Bulletin – May 6, 2018

OUR PRIESTS & LAY PASTORAL ASSOCIATE AWAY

Sunday May 6th to Thursday, May 10th

This week Fr. Brando, Fr. John, Fr. Paul, Fr. Steve, Fr. Bernard and Fatima Lee will join other Passionists and Lay Associates to attend the St. Paul of the Cross Provincial Chapter in New York. They will be choosing new leaders for the province. Please keep them in your prayers. Fr. Bill Burns will celebrate the weekday Masses while they are away.

YOUTH GROUP FLOWER SALE

The St. Gabriel’s Parish Youth Group will be selling flowers and rosaries on Mother’s Day weekend, May 12th and 13th, after all the Masses. All proceeds will support the youth group attending the Steubenville Conference and World Youth Day.

LOOKING FOR A BOOKKEEPER

Fr. Bernard is looking for a bookkeeper at the Passionist Mission Office. If interested, please contact Fr. Bernard at the Mission Office at 416-743-3500. Join the team and work for the missions in Haiti, Jamaica and Honduras!

ANNOUNCED MASSES

May 7th – May 12th, 2018

MONDAY – MAURICE MICHAEL – Requested by Charmaine Michael
TUESDAY – LAU KOON TING – Requested by Linda Law & Family
WEDNESDAY – JOHN YEUNG CHUN KUN – Requested by Agnes Wong
THURSDAY – JOSEPH THIENG NGUYEN – Requested by the Nguyen Family?
FRIDAY – RICHARD CHUCHRA – Requested by Wanda & Jack
SATURDAY – MARY ANNE OLDEN – Requested by Kathleen Olden Powell

CONFIRMATION

The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated on Sunday, May 20th at 3:00 PM at St. Gabriel’s Church. In preparation for this Sacrament, a Confirmation Retreat will be held on Saturday, May 19th from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM at St. Gabriel’s Church. All candidates must attend. Candidates are reminded to bring a signed letter from the service coordinator or a parent stating the completion or anticipated date of completion of volunteer service hours.

ECO – SABBATH

Sunday, May 6th 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.

All are welcome to attend.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK

May 6th to 11th, 2018

We invite all parishioners to join in celebrating Catholic Education Week 2018, which runs from May 6th to May 11th. For more than 165 years, Ontario’s publicly funded schools have been integrating our faith into all aspects of school life, nurturing the gifts and talents of every student. We celebrate the distinctive contribution that Catholic schools provide, giving thanks and offering our prayers for all those who faithfully journey with our young people each day. To affirm your support of Catholic Education and sign up for email updates visit www.togetherinfaith.ca.

PLANNING TO BE A CATHOLIC TEACHER?

It is important 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 are planning to apply to teach in a Catholic School, a contact with the pastor is highly recommended. Please plan to have a conversation with your Pastor early in the process, well before applications are to be submitted.

GOOD SHEPHERD CENTRE CASSEROLES

Thank you to the volunteers who prepared 41 casseroles for April. For May, your prepared frozen casseroles will be collected at the Masses on the weekend of May 26th/27th for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre.

More volunteers are needed to become active in helping to feed our less fortunate sisters and brothers. Three different recipes are available in the Parish Office or online at the Church website. Casserole pans are also available in the Parish Office. If you require more information please contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791.

FOOD FOR ROSALIE HALL & GOOD SHEPHERD CENTRE

Thank you for your generous support of Rosalie Hall and the Good Shepherd Centre. Your food donations are very much appreciated.

Rosalie Hall provides a wide range of child development, community, residential and educational services for young parents and their children.

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

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.

SHARELIFE

Living the Gospel by caring for the elderly

Ever since Erika had a stroke, her diminished mobility kept her from enjoying many activities. When LA Centre for Active Living planned a trip to the Garlic Festival, Erika worried her disabilities would get in the way. To Erika’s delight, the ShareLife-funded agency ensured the trip was fully accessible for her. Having the most fun she’s had in years, she felt like her disabilities disappeared. Last year, ShareLife-supported agencies provided care to over 6,300 seniors.

Total Collected to April 30th, 2018 – $77,846
May 27th is the next ShareLife Sunday.
Please give generously.

