Bulletin – June 14, 2015

PROBING POPE FRANCIS’ ECOLOGICAL ENCYCLICAL: AN OPEN FORUM

Tuesday, June 30th, from 7:30 to 9:00 PM

St. Gabriel’s Church

Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment is anticipated to be released on June 18th, 2015. To consider the content, significance, and potential impact of the new encyclical, we will be holding an open forum on Tuesday, June 30th from 7:30 to 9:00 PM here at St Gabriel’s.
Dr. Dennis O’Hara, Director of the Elliot Allen Institute for Theology & Ecology at St Michael’s College of the University of Toronto, and Father Steve Dunn, C.P., Director of the Passionist Center for Ecology and Spirituality, will be facilitating the forum.

Everyone is welcome! No pre-registration is necessary. For further information, please contact Fatima Lee at 416-221-8866 or email fatimalee@bellnet.ca.

GOODBYE

The Music Ministry is sad to inform our community that Fletcher Agostino, cantor and choir director, is leaving us this Sunday, June 14th. Fletcher has been with us for nine years, leading us in our sung prayers with his beautiful tenor voice and warm personality. Fletcher’s strengths have been a unique blend of gentle charisma, caring, faith, conviction, dedication, musical talent and leadership abilities. Fletcher recently received his PhD in Chemistry, and is taking a job in Edmonton. We wish him and his fiancée Jenny all the best, with grateful hearts and voices!

PARISH PICNIC

Sunday, June 28th after the 12:30 Mass

The Parish BBQ Picnic will be held on Sunday, June 28th after the 12:30 Mass in the parking lot. There will be hot dogs, games, face painting, lucky draws, music and more…..

Tickets are $2 each.

Please bring your families, friends and neighbours to enjoy a summer afternoon with your parishioners.

We need volunteers to help and make this event happen. Please sign up by putting your name and phone number on the sheets at the back of church. For more information, you may call Linda Law at 416-918-8029.

RESPECT FOR THE SACREDNESS OF THE CELEBRATION

As a sign of respect for the celebrant and others attending Mass, please do not let your children roam around freely during the liturgy

ANNOUNCED MASSES

June 15th to June 20th 2015

MONDAY – LEONARD MARCHIE – Requested by Theresa & Family
TUESDAY – MARIO ROSARIO A. CALIMBAS – Requested by Estrella, Cherrie, Stella & Isabel
WEDNESDAY – BRANIMIR PETRANOVIC – Requested by the Family
THURSDAY – CARMEN DE HERNANDES – Requested by her Family
FRIDAY – DRAGO PETRANOVIC – Requested by the Family
SATURDAY – AMPARO VILLAFRANCA – Requested by the Family

CHANGE OF GRADE FOR CONFIRMATION

Cardinal Collins recently announced that the grade level of those eligible for Confirmation will change from Grade 8 to Grade 7. In the transitional phase of the 2015 – 2016 academic year, all children in Grade 7 and 8 will be prepared for and will receive the sacrament of Confirmation. Accommodating the increased number of candidates will be a challenge but by mid June, we hope to have a clearer idea of how we will approach this unique situation.

If your child is currently in Grade 6 or 7, please watch our bulletin or check our website for further information. The process for Confirmation preparation for students entering Grade 7 and 8 will begin in September 2015.

ANNUAL MASS FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED

Wednesday, August 12th, at 7:00 PM.

Holy Cross Cemetery or Mount Hope Cemetery

Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Services, Archdiocese of Toronto wishes to invite all families within the Archdiocese of Toronto to participate in the Annual Mass for the Faithful Departed on Wednesday, August 12th at 7:00 PM at Holy Cross or Mount Hope Cemetery.

In the event of rain, the Mass at Holy Cross will be held in the mausoleum and the Mass for Mount Hope will move to St. Monica’s Church, 44 Broadway Avenue.

CHILDREN’S FAITH PROGRAM REGISTRATION

Registration forms for the Children’s Faith Program for next year are now available in the Parish Office. This program is for those children attending private or public schools. Please note that all registrations must be returned by August 31st, 2015.

