Welcome back! In this week’s bulletin, the Children’s Faith Program begins and the RCIA program starts at the end of the month; relief funds for flooding the Philippines and crisis in the Sahel; and our parishioners share their experience in Haiti.
Welcome back! We hope you have had an enjoyable and relaxing summer. For those young people who are off to university, we wish you every success as you begin a new stage of your life. For those students and teachers in our community returning to elementary and secondary school, we wish you a very positive and rewarding year.
September 10 to September 15, 2012
MONDAY – MARIA PARK Requested by Her Children TUESDAY – VINCENT HA Requested by Laura, Sylvia & Valerie Ha WEDNESDAY – ELIO RANCATI Requested by the Family THURSDAY – HARRY LEUNG Requested by John Chan FRIDAY – MARTIN SMEE Requested by the Smee Family SATURDAY – ELIO RANCATI Requested by the Family
The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome:
All received the Sacrament of Baptism during the months of July and August. Congratulations!
School Age Children Parish Office September 25th, September 27th, October 2nd, October 4th
Registration for children who wish to receive the Sacraments of First Communion, Reconciliation and Confirmation will be held at the Parish Office from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM on the following evenings:
Please Note: A copy of the child’s Baptismal Certificate is required if registering for First Communion or Confirmation.
“Those who sing pray twice.”
Our senior choir practices on Tuesday evenings, 7:30–9:00 PM and leads community song at the 10:30 AM Sunday Mass. Our junior choir practices on Thursday evenings from 6:30–8:00 PM and leads the music at the 12:30 PM Mass. We always welcome new voices and hope you will consider joining us! For more information, please contact the choir director after any of the Masses.
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 (416) 221-8866. Classes for them will begin in early October.
The Children’s Faith Program for children attending private or public schools began this weekend. The next class will be held on Sunday, September 23rd at 10:00 AM at St. Gabriel’s School.
R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) meetings will begin this year at the end of September. These meetings are for persons interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith, who may eventually decide to seek baptism into the Catholic Church, as well as for those who wish seek Reception into Full Communion with the Catholic Church. Adult Catholics who want to prepare for the celebration of Confirmation are also welcome. In many ways, these meetings may also provide an opportunity for “Born Catholics” to deepen their understanding of the faith.
For more information, please call the Parish Office at (416) 221-8866.
Collection for September 2nd, 2012 Our operating expenses average $13,750 per week.
Loose Change – $910 Envelopes (321) – $6,467 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving (179) – $3,371 Total – $13,308
Congratulations to the good people of St. Gabriel’s. Our final total for ShareLife 2012 was $208,316. Thank you for your very generous support, making the 2012 campaign the most successful ever!
Philippines Flood Relief In response to the heavy rains that have caused flooding in the Philippine capital of Manila, the Archdiocese of Toronto is now accepting funds to support the work taking place in the affected areas.
Funds will be forwarded to Development and Peace to be distributed to Caritas NASSA.
Sahel Crisis Relief In response to the famine in the Sahel Region of Africa, the Archdiocese of Toronto is now accepting funds to support the work under way to bring relief to that area. For each eligible dollar raised for the Sahel Region from August 7 to September 30, the Canadian federal government will set aside one dollar for the Sahel Crisis Fund, which is administered by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Contributions to the Archdiocese will be forwarded to Development and Peace who are a recognized charity for the matching program. These funds will be forwarded to local partners through the Caritas Network.
Those wishing to make a financial contribution to either of these relief funds may do so in the following ways:
We offer our prayers for the thousands of families affected by these crises. Thank you for your ongoing efforts to serve those in need both here at home and around the world.
Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 Gabriel Room
Two of our parishioners, Eric and Helen, have been very much involved with rebuilding efforts in Haiti after the earthquake. They were instrumental in building a school in one of the poorest neighbourhoods, and also with helping women move towards self-reliance by making handicrafts using milk-bags (yes, transforming our plastic milk-bags from waste to life-giving material).
They will be sharing their experiences with fellow parishioners on Tuesday, September 25th at 7:30 PM in the Gabriel Room. Please join them for an evening of sharing and perhaps even some thought-provoking discussion – how did Haiti get to where it was, its present situation, and what it can become. We will also explore how we can support their efforts at a grassroots level.
Good news: The Iraqi refugee family we sponsored arrived safely on July 25, 2012! They were able to fly out of Damascus in the midst of heavy fighting. Thanks to the careful planning of our refugee sponsorship committee, and the generosity of our parishioners – in their financial support, the donation of furniture, and the shower of house-warming gifts, the family has now settled in their new apartment, and are beginning to rebuild their new home in Canada. The adults: grandmother Najat and her three adult children (ages 28 to 32) have begun to go to English as Second Language classes. The eleven-year-old grandchild, Reta, has started school.
The refugee sponsorship committee is arranging for an occasion in the next couple of weeks where our parishioners can meet the family. Details will follow.
Fair trade organic coffees will be on sale after all the Masses next weekend.
Please note that the price of some products has increased to reflect our current costs.
Save this date… October 26th. The Sneak Peek orchestra returns to St. Gabriel’s for another wonderful concert. Watch the bulletin for more detail.
September 21st to 23rd 1617 Blythe Road, Mississauga
A Married Couples Retreat is being held at Queen of Apostles Retreat Centre September 21st to 23rd. This marriage enrichment weekend includes a blessing for celebrating couples as well as comfort, fine food, a program and privacy for a couple to talk and to plan their lives together.
For more information or to register, please call 905-278-8879, 416-694-1742, or 905-829-0116.
This Bulletin entry was posted on Sunday, September 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.
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Companion for the Walk of the Stations of the Cosmic Earth
St. Gabriel’s Garden – Guided Sensory Reflective Walk