This is the last bulletin until after Labour Day. We wish you all a happy and safe summer! July 1st is Canada Day. The office will be closed on Wednesday, July 1st for the holiday. There will be no 9:00 AM Mass.
Please see the insert in the parish bulletin or check the bulletin board for announced Masses during the summer months. The notices on the bulletin boards will be updated each week. See the list here (PDF)
Tuesday, June 30th, from 7:30 to 9:00 PM
St. Gabriel’s Church
Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment was released on June 18th, 2015. To consider the content, significance, and potential impact of the new encyclical, we will be holding an open forum on Tuesday, June 30th from 7:30 to 9:00 PM here at St Gabriel’s.
Dr. Dennis O’Hara, Director of the Elliot Allen Institute for Theology & Ecology at St Michael’s College of the University of Toronto, and Father Steve Dunn, C.P., Director of the Passionist Center for Ecology and Spirituality, will be facilitating the forum.
Everyone is welcome! No pre-registration is necessary. For further information, please contact Fatima Lee at 416- 221-8866 or email fatimalee@bellnet.ca.
Sunday, June 28th after the 12:30 Mass
The Parish BBQ Picnic will be held this Sunday, June 28th after the 12:30 Mass in the parking lot. There will be hot dogs, games, face painting, lucky draws, music and more….. Tickets are $2 each. Please bring your families, friends and neighbours to enjoy a summer afternoon with your parishioners.
As a sign of respect for the celebrant and others attending Mass, please do not let your children roam around freely during the liturgy.
The method of implementation for the Sacrament of Confirmation for 2015-6 for both Grades 7&8 is dependent on the total number of candidates that will register. If the number of registrants exceed 60 candidates, they will be organised into two groups.
Registration for this Sacrament will be accepted in the Summer through to Fall 2015, and we strongly urge you to register early to assist us in planning for this unique situation. Please remember to bring along your child’s baptism certificate when you register. Registration without a baptismal certificate will not be accepted.
We are planning for the Confirmation ceremonies to be held May 15th, 2016 and June 5th, 2016 if a second group is required. Both ceremonies will be at 7.30 pm. These are tentative dates only and may be changed as we get more information.
Please watch our bulletin or check our website, www.stgabrielsparish@bellnet.ca for further information.
R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) meetings begin in the fall. These evenings are for persons interested in learning about the Catholic Faith. Because the Parish Community itself is considered the official teacher and guide for potential new members, it is important that some parishioners participate by being present and by sharing their Faith in various ways. It is also an opportunity for “Born Catholics” to deepen their understanding of the faith. Adult Catholics who wish to celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist and/or Confirmation are welcome. For more information, please call the Parish Office at 416-221-8866.
First Communion, Reconciliation and Confirmation
Sacramental Registration forms for the Sacrament of First Holy Communion, Reconciliation or Confirmation are now available in the Parish Office.
If you have a child attending St. Gabriel’s School, another Catholic School or a Private School who will be receiving one of these Sacraments this coming school year, please complete a Sacramental Registration Form as soon as possible. Please note that a Baptismal certificate must accompany a registration for First Communion or Confirmation
Registration forms for the Children’s Faith Program for next year are now available in the Parish Office. This program is for those children attending private or public schools. Please note that all registrations must be returned by August 31st, 2015.
If you child will also be receiving the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation or Confirmation, please complete a Sacramental registration form which is also available in the Parish Office. Please note that a Baptismal Certificate must accompany registration for First Communion or Confirmation.
Eric and Helen, parishioners of St Gabe’s, recently organized a bake sale to raise funds to build a school in Haiti. Here is a note from them:
We would like to extend a very large “thank you” to the parishioners of St. Gabriel’s Parish for their support and participation in our Haiti Bake Sale last weekend. We are truly touched by everyone’s generosity: the bakers, the volunteers who gave time to sell, the people who bought baked goods and those who made donations. In doing so the parishioners of St. Gabriel’s Parish are helping to provide the youth in Haiti an opportunity for a better life in the future.
We are thrilled to report that to date we have made $2,328.75. These funds, along with proceeds from other ongoing fundraisers, will be directed to the construction of the second floor of St. Paul de Corail School in the vicinity of Port-au-Prince. If you would like more information about our efforts in Haiti or to make a donation, please visit our website: haitiaide.ca.
Are you concerned about justice and social issues? Would you like to help promote a greater awareness in our parish of the situation of the poor in the developing world? If you are interested, please consider becoming a part of our parish’s Development and Peace group. For further information, please call Fatima at 416-221-8866 or email her at fatimalee@bellnet.ca.
Development and Peace is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada. For the past 48 years they have been supporting and empowering the poor in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Here at St Gabriel’s, besides participating in the various Development and Peace campaigns during the year, we also support their efforts by making available to you every month the fair trade coffee, tea, and chocolates produced by farmers in the Global South.
July 25th/26th, and August 29th/30th
Thank you to the volunteers who prepared casseroles for June. As summer approaches, the number of donated casseroles tends to decrease dramatically. For the summer, your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekends of July 25th/26th and August 29th/30th for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre. More volunteers are needed to help feed the hungry in our city especially during the summer months. Please get a copy of a casserole recipe and a pan and give it a try.
Three recipes are available on St. Gabriel’s web site. Printed copies of the recipes are also available in the Parish Office. Please remember to mark the label on the pan lid with the name of the casserole. For more information, you may contact Irene Albrecht at 416 221-2791.
Did you know that the colourful outer milk bags can be cut, looped and woven into sleep mats for individuals or families in developing countries? Please make sure that the bags are clean and dry drop them in the bin located in the gathering space. For further information about this program please visit www.milkbagsunlimited.ca or contact Sharon Gusz at sharongusz@gmail.com
Each month the food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall or the Good Shepherd Centre. During the summer months, food donations tend to dwindle. These donations are more important than ever as families struggle to make ends meet. Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Liturgical Publications will be setting up the advertisements for our church bulletin. The advertising will begin in September 2015 and supports the bulletin service. Please support the bulletin and advertise your product or service. Call Liturgical Publications at 905-624-4422.
Saturday, July 11th at 2:00 PM
Mount Hope Catholic Cemetery 305 Erskine Ave., Toronto
Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Services – Archdiocese of Toronto invites you to join us for a walking tour of Mount Hope Catholic Cemetery. Visit the graves of some of the Catholic faithful who shaped our Church, our city and our cemetery throughout the last 110 years. Please contact Amy Profenna at 416-733-8544 or Mount Hope Cemetery at 416-483-4944. In case of rain, please contact the cemetery or go to http://www.catholic-cemeteries.com.
Wednesday, August 12th, at 7:00 PM
Holy Cross Cemetery or Mount Hope Cemetery
Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Services, Archdiocese of Toronto wishes to invite all families within the Archdiocese of Toronto to participate in the Annual Mass for the Faithful Departed on Wednesday, August 12th at 7:00 PM at Holy Cross or Mount Hope Cemetery.
In the event of rain, the Mass at Holy Cross will be held in the mausoleum and the Mass for Mount Hope will move to St. Monica’s Church, 44 Broadway Avenue.
Our operating expenses average $14,550 per week.
Collection for Last Weekend
Envelopes 394 $ 8,218 Loose Change 1,157 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 165 3,103 Total 559 $ 12,478
This Bulletin entry was posted on Friday, June 26th, 2015.
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