Author Archive

Homily – July 22, 2018

Sunday, July 22nd, 2018

I’d like to start with a quote from Henri Nouwen’s book ‘An Invitation to the Spiritual Life’.

One of the most obvious characteristics of our daily lives is that we are busy. We experience our days as filled with things to do, people to meet, projects to finish, letters to write, calls to make, and appointments to keep. Our lives often seem like over-packed suitcases bursting at the seams. It fact, we are almost always aware of being behind schedule. There is a nagging sense that there are unfinished tasks, unfulfilled promises, and unrealized proposals. There is always something else that we should have remembered, done, or said. There are always people we did not speak to, write to, or visit. Thus, although we are very busy, we also have a lingering feeling of never really fulfilling our obligation. We are always hurrying.

You’ve probably heard or said youself.’there aren’t enough hours in the day.’

In today’s short gospel we hear of Jesus welcoming the home coming apostles. Jesus had sent them out two by two to the surrounding towns to call people to repent, change the ways they were living their live and be more faithful to the teaching of the prophets and the laws of God.

The apostles couldn’t wait to tell Jesus their success stories and how they cured sick men and women and drove out demons. They were on a high and Jesus knew they could use some rest, just as he could use a break, he had no leisure even to eat.

Jesus tried to take them away to a deserted, a private place just to unwind, but didn’t work. People figured out where they were going and beat them to it. Weary as they all were Jesus called off their ‘time out’ and began to teach them many things.

We all have to take a ‘time out’; we all have to let the world spin without us. I had a man tell me one time he was so busy he wished there were two him. I heard about a month later that he was let go. I guess the company he worked for couldn’t handle one of him.

It is good to remember that God is running the world, with or without our help. We have an obligation to take care of our health and look out for the wellbeing of one another.

If your life seems like and over-packed suitcase, it you feel you are always behind schedule, if you feel guilty about unfulfilled promises, unfinished tasks, unrealized proposals, if you are always in a hurry, you need to get away to a deserted place, a quiet place, a soothing place, you need a rest even if it’s only for a half and hour.

God is always present to us, we are not and indeed cannot be, always present to God because we have so many things to do, so many things to worry about. But at any time of the day or night we can accept Christ’s invitation, ‘come to me all you who are weary and heavy burden and I will give you rest.’

We just have to take a breath and stop and be mindful of God and give thanks for the gift of life, the gift of sight, the gift of mobility, the gift of whatever health we still enjoy. Place your worries and burdens in God’s hands trust that he knows our needs even before we ask. Take advantage of this beautiful summer with which we are blessed. Spent time with your family, your friends, with God.

Enjoy the day.

Homily – July 1, 2018

Sunday, July 1st, 2018

I’m dating myself when I quote the Baltimore Catechism. The first question was ‘who made me? God made me. Why did God make me? God made me to know him and love him and serve him in this world and be happy with him in the next. We are meant to live in this world and in the next. Death is not the final word – life is the final word, the final reality.

This past week we celebrate the feast of St. Irenaeus, a bishop of the second century. One of his sayings was, ‘The glory of God is man/woman fully alive.

We are fully alive and give God glory when we are living the teachings of Jesus and the example of Jesus in our daily lives. We are fully alive and give God glory when we support the unborn, we are fully alive and give God glory when support hospices and a dignified life for our seniors, we are fully alive and give God glory when we support food banks, when we support efforts for affordable housing, when we work for a minimum wage that can support a family.

We are fully alive and give God glory when we follow the advice of St. Paul who tells to say only the good things people need to hear, things that will really help them. We are fully alive and give God glory when we challenge sexist or racist or homophobic remarks in any conversation. We are fully alive and give God glory when we challenge racist remarks that lessen the dignity and worth of our brothers and sisters.

We are fully alive and give God glory when we have the courage to change our consumer life styles and live simply that others may simply live. We are fully alive and give God glory when we delight in the beauty and wonder of God’s good creation and we are fully alive and give God glory when we work for the healing of the wounded Earth.

We are fully alive and give God glory when we work for the healing of our church, wounded by the scandals of our priests and bishops.

We are fully alive and give glory to God when we love and support and respect life in all its manifestations. We are fully alive and give God glory when we are there for family, friend or stranger as Jesus we there for Jairus and his daughter and the suffering woman who touched his garment.

