Bulletin – September 7, 2014

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.

GOOD BYE AND GOOD LUCK!

We are sad to announce that Marie Gennaro, our office administrator for many years has left St. Gabriel’s for a job closer to her home. She will certainly be missed! We wish Marie every success in her new position.

ANNOUNCED MASSES

September 8th to September 13th, 2014

MONDAY – DALE MATTHEWS – Requested by Janet Candido
TUESDAY – HARRY LEUNG – Requested by Mary Leung
WEDNESDAY – HARRY LEUNG – Requested by John Chan
THURSDAY – VINCENT HA – Requested by Laura, Sylvia & Valerie Ha
FRIDAY – ELIO RANCATI – Requested by Cheryl Rancati
SATURDAY – LAU KOON TING – Requested by Linda Law

BAPTISM

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

Gabriella Alyvia Di Nunno
Cara Marianne Frances Duffy
Madeleine Victoria Li
Chelsea A. Mayrina
Alexandra Ella Varillas
James William George Jr.
Olivia Joan Masangkay
Jhulliene Lindsay Nombre
Matthew Robert Jackson Short
Anaya Asafu-Adjaye Woods

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

CHILDREN’S FAITH PROGRAM

The Children’s Faith Program for children attending private or public schools will begin on Sunday, September 14th at 10:00 AM. Classes are held at St. Gabriel’s School.

REGISTRATION FOR SACRAMENTS

School Age Children
St. Gabriel’s Church
September 10th, September 11th, September 15th and September 16th from 7:30 to 9:00 P.M.

Registration for children who wish to receive the Sacraments of First Communion, Reconciliation and Confirmation will be held at St.Gabriel’s Church from 7:30 PM to 9:00 P.M. on the following evenings:
Wednesday, September 10th
Thursday, September 11th
Monday, September 15th
Tuesday, September 16th

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

A fee of $20 is required for Confirmation.

ST. GABRIEL’S MUSIC MINISTRY

“Those who sing pray twice.”

Our senior choir practices on Tuesday evenings, 7:30-9:00 P.M. 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.

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

Meetings in preparation for the R.C.I.A. (Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults) will begin soon. These meetings are for persons interested in learning more 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 be 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.

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 after Thanksgiving.

THE NEW STORY – A DISCUSSION OF THE WISDOM OF FR. THOMAS BERRY

The Church has had many great thinkers over the years, including St. Augustine in the 5th century and St. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century. In our time, we have great thinkers too, one of whom is the Passionist priest Fr. Thomas Berry, 1914 – 2009. He introduced us to seeing God’s creation in a new way and our role as humans within it. He called it “The New Story”. This fall on every other Tuesday evening and repeated every other Thursday morning, we will discuss his “New Story”, the wisdom that ensues and the challenge it evokes. We guarantee an interesting discussion! Watch for beginning dates in September.

PLANNING TO BE A CATHOLIC TEACHER?

It is critical for you to know that to be hired to teach in any Catholic school board in Ontario, as part of your application for employment there must be a letter of reference from your pastor. If you (or if your adult child) is planning to apply to teach in a Catholic school, it is highly recommended you contact the pastor before Thanksgiving. Please plan to have a conversation with your pastor early in the process and you will avoid disappointment and stress at the time when applications are to be submitted.

SHARELIFE

Congratulations to the good people of St. Gabriel’s. Our final total for ShareLife 2014 was $212,500. Thank you for your very generous support!

BUNDLE UP WEEKEND COMING UP!

Weekend of September 20th/21st

Spring Cleaning Year Round!

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul will be collecting gently used clothing for men women and children, shoes, household goods, linens, draperies, books and toys to support the needy on the weekend of September 20th/21st. Please bring your donations and help others in your community. We will donate or sell these donations to support our outreach efforts.

The truck will be open Saturday from 10:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. and Sunday from 8:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. Volunteers will be there to assist with loading before and after each Mass.

FOOD FOR ROSALIE HALL

Each month the food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall. With everyone struggling at this time, these donations are more important than ever. Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your generous support.

CASSEROLES FOR THE GOOD SHEPHERD CENTRE

Thank you to all who prepared casseroles for the months of July and 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 encouraged to help feed those in need. 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 in the Parish Office. Remember to mark the label on the pan lid with the name of the casserole.

For more information, please contact Irene Albrecht at 416 221-2791.

FAITH CONNECTIONS 7TH ANNUAL MIX & MINGLE

Sunday, September 21st from 4:00 to 8:00 P.M.

15 Laxton Ave, Toronto

All young adults (18-39, student, working professional, single, married, young parent) are invited to our house party and barbecue!

Faith Connections and the Religious communities of Toronto invite you to Sunday Mass followed by a barbecue supper. Come and hang out with other young adults, and meet with men and women religious to explore how their spiritualities can nourish your faith journey. RSVP to faithconnections@csj-to.ca. by September 12th
(so they know how much food to order).

FINANCE CORNER

Weekly Offertory

Our operating expenses average $14,550 per week.

Collection for last weekend:

Envelopes 375 $7,125
Loose Change $834
Weekly Portion of PAG 165 $3,082
(Pre-Authorized Giving)
Total $11,041

Mission Co-Op Collection: $11,780

Fr. Gilbert is sincerely grateful for your generosity.