Bulletin – September 8, 2013

BACK TO SCHOOL

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.

ANNOUNCED MASSES

September 9th to September 14th, 2013

MONDAY – SPECIAL INTENTION Requested by Fr. Brando
TUESDAY – HARRY LEUNG Requested by John Chan
WEDNESDAY –VINCENT HA Requested by Laura, Sylvia & Valerie Ha
THURSDAY – ELIO RANCATI Requested by the Family
FRIDAY – HARRY LEUNG Requested by Mary Leung
SATURDAY – MARTIN SMEE Requested by the Smee Family

REGISTRATION FOR SACRAMENTS

School Age Children
Parish Office
September 25th, September 26th, October 2nd, October 3rd

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:

  • Wednesday, September 25th Thursday, September 26th
  • Wednesday, October 2nd Thursday, October 3rd

Please Note: A copy of the child’s Baptismal Certificate is required if registering for First Communion or Confirmation.

BAPTISM

The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome:

  • Shadae Campbell
  • Mia Homaidan
  • Ayla Cadence Jobin
  • Kiyoshi Cole Motomura
  • Emma Preslyn Chiu
  • Mason Yunjun Ding
  • Daniel Lucas Gomes
  • Elijah Grofe
  • Blake Christian Jaikaran-Walcott
  • Gala Perez
  • Isabelle Yu

All received the Sacrament of Baptism during the months of July and August. Congratulations!

ST. GABRIEL’S MUSIC MINISTRY

“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.

SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN PREPARING FOR BAPTISM

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.

CHILDREN’S FAITH PROGRAM

The Children’s Faith Program for children attending private or public schools will begin next Sunday, September 15th at 10:00 AM. Classes are held at St. Gabriel’s School.

R.C.I.A. AND ADULT FAITH DEVELOPMENT

Meetings in preparation for the R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) will begin soon. These meetings are for persons interested in learning about the Catholic Faith. The exploration may lead the candidate to seek baptism, and become a member of the Catholic Christian community — or for Christians already baptized into another Christian denomination, the reception into the Catholic Church.

Adult Catholics who have not received the sacrament of Confirmation but who wish to do so are also encouraged to attend these sessions. As well these meetings may an opportunity for “Born Catholics” to deepen their understanding of our faith.

Very often, especially for those of us who received our religious instruction at an early age, we tend to grow physically, mentally, psychologically etc., but the understanding of our faith does not grow correspondingly. The RCIA may serve as a good opportunity for us to ask questions and to develop a more adult understanding of our faith.

If you are interested in joining the RCIA meetings or if you would like to have more information about it, please call the Parish Office at 416-221-8866. You can also contact Fatima Lee directly at ext. 228.

Adult Education:

We continue our study of the Hebrew Bible on Tuesday evening, September 24th at 7:30 PM, and Thursday morning, September 26th at 10:30 AM.
For information please call Mary at 416-293-3760.

SHARELIFE

Congratulations to the good people of St. Gabriel’s. Our final total for ShareLife 2013 was $193,409.26. Thank you for your very generous support.

DONATE YOUR OLD EYE GLASSES

Have you been cleaning out drawers and cupboards? Perhaps you have come across old eye glasses which are of no use to you. You can help others by donating your old eyeglasses. Glasses will be sent to the Lions Club for distribution to the needy in developing countries. Donated glasses may be left in the box provided just outside the Parish Office.

BUNDLE UP WEEKEND THIS WEEKEND

This weekend, September 7th/8th is Bundle-Up Weekend. Bring your gently used clothing and household items to share with others. A St. Vincent de Paul truck will be in the Church parking lot to receive donations. 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, September 7th from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM and all day Sunday, September 8th until 4:00 PM. Volunteers will assist with the loading before and after each Mass.

LEPROSY MISSION OF CANADA THANKS YOU

The Leprosy Mission of Canada would like to thank the Parishioners of St. Gabriel’s for their outstanding participation in the stamp collection project. Through medical treatments, education and rehabilitation, your recent gift helps restore dignity and courage to those who have suffered much too long.

Stamps should be trimmed leaving no less than ¼ inch and no more than ½ inch border. Postcards or envelopes dated prior to 1950 should be sent without removing the stamp. All foreign as well as Canadian and American commemorative stamps are welcome. Please continue to help the Leprosy Mission of Canada to continue their work towards the day when leprosy is eradicated.

CASSEROLES FOR THE GOOD SHEPHERD CENTRE

Thank you to the volunteers who prepared casseroles during the summer, 33 for June, 42 for July and 24 for August. For September, your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekends of September 28th/29th for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre.

More volunteers are urgently needed. Please get a copy of a casserole recipe and a pan and give it a try. Three recipes are available on St. Gabriel’s web site. Printed copies of the recipes are also available. Remember to mark the label on the pan lid with the name of the casserole. For more information, you may contact Irene Albrecht at 416 221-2791.

FREE ESTATE PLANNING SEMINAR

Saturday, September 14, 2013 at 9:00 AM

Catholic Cemeteries and the Archdiocese estate planning team will share:

  • How to protect your loved ones with a proper Will
  • How to ensure your wishes are legally protected
  • About Powers of Attorney
  • The cost savings of making an estate plan
  • Finding lawyers and estate planning advisors
  • Our Catholic traditions around wills, burial and funerals

An estate planning kit and DVD will be provided at no cost.

Location:  Holy Cross Cemetery, 8361 Yonge Street, Thornhill. Refreshments will be provided.

RSVP: Frank Jannetta, Catholic Cemeteries
416.733-8544 ext. 237 or fjannetta@ccat.on.ca

FAITH CONNECTIONS – THEOLOGY ON TAP

From Gangland to Promised Land
Monday, September 30th at 7:00 PM
Duke of York Pub (upstairs), 39 Prince Arthur Ave, Toronto

Young adults (19-39) are invited join us for an evening of thought-provoking theological discussion in a comfortable and relaxed setting, with special guest from Ireland: John Pridmore, author and speaker. He will speak about how he went from a life of darkness as a violent London gangster to working with people like Mother Teresa and speaking at World Youth Day. Munchies provided, cash bar, come and bring a friend!

SUPPORT FOR RECENTLY SEPARATED OR DIVORCED CATHOLICS

Catholic Family Services of Toronto is offering a 10 week group program for adult men and women coping with the many struggles involved in the process of separation and divorce. Group Participants will receive support and guidance as they move through this difficult period of transition. The group will meet on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 PM beginning on September 24th at the Central Office, 1155 Yonge Street. For further information, please contact Ian Singer at 416-921-1163.

FINANCE CORNER

Our operating expenses average $14,550 per week.
Collection for September 1st, 2013

Envelopes (388) – $8,308
Loose Change – $1,025
Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving (182) – $3,805
Total $13,138

Please remember to print your full name on your Offertory envelope and then seal it.