BREBEUF COLLEGE ALUMNI PUB NIGHT

Friday May 11th from 7:00 PM to 2:00 AM

Brebeuf College will be holding its annual Alumni Pub Night reunion at the school on Friday, May 11th from 7:00 PM to 12:00 AM. More details can be found at www.brebeufalumni.org. All are welcome.

MEAGAN’S WALK – CREATING A CIRCLE OF HOPE

5km Fundraising Walk and Hug
Saturday, May, 12th 2018
Registration from 8:30 to 9:30 AM at Fort York
9:30 AM Registration Closes
10:00 AM Walk to SickKids

The seventeenth annual Meagan’s Walk: – Creating a Circle of Hope will take place on Saturday, May 12th. You may register online at meaganswalk.com. Registration also opens at 8:30 AM at Fort York, followed by family activities and entertainment. Registration closes at 9:30 AM. The Walk begins at 10:00 AM. and concludes at SickKids with the “Hug”.

Over the last 17 years, proceeds of 5 million dollars from this event have been directed toward paediatric brain tumour research, faster diagnoses, personalized treatments and improved outcomes for young people faced with brain tumours and treatment of paediatric brain tumours at SickKids.

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE

May 17th at 7:30 PM in the Gabriel Room

We would like to extend an invitation to the parish to come to a presentation by Fr. Walter Fernandes, a Jesuit priest based in Guwahati, Assam, India. He has studied tribal, gender and livelihood issues for over four decades of his professional life as founder and director of the North Eastern Social Research Centre (NESRC).

He is also a well-known scholar on issues concerning development-induced displacement and challenges posed to human dignity. Some of his current work focuses on social justice in the context of tribal reconciliation (within north-east India), as well as migration from neighboring Myanmar.

Fr. Fernandes is visiting Canada at the invitation of St Mary’s University, Halifax to share his knowledge of Indigenous issues in North-East India and Myanmar.”

Join us in this unique opportunity to learn more about indigenous issues and challenges.

PROVINCIAL ELECTION TIME

Meet the Candidates
Thursday, May 17, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
St. Bonaventure’s Parish Hall

St. Bonaventure’s Church is hosting candidates from all parties seeking election to provincial office representing Don Valley East, West, and North. Join them in the St. Bonaventure parish hall, 1300 Leslie Street, (just south of Lawrence on the west side of Leslie) on Thursday, May 17th, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Candidates will be invited to share their views on a variety of topics of interest for Catholic voters. Following the question and answer session, an opportunity will be provided to meet the candidates and ask questions individually.

We are hosting the meeting in conjunction with Catholic Conscience, a local non-profit, non-partisan organization seeking to improve the quality of our elected leaders. Questions may be directed to Catholic Conscience, by e-mail at info@CatholicConscience.org, or through their website, www.CatholicConscience.org.

For those wanting to explore the responsibilities of Catholics in elections, an information and discussion session will be held on Tuesday, May 22nd, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM in the parish hall of St Peter’s Church, 130 Bathurst Street in Toronto (across from the TTC Bathurst subway stop).
See you there!

SEEING WITH HEART –DAY OF REFLECTION

Catholic Parents of Lesbian Daughters and Gay Sons
Saturday, June 2nd from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Manresa Jesuit Spiritual Renewal Centre, Pickering, Ontario

The sixteenth Canadian Seeing With the Heart Day of Reflection will be held on Saturday, June 2nd, 2018 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the Manresa Jesuit Spiritual Renewal Centre in Pickering.

Fr. Roger Brennan of the Scarboro Foreign Mission will facilitate. John Montague from Our Lady of Lourdes Parish will assist.

The Cost is $40.00 which includes lunch.
For questions and information call John Montague at 416-523-6449.

THE GARDEN SHED

Robert Cordy, Organic Horticulturalist, will give a presentation and tour of the gardens after all the Masses on the weekend of May 12th/13th.

Robert or members of his team will also be giving two workshops this month: Sunday, May 20th in the north garden, after the 12:30 Mass and Saturday, May 26th from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Details and more workshops to follow. All are welcome.

If you are interested in helping to care for our beautiful gardens, please leave your email address and phone number with the office, or email Heather Bennett at heathermjb@gmail.com.