Saturday, December 2nd from 12:30 PM to 4:00 PM
St. Gabriel’s Church
Please join us for the Advent Retreat. It will be a wonderful way to prepare our minds and hearts for Christmas. The retreat will be preached by Father Robin Ryan, a Passionist priest and theologian. Father Ryan teaches at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He is author of numerous books, articles and recordings on theological and spiritual topics, and a much sought-after retreat director.
Among his work are Catholics on Call: Discerning a Life of Service in the Church (Liturgical Press, 2010) and God and the Mystery of Human Suffering: A Theological Conversation Across the Ages (Paulist Press, 2011). Pope Francis is calling all baptized Christians to renew their relationship with Christ and the Church. In this parish retreat, Father Ryan will explore with us the vision of the Church that Pope Francis presents and reflect on its implications for Christian living.
For more information, please call Parish Office at 416 221-8866, or email Fatima Lee at fatimalee@bellnet.ca.
This Weekend – November 25th and 26th
The St. Gabriel’s Youth Group has decorated Advent wreaths which will be on sale this weekend, November 25th and 26th after all the Masses. Money raised will go toward sponsoring the youth group activities. Please support our Youth Group!
Sunday November 26th at 2:00 PM
There will be a presentation on Cyber Safety here at the Church this Sunday, November 26th at 2:00 PM. It will be led by Peter Sloly, a former parishioner. Mr. Sloly was a member of the Toronto Police for 27 years and the Deputy Police Chief of Toronto Police Services. All are welcome to attend.
November 27th to December 2nd, 2017
MONDAY – DECEASED MEMBERS OF THE CAGNEY FAMILY – Requested by Joe Cagney TUESDAY – SOULS IN PURGATORY – Requested by Mary & Ravi WEDNESDAY – ELIO RANCATI – Requested by his Family THURSDAY – GIUSEPPINA SMARIGLIO – Requested by Lina Giannotta FRIDAY – SOULS IN PURGATORY – Requested by Mary & Ravi SATURDAY – EDGARDO RECANA & CELINA DELFIN – Requested by their Family
Friday, December 1st from 9:30 AM to 12 Noon
The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome: Caryl Hipona Cabanero Matthieu Chiu Brady James Hanna Brendan John Barry Long Isabel Rosa Mercedes Valdez Sofia Marie Rose Valdez
These children received the Sacrament of Baptism on November 19, 2017. Congratulations!
Wednesday, November 29th at 7:30 PM
St. Gabriel’s Church, Gabriel Room
On Wednesday, November 29th at 7:30 PM there will be a meeting in the Gabriel Room for parents of children who will be receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time.
Sunday, December 3rd 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.
Wednesday, December 13th
On Wednesday, December 13th, we will all have the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Confessions will be heard from 10:30 AM to 12:00 Noon and from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM.
Chinese: Sunday, December 3rd at 3:30 PM in the Gabriel Room. English: Saturday, December 9th at 3:15 PM in the Library
For further information, please contact Linda Law at 416 -918-8029.
Saturday December 2nd to Sunday, December 17th
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 or a gift card 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.
At this time of the year, we are also thinking of the young mothers and babies of Rosalie Hall. If you wish to help, you may choose a “Christmas Stocking” from the tree to purchase pyjamas or undershirts for babies ages 6 months to 4 years.
Unwrapped Items with the original stocking tag attached can be left in the box provided near the “mitten” tree no later than December 17th. Toys for these little ones would also be appreciated.
For the Moms, we are suggesting gift cards from 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 generous support.
Saturday December 2nd to Sunday December 17th
We are having a Christmas Toy Drive again this year for the Catholic Children’s Aid Society. You can help by dropping off an unwrapped new toy for a child newborn to 12 years old. Containers will be set up at the doors of the Church next weekend and will remain there until Sunday, December 17th.
Each month the food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall and the Good Shepherd Centre. The good people of St. Gabriel’s have been extremely generous in their support of these two important centres.
Rosalie Hall assists young parents and their children to realize their potential through the provision of a wide range of child development, community, residential and educational services.
Good Shepherd provides hot meals and shelter for the homeless in our city as well as a chance to start again through the Resettlement or DARE Programs.
Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your tremendous support!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank your parishioners for participating in Good Shepherd Ministries 2017 Thanksgiving Food Drive. With your support it was a huge success.
Good Shepherd currently serves more than 1,300 meals a day and runs the largest free meal program in Toronto. You are helping to provide more that 450,000 nutritious meals to people in need this year. This tremendous feat can’t be accomplished without you. Thank you for remembering people in our community who need our care, compassion and support.
Order Forms Due Monday, November 27th
Just a Reminder… The last day to submit order forms for the St. Gabriel School Poinsettia Sale is Monday, November 27th. Completed order forms may be dropped off in the Parish Office where there are also extra forms if needed. Plants will be available for pick up at St. Gabriel School on Friday, December 8th. Funds raised will help subsidize activities and materials that benefit all students at the school. Please support St. Gabriel School.
Wednesday, December 6th at 7:30 PM
Koerner Hall, Telus Centre
On the first Wednesday in December at the acoustically magnificent Koerner Hal the Toronto Choral Society, 22 members of the Talisker Players and some great soloists present Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. Tickets start at $45 and can be ordered from the website: https://www.torontochoralsociety.org/concerts/2017/12/6/christmas-oratorio-at-koerner-hall.
Friday, December 8th at 7:30 PM
St. Bonaventure Parish
Christmas, Christmas time is near! Come join the Seraphim and Cherubim Chorus’ singing the Christmas songs you love as part of their Somewhere in My Memory concert series. A mix of old favourites and twists on classics!
Please join them at St. Bonaventure Parish (1300 Leslie St) on Friday, December 8th at 7:30 PM. Advanced tickets are available online at www.seraphimandcherubim.ca. Proceeds go to support Camp Winston – a camp for children with complex neurological disorders.
Win great prizes! Deadline for submissions January 8th 2018
Students aged 14 to 18 are invited to write a 500-word essay on the theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, celebrated January 18th to January 25th, 2018. The Theme is “Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power” (cf. Exodus 15:6). Students should read the Scripture passage from Exodus 15: 1-21 and respond to the following question in the essay:
Just as the Israelites sought deliverance from enslavement, in contemporary society the dignity of all people is threatened by new enslavements to poverty, violence, injustice and addictions. In what ways can Christians of all denominations work together to stave off these assaults to human dignity? Explain.
First Prize: iPad Pro (128 GB). Second Prize: Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2. Third to Sixth Prizes: one-year subscription to The Catholic Register and other prizes. Winning essays will be edited and published in The Catholic Register. Deadline for entries is January 8th, 2018. For entry details, please visit http://bit.ly/studentwritingawarddetails.
June, 2018
Are you interested in witnessing the work of the Passionist Community in East Africa in June 2018? Travel in a small group and visit some of the Passionist Communities in Kenya and Tanzania. Have the experience of a lifetime on an East African Wildlife Safari.
For more information please contact Steve Carey at carey@travelonly.com or call 416-278-9346.
Please do not use envelopes from previous years since that envelope number may have been reassigned to another parishioner.
If you are moving out of the Parish or have changed your address, please contact the Parish Office at 416-221-8866 so that we can update our records. Thank you.
This Bulletin entry was posted on Saturday, November 25th, 2017.
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