Bulletin – October 11, 2015

O, heavenly Father:
We thank thee for food and
remember the hungry.
We thank thee for health and remember the sick.
We thank thee for friends and remember the friendless.
We thank thee for freedom and remember the enslaved.
May these remembrances stir us to service,
that thy gifts to us may be used for others. Amen.

Mass will be celebrated on Thanksgiving Day, Monday, October 12th at 10:00 AM.

ANNOUNCED MASSES

October 12th to October 17th, 2015

MONDAY – THANKSGIVING DAY – Thanksgiving Mass at 10:00 AM
TUESDAY – BICK JING FONG – Requested by Mei Yung Fong
WEDNESDAY – CAROLE FYFLE – Requested by Margaret Anne Leckie
& Mary Alice O’Mahony
THURSDAY – RUTH LEDUC – Requested by Mary Ann & Fergus O’Connell
FRIDAY – HENRY & CECILIA NG – Requested by the Ng Family
SATURDAY – PASQUALE GATTI – Requested by Linda Gatti

CONFIRMATION MEETING

For Children from Other Catholic Schools
Saturday, October 18th at 12:00 Noon

There will be a meeting for Confirmation candidates attending Catholic Schools other than St. Gabriel’s on Saturday, October 18th at 12:00 PM in the Gabriel Room.

ALTAR SERVERS

The Altar Service is now recruiting new members. If you are in Grade 4 or higher and are interested in becoming an altar server, please contact Colin Meharchand at cmeharchand@bell.net or leave your name and phone number with the Parish Office at 416-221-8866.

ST.GABRIELS YOUTH GROUP WANTS YOU!

“The St. Gabriel Youth Group is now recruiting new members. Any interested youth, grades 7 and up are welcome to sign up in the Gathering Space after all the Masses next weekend.”

STUDY GROUP ON LAUDATO SI’ AT ST. GABRIEL’S

Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, which is addressed to all men and women of good will, reminds us the earth is our common home; yet because humankind has not been using the gifts of creation responsibly, the earth is suffering, the poor and vulnerable amongst us are also suffering. We need to work towards an ecological conversion.

For all who are interested in getting to know more about the encyclical, and to reflect on it, a study group will be held at St. Gabriel’s. We’ll be meeting six times, beginning October 5th, studying one chapter at each meeting.

The Co-leaders of the Study Group will be Fr. Steve Dunn, CP and Dr. Dennis O’Hara .

Dates of Meetings: Mondays:
October 19th, November 2nd, 16th, 30th, and December 7th.
Time: 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM.

The meetings are free of charge, but donations will be gratefully accepted.

To register or for further enquiries, please call the Parish Office (416) 221-8866 or email Fatima Lee at fatimalee@bellnet.ca.

OUR PARISH’S RESPONSE TO THE SYRIAN CRISIS

Special Collection – October 31st/November 1st

The situation in Syria and the news about the plight of Syrian refugees have touched many of our hearts. As reported earlier, the parish has decided to sponsor a refugee family again. A big “Thank You” to all who volunteered to help with the application and settlement process.

Through the past few weeks, the parish has been receiving financial donations to support this cause. To date, $16,537 has been received. We thank all who have already donated. To sponsor a Syrian refugee family of 4-5 people, we anticipate we would need $35,000. The parish also had a prior commitment to partially sponsor another Iraqi Christian family, the anticipated cost of which is $11,000. In total, the parish would need to raise $46,000 for sponsorship of the two refugee families, over a period of two years.

We are experiencing a real humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. Please consider and help as your means allow. Donations will be collected specially for our refugee sponsorship on the weekend of October 31st/November 1st.

MAKE SURE YOU ARE COUNTED!

Cardinal Collins has requested that a weekend Mass attendance count be conducted annually in all parishes and missions of the Archdiocese. This year the attendance count will continue on the weekends of October17th /18th and 24th/25th. The purpose of the count is to have a more accurate assessment of the number of people attending Mass on a weekend.

As with last year, when you come in for Mass, you may notice a few “counters” clicking on tally counters at the doors of the church. The counters will be doing their jobs in a way as discreetly and non-intrusively as possible.