If you child will also be receiving the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation or Confirmation, please complete a Sacramental registration form which is also available in the Parish Office. Please note that a Baptismal Certificate must accompany registration for First Communion or Confirmation.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL – MARYGROVE CAMP

The second collection this weekend is for Marygrove Camp for Girls. Each and every child’s camping experience is fully subsidized through this collection. Thank you for your support! Envelopes are in the pews

SHARELIFE

Working wonders with families in our neighbourhoods…

The Smith family came for counseling to deal with the sudden death of their parent. The children’s grief was complicated by the fact that they were now residing with their other parent, with whom they had not spent a great deal of time, due to long work hours to provide for the family.

As this grief stricken family learned about each other, how to relate, how to trust, how to love and build a new definition of “family”, they began to open up to their counselor and share what their life was like before their parent’s tragic death. One child in the family shared that a trusted adult in their life used to be very abusive to them – physically assaulting them, locking them in closets, and making them hurt each other – to name just a few of the milder incidents. That disclosure to the family therapist led to the arrest of that individual and it also resulted in those children no longer feeling afraid of any future victimization. Closer family intimacy, safety, and a brighter future resulted for the Smith Family. Last year, ShareLife-supported Family Service agencies provided family counseling to over 5,100 people in the Greater Toronto Area.

ShareLife, 2014: $220,250.
ShareLife to Date: $135,033
Thank you for your generosity.
Together we can work wonders!

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE GROUP AT ST GABRIEL’S WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS

Are you concerned about justice and social issues? Would you like to help promote a greater awareness in our parish of the situation of the poor in the developing world? If you are interested, please consider becoming a part of our parish’s Development and Peace group. For further information, please call Fatima at 416-221-8866 or email her at fatimalee@bellnet.ca

Development and Peace is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada. For the past 48 years they have been supporting and empowering the poor in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Here at St Gabriel’s, besides participating in the various Development and Peace campaigns during the year, we also support their efforts by making available to you every month the fair trade coffee, tea, and chocolates produced by farmers in the Global South

FEED THE HUNGRY

Each month the food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall or the Good Shepherd Centre. As summer approaches, food donations tend to drop off. These donations are more important than ever as families struggle to make ends meet. Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your ongoing support.

JUST COFFEE

Fair trade organic coffees will be on sale after all the Masses next weekend.

Regular ground coffee: $5.50
Decaffeinated: $6.00
Whole Beans: $5.50
Chocolate Bars: $4.50 incl. taxes
Hot Chocolate and Cocoa: $5.00

Please note that there are no Just Coffee sales during the months of July and August.

CHURCH BULLETIN ADVERTISING

Liturgical Publications will be setting up the advertisements for our church bulletin. The advertising will begin in September 2015 and supports the bulletin service. Please support the bulletin and advertise your product or service.

Call Liturgical Publications at 905-624-4422.

FREE ESTATE PLANNING SEMINAR

Wednesday, June 17th at 7:00 PM

St. Monica’s Parish Hall

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
The advantage of pre-arranging funeral, burial and cremation
The cost savings of making an estate plan
Finding lawyers and estate planning advisors
Our Catholic traditions around wills, burials and funerals.

An estate planning kit will be provided at no cost. Refreshments will be provided. RSVP to Frank Jannetta, Catholic Cemeteries and Funeral Services – Archdiocese of Toronto at
416.733-8544 ext. 237 or fjannetta@ccat.on.ca

NEW BEGINNINGS APPRECIATION BREAKFAST

Saturday, June 20th from 9:30 AM to 12:00 Noon

Catholic Pastoral Centre, 1155 Yonge Street, 4th Floor

Catholic Family Services of Toronto and New Beginnings invite you to an Appreciation Breakfast on Saturday, June 20th from 9:30 AM to 12 Noon at the Catholic Pastoral Centre. The guest speaker will be Dr. Josephine Lombardi, Assistant Professor, St. Augustine’s Seminary. She will speak about the Influences that Shape our Personalities. Please pre-register for this event, by contacting mbenincasa@cfstoronto.com or phoning 416-921-1163 x 2235.

FINANCE CORNER

Our operating expenses average $14,550 per week.

Collection for Last Weekend
Envelopes 405 $ 7,085
Loose Change 1,124
Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 165 3,103
Total 570 $ 11,312