In this week’s bulletin, an Advent Evening of Reflection, the Christmas pageant, the Mitten Tree for Rosalie Hall and the Christmas Toy Drive.
December 10th to December 15th, 2012
MONDAY – ABANDONED SOULS Requested by the Nguyen Family TUESDAY – DECEASED MEMBERS OF THE COURNOYER FAMILY Requested by Claude Cournoyer WEDNESDAY – DECEASED MEMBERS OF THE COURNOYER FAMILY Requested by Claude Cournoyer THURSDAY – DECEASED MEMBERS OF THE COURNOYER FAMILY Requested by Claude Counoyer FRIDAY – HARRY LEUNG Requested by Mary Leung SATURDAY – THANKSGIVING FOR THE WROBEL & CHUCHRA FAMILIES Requested by the Family
CONFESSIONS Saturday, December 22nd
MASSES
CHRISTMAS EVE -Monday, December 24th
No 9:00 AM Mass
Office Open 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM only
CHRISTMAS DAY -Tuesday, December 25th
Office Closed
BOXING DAY – Wednesday, December 26th No Mass, Office Closed
NEW YEAR’S EVE – Monday, December 31st No 9:00 AM Mass
Office Open 1:00 to 4:00 PM only
NEW YEAR’S DAY Tuesday, January 1st FEAST OF MARY THE MOTHER OF GOD –
“What if Jesus came — and I missed him?” Wednesday, December 12th 7:30 to 9:00 PM
Christmas is right round the corner. The few weeks leading to Christmas are always such a busy time for us — shopping, entertaining, decorating, that we often forget the true reason for the season.
To prepare our hearts and minds for Christmas, the parish will once again be hosting an Advent Evening of Reflection: “What if Jesus came – and I missed him?” on December 12th from 7:30 to 9:00 PM. Father Patrick Fitzpatrick, CSSp, will be leading us in prayer and reflection.
The evening will be a great opportunity to pause, listen, and look deeply into our lives to find the room there to appreciate the meaning of “God with us”. Please mark your calendar, and reserve the time for some quietude amidst the busyness!
Rehearsal: Sunday, December 23rd 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Each year, young people, Grade 3 and up, form a special choir for the Family Mass on Christmas Eve. Children must be at the Church by 6:00 PM. One rehearsal, which is mandatory, will be held on Sunday, December 23rd from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Please call Marilyn Calderone at 416-618-2041 for more information.
Dress Rehearsal: Sunday, December 23rd 2:00 to 4:00 PM
S.K. to Grade 5 children are invited to participate in the pageant. Please call the Parish Office at 416-221-8866 for more information.
Thank you to all who took the mitten and stocking tags from our Christmas tree in the Gathering Space. Items should be gift wrapped with the original tag attached and delivered to the “mitten” tree no later than December 16th. Thanks for your generosity.
We are having a Christmas Toy Drive for the Catholic Children’s Aid Society and Rosalie Hall. Can you help by dropping off an unwrapped new toy for a child 0 to 12 years old? Containers will be in the Gathering Space until Sunday, December 16th.
There but for the Grace of God
Please help feed the hungry and homeless this Christmas by participating in the Good Shepherd Centre’s annual Christmas Food Drive. Urgently Needed Items:
Rice, pasta and sauces, breakfast cereals, powered fruit juices, canned items – fish, meats, vegetables, fruit, soup or stews, peanut butter, jams, tea, ground and instant coffee, sugar, cookies and crackers, ketchup, mustard and relish.
Donations may be left in the designated containers at the doors of the Church. We thank you for your generous support.
December 8th/9th
You are invited after all the Masses this weekend, December 8th /9th to sign an Amnesty International petition and/or send a greeting card to a prisoner of conscience or human rights defender who is under threat. Human Rights Day is officially December 10th, the anniversary of the adoption of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
At this time of year, many will be receiving Christmas cards. Please remember to bring us your used postage stamps. These are passed on to the Leprosy Mission of Canada helping them work towards the day when leprosy is eradicated. Stamps may be deposited in the basket on the cabinet just outside the Parish Office.
Christmas Offering envelopes for the St. Vincent de Paul Society are available at the back of the Church. Your donations enable the Society to help those in need. At this time of year, they try to provide a little extra to add to their Christmas celebration. Your generosity is much appreciated
Fair Trade organic coffees will be on sale after all the Masses next weekend.
Meals on Wheels and More, a non-profit community service agency, is looking for volunteers to deliver meals to elderly and disabled community members residing in North York. Volunteers work in pairs, one driver and one meal deliverer. Training and orientation is provided. To become a volunteer please contact Karen Leung at 416-225-6041 or email kleung@mowam.ca for more information.
Tuesday, January 8th at 7:30 PM or Thursday, January 10th at 10:30
Topic: An Overview of the Old Testament – now known as the ‘Hebrew Scriptures’. For information please call Mary at 416-293-3760.
Friday, December 21st at 7:30 PM
The annual Advent/Winter Solstice Evening of Reflection will be held on Friday, December 21st at 7:30 PM in the Gabriel Room. Because the feast of Christmas was deliberately timed to coincide with the darkness of the winter’s solstice, there is a link between theological meaning and cosmological setting. Join us for a guided exploration of the relevance of these theological and cosmological connections to today’s ecological challenges.
Please contact Dennis O’Hara at dennis.ohara@utoronto.ca or 416-926-1300, ext. 3408 to register or for more information.
Our operating expenses average $13,750 per week. Collection for December 2nd, 2012
Envelopes (433) – $10,226 Loose Change – $1,117 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving (183) – $3,432 Total $14,775
The 2013 Offertory Boxed Envelopes are now available in the Gathering Space. Please inform the Parish Office if you have recently moved or are new to the Parish so that we may update our records and label your box correctly. If you are on the Pre- Authorized Giving Plan, you will still receive a smaller green box of envelopes since these include Initial, New Year’s, Christmas, Easter and Maintenance envelopes. You may contact the Parish Office if you do not have envelopes but would like a box for 2013.
This Bulletin entry was posted on Sunday, December 9th, 2012.
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 »
Read about Fr. Tim Boyle’s visit with Fatima. Check out the original blog post with even more pictures.
Companion for the Walk of the Stations of the Cosmic Earth
St. Gabriel’s Garden – Guided Sensory Reflective Walk