Thank you for your support.

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE “CREATE A CLIMATE OF CHANGE” CAMPAIGN, OCTOBER 24th/25th

Cardinal Collins has designated the weekend of Oct. 24th/25th for D&P’s “Create a Climate of Change” campaign.

In his recent encyclical Laudato Si’ (161), Pope Francis reminds us that:
“The pace of consumption, waste and environmental change has so stretched the planet’s capacity that our contemporary lifestyle, unsustainable as it is, can only precipitate catastrophes, such as those which even now periodically occur in different areas of the world. The effects of the present imbalance can only be reduced by our decisive action, here and now.”

On this beautiful Thanksgiving weekend, we give thanks for all our blessings – food, water, clean air, loving relationships, and the privilege to live in a country as blessed as ours! In this spirit of thanksgiving, perhaps we can reflect too, at the invitation of Pope Francis, on whether there is a “cost to our abundance”

JUST COFFEE

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

Regular ground coffee: $5.50
Decaffeinated: $6
Whole Beans: $5.50
Chocolate Bars: $4.50 incl. taxes
Hot Chocolate and Cocoa: $5.00
Teas: $4.25

GOOD SHEPHERD THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE

You can make a difference in the lives of the hungry and homeless this Thanksgiving by participating in the annual Good Shepherd Ministries Thanksgiving Food Drive.

Urgently needed items include: rice, pasta sauces, canned tuna, canned soups, stews, canned meats, fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, jam, oatmeal, pancake mix, teabags, ground or instant coffee, sugar, cookies and crackers.

JESUIT VOLUNTEERS CANADA

Jesuit Volunteers Canada (JVC) is a formation program where young adults live out the values of Christian spirituality, social and eco-justice, community and simple living. Placement opportunities include working with First Nations communities, young adult programming, community development and outreach, education, food justice, and working with the urban poor.

Jesuit Volunteers Canada is currently accepting applications for September 2016, with possible communities and work placements in northern Ontario, Toronto and Regina.

For more information visit www.jesuitvolunteers.ca or call
519-820-8204. JVC is part of a 50-year movement dedicated to inspire young adults!

FOOD FOR ROSALIE HALL

Each month some of the food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall. Rosalie Hall assists young parents in need and their children to realize their potential through the provision of a wide range of community, residential, educational and child development services.

With everyone struggling at this time, your food 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.

CHOIR NEWS!

Tuesday, November 3rd from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM

On Tuesday, November 3rd from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM the choir will be hosting a hymn sing! In preparation for full singing participation at all our masses, we will wander through our new blue Gather Hymn books. We will be focusing on new hymns for Advent and Christmas. Please join us for a good ol’ song-a-long!

MARRIAGE PREPARATION COURSE

St. Gabriel’s Parish
Weekend of February 12th to 14th, 2016

A Marriage Preparation course will be offered here at St. Gabriel’s the weekend of February 12th to 14th, 2016.

The course will be held Friday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM.

For a registration package please email Marie Deans at deansm@sympatico.ca. Note that this course usually fills up quickly and spaces are limited.

NEW BEGINNINGS INSPIRATIONAL TALK

Monday, October 19th at 6:30 PM

Catholic Pastoral Centre, 1155 Yonge St. 4th Floor

New Beginnings presents “The Role of Spirituality/Religiosity in the Movement through Loss and Grief” with Dr. Ken Fung, M.D. F.R.C.S. on Monday, October 19th at 6:30 PM at the Catholic Pastoral Centre, 1155 Yonge St. 4th Floor. Dr. Fung will explore the benefits of spirituality and religiosity in our movement through loss and grief, illustrating how the pathways of faith – experienced, affiliative, searching, and owned – inspire well-being. All are welcome to attend. There is no cost for this event.

FINANCE CORNER

Weekly Offertory
Our operating expenses average $14,550 per week.

Collection for last weekend:
Envelopes 385 $ 8,191
Loose Change 1,126
Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 162 3,062
Total 547 $ 12,379