Bulletin – June 30, 2024

Happy Summer!

This is the last bulletin until the Labour Day Weekend in September. We wish you all a happy and safe summer!

Monday, July 1st is Canada Day. The parish office will be closed and there will be no 9:00 AM Mass on that day.

PARISH BBQ

Sunday, July 7th after the 12:30 Mass

The Parish BBQ Picnic will be held on Sunday, July 7th after the 12:30 Mass in the parking lot. There will be hot dogs, salad, dessert, fruit, face painting for kids, games, music and much more. Suggested donation is $5 per person. Please bring your families, friends and neighbours, as well as your lawn chairs to enjoy a summer afternoon with parishioners.

THE PASSION OF THE EARTH PAINTING

The art on display in the Gathering Space is called The Passion of the Earth and was painted by Br. Michael Moran, CP, of the Passionist province of St. Paul of the Cross, of which we are a part. May this powerful work of art inspire in us a new consciousness, a new creativity, and a new energy to know we are as integral to Earth as Earth is to us. We are one. May we see and experience the Divine Presence in all Creation, and may our renewal bring Earth healing and peace.

We hope you can take time over the next few months to look at the painting, read the accompanying notes, and reflect.

A limited number of postcards and mini prayer cards are available from the parish office. Please see the table by the painting for suggested donation amounts. Proceeds will be donated to the Passionist Missions.

ANNOUNCED MASSES

July 1st – July 7th, 2024

MONDAY – CANADA DAY – No 9:00 AM Mass
TUESDAY – DELPHINE OAKIE ✞ – Requested by the Family
WEDNESDAY – GUILLERMO ALMENARA ✞ – Requested by the Melis Family
THURSDAY – BRUNO CORTESE ✞ – Requested by Antonietta Cortese
FRIDAY – LYDIA McGRANN – Requested by Ron and Anne Ackber
SATURDAY – MOU-KING AND YUNG-NIEN HSU ✞ – Requested by the Family
SUNDAY – 8:30 AM – FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE PARISH
SUNDAY – 10:30 AM – GEORGE EGERTON HALE ✞ – Requested by his Family
SUNDAY – 12:30 PM – BERNARD KELLY ✞ – Requested by the Family

Announced Masses for the summer months will be posted on the bulletin board in the Gathering Space.

SACRAMENTAL REGISTRATION – 2024/2025

Registration for children planning to receive the Sacraments of First Communion, Reconciliation or Confirmation in 2025 can now be done at the parish office. Baptismal Certificates are required to register for First Communion and Confirmation.

CHILDREN’S FAITH PROGRAM – 2024/2025

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 beginning in September.

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 2024/2025 school year. These forms are also available in the Parish Office. Baptismal Certificates are required for First Communion and Confirmation.

SHARELIFE

Your love paves the way for second chances in life.

Through your support, ShareLife agencies are able to provide people struggling with homelessness, mental illness and substance use challenges with specialized care.

Your generosity brings them hope for a second chance in life. Thank you for living the Gospel!

Please give at the parish using a ShareLife envelope, online through our parish website, or at sharelife.org/donate.

CARING FOR THE HOMELESS IN OUR CITY

Thank you for your generous support of Rosalie Hall and the Good Shepherd Centre. Your food donations are always so important as numbers of people in need continue to increase.

Rosalie Hall is an accredited children’s mental health facility focusing on the needs of pregnant and parenting youth ages 12-25, their children, and their families.

Good Shepherd provides hot meals, clean clothes and shelter for the homeless in our city They help find housing and provide follow up support. They support the homeless who are working to overcome addictions and provide a chance to start again through the Resettlement or DARE Programs.

Please check the expiry date before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired.

GOOD SHEPHERD CENTRE CASSEROLES

Summer Collection dates: July 27th/28th, August 24th/25th

Good Shepherd serves upwards of 1,000 meals per day to people who would otherwise go hungry. Seniors, people living on disability payments, people living in poverty, homeless men and women are people at the table. Please think about volunteering to help feed our sisters and brothers in need. Three different recipes are available in the Parish Office or online at the Parish website. Casserole pans are also available in the Parish Office.

Your support is a tremendous help and is appreciated in the fight to end hunger and chronic homelessness. For more information, you may contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791.

Year of Prayer

On January 21, 2024, Pope Francis inaugurated a Year of Prayer ahead of the 2025 Jubilee, calling on the faithful “to pray more fervently to prepare ourselves to live properly this grace-filled event and to experience the power of hope in God.”

The Year of Prayer, the Holy Father explained, is dedicated “to rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer, prayer in personal life, in the life of the Church, prayer in the world.”

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Do not fear, only believe. Mk 3:36c

ANNUAL FESTA IN HONOUR OF ST. GABRIEL

Sunday, August 25th from 1:00 PM

Veneto Centre, 7465 Kipling Ave., Woodbridge

The 58th annual Festa of St. Gabriel, under the direction of the Passionist Community, will be held on Sunday, August 25th at the Veneto Centre in Woodbridge. Relics of St. Gabriel will be present.
There will be opportunities for Confession, a special Mass outside, and Italian food. All are welcome and encouraged to attend this wonderful celebration.

PLANNING TO BE A CATHOLIC TEACHER?

If you are planning to be a teacher, it is important for you to know that to be hired to teach in any Catholic school board in Ontario, there must be a letter of reference from your pastor as part of your application.

The letter explaining that you belong to and participate in the community cannot be written if your pastor does not know you. It is recommended that you have a conversation with him early in the process well before the applications are to be submitted.

GARDEN SHED

The Summer issue of our new newsletter, “Growing News,” is now available from the Parish home page, and posted on the bulletin boards. We hope you enjoy it and look forward to your “letters to the editor.”

If you are an experienced gardener, or, perhaps, missing working in a garden, and would like to volunteer, you can reach the Garden Ministry by email – garden@stgabrielsparish.ca

13TH ANNUAL ECOLOGY RETREAT

Friday July 19th to Wednesday July 24th, 2024
(Arrival 4:00PM for Dinner, Departure after Lunch)
Jericho House, 10845 Rathfon Road, Port Colborne, ON
L3K 5V4 – 1-905-834-0553

Retreat Theme: Encountering and Embracing a Contemplative Ecology

Sponsored by Jericho House & Office of Province Life & Renewal Edmund Rice Christian Brothers North America

At the heart of the retreat, the relationship between contemplation and the realities of the world of nature in a time of ecological crisis will be explored – suggesting even that fostering a contemplative spirit is a primary and significant part of responding to the crises of the time.

The retreat will be facilitated by Sr. Mary Rowell, CSJ.

For Sr. Mary’s bio information, as well as further details about the retreat, please consult the poster on our bulletin boards, or visit the parish office for a copy.

Registration is by email at: leadership@jerichohouse.org

Cost: Residents $600 / Commuters $500
Please make cheques payable to Jericho House.

BULLETIN TRIVIA

How do you keep a person in suspense?

FINANCE CORNER

Securities as a Charitable Gift Option

One of the most financially sound ways to support the Archdiocese of Toronto is with the gift of securities (stocks, bonds, mutual funds). When you donate stocks, mutual funds and other publicly traded securities to a registered charity, you pay no capital gains tax and receive a tax receipt for the full amount of the gift. It means a great tax break for you and more significant support of your Parish and various archdiocesan charities such as ShareLife, St. Augustine’s Seminary, The Shepherds’ Trust and many others. To donate securities, follow this link: https://bit.ly/GiftsOfSecurities where you will find our “How to Gift Securities Info Sheet” and a “Letter of Direction.”