Welcome back to all our parishioners who have been away. We hope you had an enjoyable summer.
For those young people who are off to university, we wish you every success as you begin a new stage in your life. For those students and teachers returning to elementary or secondary school, we wish you a very positive, successful year.
The members of our committee would like to thank the many parishioners who participated in the Justice and Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) survey last June 2023. You have helped us identify the issues that are important to you and for the parish to be involved with. Homelessness and Food Insecurity were identified as major concerns, as well as issues regarding our Indigenous brothers and sisters.
While our parish is already actively involved with the issues of homelessness and food insecurity, our JPIC committee members will soon meet to discuss the possibility of providing additional support regarding those issues. We will also be looking at increasing our awareness about Indigenous issues. On this matter, we will include in next week’s bulletin information about the Canadian Library Project and the Orange Shirt Day in time for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation which is observed each year on the 30th of September.
If you need any other information, please contact the co-chairs of JPIC Helen Pierre and/or Lily D’Gama or Sr. Malou at StGabrielJPIC@gmail.com.
All youth in Grades 2 and up are invited to join our parish youth choir for the 2023-2024 school year. Rehearsals take place every Thursday from 6:30 to 8:00 PM in preparation for the 12:30 PM Sunday Masses. Volunteer hours will be awarded to high school students. Please contact our Youth Minister at 416-221-8866 ext.227 to join.
The Senior Choir will rehearse on Tuesday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 PM in preparation for Sunday Masses at 10:30 AM. Please note the change of rehearsal evening.
At the 10:30 AM Mass from mid September to June each year, children ages 4 to 10 have the opportunity to gather as a group for the Liturgy of the Word led by adults who have volunteered. We are in need of more volunteers to assist this program. For more information or to volunteer, please call Dawn Burke at 416 671-0561 or leave a message at the Parish Office.
September 4th to September 10th
MONDAY – LABOUR DAY – No 9:00 AM Mass TUESDAY – FR. PAUL CUSACK ✞ – Requested by the Burke Family WEDNESDAY – FR. PAUL CUSACK ✞ – Requested by Mary Huybers THURSDAY – HOWLAND & RACHEL LUKE – Requested by Stella & Isabel FRIDAY – SATURDAY – LORENZO & VINCENZA GRECH ✞ – Requested by the Grech Family SUNDAY – 10:30 AM – PAUL KOK YAU BO ✞ – Requested by Kok Yau Lam SUNDAY – 12:30 PM – ROBERT TORPEY ✞ – Requested by Moira McCarthy
The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome these little ones: who were baptized over the summer:
Giovanni Ciaramella Jason Lalongisip Mia Emilsa Maryann Sealy Johnson Gabriella Sophia Arias Ruiz Iyla Mae Lim Santos Anita Szypul Evelyn Veronica Yeung Kit Leonardo Wong Norah Ocean Wong.
Congratulations to these children and their families!
The annual event of the Season of Creation begins on September 1 (the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation) and ends on October 4 (the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology).
Each year a theme is chosen by an ecumenical steering committee and in 2023 inspiration is taken from Amos 5:24 that proclaims, “Let Justice and Peace Flow” and the symbol is “A Mighty River.”
An introductory video and resources to observe this season at home and school may be found at the following links:
Resources: https://drive.google.com/file/d/145WzDi32U8YdlyY9Peo1bn-aLqyi4cl6/view
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgAbavjkTik&t=2s
Let us pray and work for responsible stewardship of the earth and sustainable living.
Registration forms for the Children’s Faith Program are now available in the parish office. This program is for children of the Parish who attend other Catholic schools, public or private schools. Classes are held at St. Gabriel’s School every second Sunday. Classes begin on September 17th.
Please note that a separate Sacramental registration form is required if your child will receive the sacraments of First Communion, Reconciliation or Confirmation during the 2023/2024 school year. These forms are also available in the Parish Office. Baptismal Certificates are required for First Communion and Confirmation.
Sunday, September 24th
Cathedral of the Transfiguration, 10350 Victoria Square Blvd, Markham
The theme announced by His Holiness Pope Francis for this year’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees is “Free to Choose Whether to Migrate or to Stay”. In his message, Pope Francis acknowledges that while the decision to migrate should always be free, in many cases it is not. This point was reflected by St. John Paul II in his message for the 90th World Day of Migrants & Refugees, in which he wrote, “building conditions of peace means in practice being seriously committed to safeguarding first of all the right not to emigrate, that is, the right to live in peace and dignity in one’s own country.” As he concluded his message, Pope Francis referenced the words of the Lord when He said “…I was a stranger, and you welcomed me” reminding us that the Lord’s words are a “constant admonition to see in the migrant not simply a brother or sister in difficulty, but Christ himself, who knocks at our door.”
This occasion will be marked with the celebration of Mass, which will take place on Sunday, September 24th, 2023, at 12:00 PM. at the Cathedral of the Transfiguration, located at 10350 Victoria Square Blvd. in Markham. Monsignor Makarios Wehbi will preside, and Bishop John Boissonneau will be the homilist. A short program will follow. All are welcome.
Deadline for Registration – Tuesday, September 5th
Meetings in preparation for the R.C.I.A. (Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults) will begin this month. 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.
If you are interested in joining the RCIA meetings or if you would like to have more information about it, please contact Sr. Maria Lucia at 416-221-8866. The deadline for registration is Tuesday, September 5, 2023.
Thank you for your generous support of Rosalie Hall and the Good Shepherd Centre over the summer. They are very appreciative.
In addition to our casseroles and food donations, our Garden Ministry has been growing fresh food for the Good Shepherd Centre.
Your food donations are so important as numbers of people in need continue to increase. Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired.
There will be a second collection next weekend, September 9th/10th for the Maintenance of the Parish. Envelopes are in the pews. Please be as generous as your means allow.
Thank you to the volunteers who prepared 94 casseroles this summer. For September, your prepared frozen casseroles will be collected at the Masses on the weekend of September 23th/24th for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre.
You may pick up a copy of a casserole recipes and a pan from the Parish Office. Three recipes are also available on St. Gabriel’s web site. Please remember to mark the label on the pan lid with the name of the casserole.
More volunteers are urgently needed to help feed the hungry in our city. For more information, please contact Irene Albrecht at 416 221-2791.
With Roberto Chiotti, the Church Architect
After each Mass on the Weekend of September 23rd /24th
During the course of the two sessions on exploring our parish’s Journey Forward back in March and April, a number of parishioners expressed interest in learning more about St. Gabriel’s Church and its connection to and reflection of the mission of the Passionist Community.
Roberto Chiotti, the architect who designed the church, has generously offered to give a short presentation and “tour” of the building and will be doing so after each Mass on the weekend of September 23rd and 24th. Please save the date(s) and plan to join us after any of those Masses!
The weavers will be meeting from 1:00 to 3:00 PM on the following dates: Sept. 20th, Oct. 18th, Nov. 15th and Dec. 13th. Parishioners and friends are welcome to drop by to either be actively involved or simply to learn about the project. Your donated milk bags are cut, looped and woven to make sleeping mats for those living in the streets in Toronto or shipped to developing countries. All are welcome.
(Participants attending on Sept. 20th will also be invited to cover a book in Indigenous fabric representing the life of a missing Indigenous woman or children as an act of reconciliation.)
This Bulletin entry was posted on Sunday, September 3rd, 2023.
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.
Learn about Passionists and our insignia »
Companion for the Walk of the Stations of the Cosmic Earth
St. Gabriel’s Garden – Guided Sensory Reflective Walk