponder and reflect. Hopefully this Lent will be for you a new experience of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
April 11th to April 16th, 2011
MONDAY – EDWIN PINTO Requested by Emil & Yvette Pinto TUESDAY – MARIA VU & JOSEPH NGUYEN Requested by the Family WEDNESDAY – VITO STEFANO VIRGILIO Requested by the Family THURSDAY – WALTER & ARMANDO DINARDO Requested by the Family FRIDAY – NORA DALY Requested Desmond Daly SATURDAY – MIKE PALAZZO & CHRISTOPHER DI LALLO Requested by the Palazzo Family
Wednesday, April 20th at 7:00 PM in the Gabriel Room
This annual parish event is again being sponsored by the Pastoral team. Passover is the oldest festival of the Hebrew liturgical calendar. It has been observed by the Jewish people for more than 3,000 years. Passover is a religious family meal celebrating Jewish freedom from slavery. It occurs in the spring, the time of renewal in “Nissan”, the first month of the Hebrew year, and it lasts for eight days. Why do we celebrate this “meal” at St. Gabriel’s? First, this celebration helps us to understand our religious roots, which are Jewish. Second, it is an opportunity for us to celebrate our growth as a community and be together with families and friends at this most special time during Holy Week. Please call the Parish Office at 416-221-8866 by Friday, April 15th to book your table of 6 or 8, or to have your name added to a table.
Stations of the Cross Friday Evenings at 7:30 PM Reconciliation Service Wednesday, April 13th at 7:30 PM Palm Sunday April 17th
Holy Thursday April 21st
Good Friday April 22nd
Holy Saturday April 23rd
Easter Sunday April 24th: 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM
Easter Monday April 25th
Extra parking at Elkhorn Public School
Wednesday, April 13th at 7:30 PM
This is an opportunity to spend some time in peace and quiet, to reflect upon how we are responding to our call to be sons and daughters of God. Recognizing the fact that we are “good people”, we also accept the fact that good people can sin. Through an examination of conscience we face those sins, admit them and are reconciled to God. For those who wish, individual confessions will be celebrated after the service. We encourage you to take advantage of this celebration.
The Story of the Mass Tuesday, April 26th at 7:30 PM Wednesday, April 27th at 10:30 AM
Our operating expenses average $13,300 per week.
April 2nd/3rd Loose Change – $951 Envelopes (418) – $9,221 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving (152) – $3,074 Total – $13,246
During the Good Friday Service, our parish in communion with the Church turns itself towards Jerusalem. It commemorates Jesus, His sorrowful passion and His love for us and all humanity. That is also where we share a common solidarity towards the Holy Sites and the faithful who live there. Our gesture of solidarity becomes an extension of the Pope’s hand that reaches out to the Holy Sites where Jesus has lived and given testimony. On Good Friday, there will be a Pontifical collection for the Holy Land in support of Christian communities, the work of the Holy Land, the upkeep of the Holy Sites and the formation of future priests. Let us give generously and show solidarity to respond to the needs of the Church in the land of Jesus.
Working wonders for families
When Mary came to Catholic Family Services (CFS) of Dufferin-Peel, she was overwhelmed and had a bleak outlook at her future. A victim of domestic violence, the single mother of three was also struggling to cope with behavioural issues from her eldest son. Mary and her son were given counselling and support by CFS. Today, Mary is a more confident woman and she and her son are closer than ever. In 2009, ShareLife’s network of Catholic Family Services offices helped 116,389 people deal with stress, anxiety, mental illness, domestic violence and troubled relationships.
2nd ShareLife collection – May 1, 2011 Please give generously. You can work WONDERS!
Fair trade organic coffees will be on sale after all the Masses next weekend.
The Society for St. Vincent de Paul is urgently looking for a crib for one of our neighbors in need. If you can help, please call Cristina at 416-222-6110.
Monday, April 18th & Tuesday, April 19th
“The Heart of the Matter” will be broadcast on VISIONTV on Monday, April 18th (Part 1) and Tuesday, April 19th (Part 2) at 7:00 PM. and repeated at 10:00 PM. It will feature Fr. Jack Lynch, s.f.m., Fr. Donald Senior, C.P. and Sr. Melannie Svoboda, SND. Sr. Svaboda will give some reflections on pain and the dawn of hope.
St Bonaventure’s Church Monday, April 11th at 7:30 PM
On Monday, April the 11th at 7:30pm we will be celebrating the reverent service of Tenebrae at St. Bonaventure’s. Historically, this tradition was held the evening before the start of the Easter Triduum. Shrouded in shadow, Tenebrae evokes a sense of wonder and mystery as the Passion of Jesus is told through a series of readings, songs, and hymns. A candelabra carries 15 candles, which are extinguished one by one, marking the progression to our Lord’s crucifixion. The last candle, the Christ Candle, is not extinguished but rather detached from the candelabra and removed from the view of the congregation. This signifies hope in the resurrection as the rest of the church is blanketed in utter darkness. Please join us for the first Tenebrae service held at St. Bonaventure’s. It will be a remarkable experience for this community to share. The gentlemen of the St. Michael’s Choir School Alumni will be present to provide musical settings of the readings composed by Msgr. Ronan, who was the founder of the Choir School. This tradition is celebrated annually at St. Michael’s Cathedral on the Wednesday of Holy Week. We would like to introduce this custom to our congregation in hopes of better preparing ourselves for the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Did You Know?
This Bulletin entry was posted on Sunday, April 10th, 2011.
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 »
Companion for the Walk of the Stations of the Cosmic Earth
St. Gabriel’s Garden – Guided Sensory Reflective Walk