In this week’s bulletin, the Remembrance Meal of the Passover, the St. Vincent de Paul Bundle-up Collection, and the Blessed Trinity CWL geranium sale.
LENT 4.5
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.
ANNOUNCED MASSES
April 18th to April 23rd, 2011
MONDAY – BARBERA BISERA & CIELO ROBRIGADO Requested by the Bisera Family
TUESDAY – LEONARD MARCHIE Requested by Teresa and Family
WEDNESDAY – ANTON & MARY GOH Requested by Hilly Tan and Family
THURSDAY – HOLY THURSDAY NO 9:00 AM MASS
FRIDAY – GOOD FRIDAY NO 9:00 AM MASS
SATURDAY – HOLY SATURDAY NO 4:30 PM MASS
REMEMBRANCE MEAL OF THE PASSOVER
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.
LENTEN AND EASTER SCHEDULE
Stations of the Cross Friday Evenings at 7:30 PM
Reconciliation Service Wednesday, April 13th at 7:30 PM
Holy Thursday April 21st
- No 9:00 AM Mass
- 7:30 PM Mass of the Lord’s Supper
- Followed by Adoration until 10:00 PM
Good Friday April 22nd
- 10:00 AM Morning Prayer and Reflection
- 3:00 PM Solemn Passion of Our Lord
- 7:30 PM Stations of the Cross
Holy Saturday April 23rd
- Confessions 11:00 AM to 12 Noon
- No 4:30 PM Mass
- 8:30 PM Easter Vigil
Easter Sunday April 24th: 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM
Easter Monday April 25th
- No 9:00 AM Mass
- Office closed
Extra parking at Elkhorn Public School
AN INVITATION TO LEARN!
The Story of the Mass
Tuesday, April 26th at 7:30 PM
Wednesday, April 27th at 10:30 AM
COLLECTION
April 9th/10th
Our operating expenses average $13,300 per week.
Loose Change – $1,104
Envelopes (441) – $8,446
Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving (152) – $3,074
Total – $12,624
GOOD FRIDAY COLLECTION
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.
SHARELIFE
Working wonders for families
“The services provided by ShareLife agencies are critical to those who rely on them – they are lifesaving and life-restoring. Families are working through crises and are healing. Refugees and new Canadians are guided toward a stable, productive livelihood in their newfound home. Seniors are living independently, with access to the care and services they need. People with developmental challenges are supported as they experience a sense of self-worth and fulfillment in their daily activities. Sometimes the results are obvious and sometimes they’re invisible but, always, they’re tangible.”
– Most Rev. Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto
2nd ShareLife collection – May 1, 2011
Please give generously. You can work WONDERS!
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL BUNDLE-UP COLLECTION
Weekend of May 7th and 8th.
Bring your gently used clothing and household linens to share with others on May 7th/8th A St. Vincent de Paul truck will be in the Church parking lot, so please share what you can with those less fortunate. We will donate or sell these donations to support our outreach efforts. Thank you for your continued support.
The truck will be open on Saturday, May 7th from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM and all day Sunday, May 8th until 4:00 PM.
Volunteers will assist with the loading before and after each Mass.
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL – URGENT NEED
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.
CASSEROLES FOR THE GOOD SHEPHERD CENTRE
Your prepared chicken rice casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekend of April 30/May1, 2011 for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre. Please note that this is a week later than normal to avoid collection on Easter. More volunteers are encouraged to get a copy of the casserole recipe and
a pan and give it a try. For more information, please
contact Irene Albrecht at 416 221-2791.
NATIONAL CATHOLIC MISSION 2011
Monday, April 18th & Tuesday, April 19th
Tomorrow The National Catholic Mission 2011, “The Heart of the Matter,” will be broadcast on VISIONTV 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 Sister Melannie Svaboda, SND. Fr. Lynch will describe what’s really involved in following Christ.
BLESSED TRINITY C.W.L
Annual Geranium Sale
Friday, May 6th and Saturday, May 7th
Spring is here; time to garden! Just in time for Mother’s Day
4’ pots (red, pink, salmon, fuchsia, white) – $2.75 or $40/Flat of 15
Hanging baskets (red, lavender, fuchsia, pink) – $15
Please place your orders before May 1st by calling Louise Tonelli at 416-733-3946 or Marie Dale at 905-883-5954.
Orders must be picked up in Blessed Trinity Parish Hall on Friday May 6th from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM or Saturday, May 7th. from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM.
GREEN CORNER
Highlight from this week’s Lent 4.5 Bulletin insert:
“Gratitude and generosity go together like fire and heat. Gratitude is ignited when we realize how precious the fragile gift of being alive on this beautiful planet is and how blessed we are. Generosity naturally flows from a sense of being part of the web of God’s creation. When it finally dawns on us that we participate in one vibrant community called life, we rediscover a responsibility to get involved and make a difference.”