“Advent: New beginnings” Wednesday, December 4th from 7:30 to 8:30 P.M.
To prepare our hearts and minds for Christmas, the parish will be hosting again an Advent Evening of Reflection on Wednesday, December 4th, from 7:30 to 8:30 P.M. This year, our theme will be “Advent: New beginnings”. Father Jack Lynch sfm will be leading us in prayer and reflection.
Father Lynch is a member of the Scarboro Foreign Missions. He was first missioned to Peru. Later he served as Director of a regional formation Center for 10 years in Central America. From 1997 to 2012, Father Lynch was Superior General of the Scarboro Missions. He is presently engaged in retreat work; and he continues with his involvement with the televised masses on Vision TV and Salt and Light TV.
With the Christmas season fast approaching, and as the pressure for us to shop, entertain, and decorate keeps mounting, this evening will be a great opportunity to pause, listen, and look deeply into our lives to find room to appreciate the meaning of “God with us”.
Please mark your calendar, and reserve the time for some quietude, so that we can remain anchored amidst the busyness of the season.
For many years, St Gabriel’s has had a close relationship with Rosalie Hall. At this time of the year, we are thinking of the young mothers and babies in need of assistance. If you wish, to help, you may choose a “Christmas Stocking” from the Christmas tree in the Gathering Space to purchase pyjamas or undershirts, for babies ages 6, 9 or 12 months. If you wish to buy a toy, please take a ”Gingerbread Boy” tag.
Unwrapped items with the original tag attached can be left in the box provided near the Giving Tree no later than December 12th.
For the Moms, we are suggesting gift cards from Shoppers Drug Mart, Tim Horton’s, Walmart or MacDonald’s. These can be placed in the envelopes provided and brought to the Parish Office. Thank you for your ongoing support of Rosalie Hall.
November 25th to November 30th, 2013
MONDAY – LUIGI & ALBINA BERTOLONE – Requested by Frank & Sylvia Leaver TUESDAY – JOSE MARTIN – Requested by Maria & Larry Cacao WEDNESDAY – NANCY YEUNG – Requested by Wai Chin, Paul Hwang & Family THURSDAY – ALVARO BOHORQUEZ – Requested by the Family FRIDAY – ELIO RANCATI – Requested by the Family SATURDAY – GIUSEPPINA SMERIGLIO – Requested by Lina Giannotta
BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE
There is a Book of Remembrance placed on the altar for the month of November. You are invited to write the names of your deceased relatives and friends in the book. They will be remembered at all the Masses celebrated in November.
Sunday, December 1st at 11:30 AM in the Gabriel Room
On the first Sunday of each month, the Passionist Centre for Ecology and Spirituality facilitates a 30 minute reflection and discussion prompted by the readings for that Sunday’s liturgy. The guided reflection brings an ecological perspective to the readings. All are welcome.
Friday, December 6th from 9:30 AM – 12 Noon.
Chinese: Sunday, December 1st at 3:30 PM in the Gabriel Room. English: Saturday, December 7th at 3:15 PM in the Gabriel Room. For information, please contact Linda Law at 416 -918-8029.
The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome Lucy Rose Carbonneau Vivianne Marta Guay Julia Larida Liwanag Sebastian Alexander Mahdavi Cameron Andrew James Mathias Mason Lee St. Jean Alicia Lulu Tabliago Yuen
These children received theSacrament of Baptism on Sunday, November 17th, 2013. Congratulations!
During Advent, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul will have a Giving Tree in the Gathering Space. The tree will be decorated with gift tags. Each tag will have the gender and age of a child. We invite you to take a tag, buy a gift of about $25.00 for that child and return the unwrapped gift, with the tag attached, to the box provided in the Gathering Space.
If you are a knitter, there will be mitten tags. Please take one and return mitts to the box in the Gathering Space. Thank you for your generous support
Thank you for your generous support of this year’s Shepherd’s Trust Collection. $10,530 was collected to support the retired clergy of religious orders and diocesan priests in the Archdiocese of Toronto.
December 7th/8th
You are invited after all the Masses on December 7th/8th 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 commemorating the adoption of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Catholic community across the Archdiocese of Toronto is responding to the humanitarian crisis in the Philippines with prayer and practical assistance following the catastrophic effects of Typhoon Haiyan on November 8th. We will be working with Catholic partners in the affected region who will be present to address short and long term needs.
If you wish to assist the relief efforts, you can make an online donation
The Canadian government has announced it will match donations to the Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund made by Canadians between November 9th and December 9th. Contributions made to the Archdiocese of Toronto for this relief effort will be eligible for the matching program.
We offer our prayers for the victims of this natural disaster and those who have been displaced. Thank you for your ongoing efforts to help those in crisis.
We are having a Christmas Toy Drive for the Catholic Children’s Aid Society. Can you help by dropping off an unwrapped new toy for a child 0 to 12 years old? Containers will be set up at the doors of the Church from Saturday, November 30th until Sunday, December 15th.
St. Bonaventure’s Parish Friday, December 6th at 8:00 P.M.
Born out of 76 years of choral excellence from the prestigious St. Michael’s Choir School, Seraphim has assembled the finest Alumni chorus to perform We Need a Little Christmas at St. Bonaventure Parish (1300 Leslie St. just south of Lawrence) on Friday, December 6th, 2013 starting at 8pm. Suggested Donation: $10 per person or $30 per family.
Collection for November 17th, 2013
Envelopes 437 $8,825 Loose Change $976 Weekly Portion of PAG 182 $3,519 (Pre-Authorized Giving) Total $13,320
The Parish’s 2013 budgeted operating expenses average $14,550 per week. In order to meet our on-going expenses, the Finance Council recommends the following:
(i) consider the Pre-Authorized Giving option (forms are available from the office or on the Parish’s web-site); or
(ii) use offertory envelopes on a weekly basis (remember tax receipts are only issued if you use an envelope or PAG).
If you are a regular Parish member and you do not contribute to the Offertory collection, the Finance Council reminds you that “the responsibility of supporting the Parish is the responsibility of each and all parishioners to the extent that your means allow”. For those parishioners who contribute to the offertory on a regular weekly basis, we thank you for your constant support.
Summary of Financial Statement for Nine Months Ended September 30, 2013:
Total receipts (including Diocesan collections of $184,532) $775,327 Total payments (including Diocesan disbursements of $184,532) $825,311 Payments in excess of receipts for nine months $(49,984)
The parish’s detailed financial statement for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 can be found on the parish website under “Finances”.
You can now use your credit card to make your recurring or one-time Offertory donations to St. Gabriel’s. Your donations may earn you valuable points, travel miles or cash back! A classic case of giving and receiving!
Simply log on to the Archdiocese of Toronto website (www.archtoronto.org) select “Donate Now”, “Our Parish”, “Toronto East”, then pick “St. Gabriel Catholic Parish” under Parish in the Donation Information section. Complete all required information.
Remember that your tax receipt for a recurring offertory donation will be issued to you by the Archdiocese at the end of the year. For a one-time gift, your tax receipt is emailed to you immediately.
The 2014 Offertory Boxed Envelopes will be available in the Gathering Space at the end of November. 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 2014.
This Bulletin entry was posted on Sunday, November 24th, 2013.
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