We are fully alive and give glory to God when we try, as best we can to live the new commandment – love one another as I have loved you.

We can continue this Mass giving thanks to God for living in this wonderful land of Canada and seek the grace to be fully alive.

Homily – June 24, 2018

Sunday, June 24th, 2018

Our actions and our choices have consequences. We know this from our own life experiences. God’s actions and choices have consequences. We know this from what we call ‘salvation history’. God called Isaiah before Isaiah was born for a particular purpose, to bring back Jacob, the Jewish people to a greater fidelity to God. God picked David, a mere boy watching his father’s sheep to be the future king of Israel. Jesus was born as a member, a descendant of the house of David. John the Baptist, a cousin of Jesus was chosen by God to be the one who would prepare the people to be touch and transformed by the life and ministry of Jesus. At John’s circumcision his father said of him, ‘you my child will be called the prophet of the Most High for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways’.

John the Baptist came out of the wilderness preaching a message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He gathered a great number of followers and enjoyed a great popularity among the people. When Jesus came on the scene John told the people, ‘someone is coming after men who is greater that I and I am not worthy to undo the strap of his scandals Pointing to Jesus John told the crowd, behold the lamb of God.

Eventually some, if not many of John’s disciples left him and started to follow Jesus.

Most of us would be resentful at such disloyalty, angered at these ‘fair weather friends’. But John simply said, ‘he must increase, I must decrease.’ The church has used John’s words in fixing the feasts of the birth of Christ at the winter equinox, when the days, imperceptively get longer and the feast of John at the summer equinox, when the days, imperceptively get shorter.

When he heard reports of Jesus gently inviting sinners in, eating and drinking with them, rather than casting them off, John was scandalized, that kind of a messiah didn’t fit John’s expectations, nor his preaching. That’s why Jesus, in sending a response to John’s question, ‘are you he who is to come or should we look for another, invited John not to be scandalized in him but consider the works he was doing. John hadn’t wanted a gentle, vulnerable, peace-preaching messiah. He wanted bad people punished, not converted. But, to his credit, once he saw how Jesus’ power worked, he understood, accepted a deeper truth, stepped back in self-effacement, and pointed people in Jesus’ direction with the words: ‘behold the lamb of God, he must increase and I must decrease.

What can we learn from the life of John the Baptist? Maybe we could learn to let go. Let go of being in charge and be open to the thoughts of others. Let go of our need to control and let sons and daughters find their own way. Let go of thinking we know what is best for adult sons and daughters and their family affairs. Let go of interfering with the life choices of our young people and respect their wishes. Let go of believing we know what is best for every occasion, every person. In our senior years, let go of our independence and learn to live with our limitations. Let go of car keys and accept the wisdom of others.

Let go. It’s not easy, it wasn’t easy for John the Baptist. He stepped aside to make room for Jesus and his mission.

On this feast of a man who was graced to know how and when to let go may we be blessed, looking into our own life situations, our own relationship with others, with the grace and the strength to let go.

Bulletin – June 24, 2018

Saturday, June 23rd, 2018

Happy Summer!

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

Sunday, July 1st is Canada Day. There will be Mass as usual at 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM.

The office will be closed on Monday, July 2nd for the holiday. There will be no 9:00 AM Mass on July 2nd.

A MESSAGE FROM CARDINAL COLLINS

Save Summer Jobs and Reach Out to Your Member of Parliament.

Thousands of charitable organizations are being denied funding through the Canadian Summer Jobs Program. The federal government has introduced a litmus test. To qualify for funding, organizations must agree with the Liberal Government on issues such as abortion and gender expression. This has impacted more than 150 jobs and more than $1 million in funding in the Archdiocese of Toronto alone. Across Canada 1,500 groups had their applications rejected this year vs. 126 in 2017.

Cardinal Collins invites you to write to your federal Member of Parliament to respectfully express your concerns. Visit www.savesummerjobs.ca to send a message to your MP, a process that will take less than 3 minutes. You can also donate at the same time to support those organizations impacted by the new application guidelines.

PARISH PICNIC

Sunday, July 8th after the 12:30 Mass

The Parish BBQ Picnic will be held on Sunday, July 8th 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.

We need more young volunteers to help and make this event happen. Please sign up by putting your name and phone number on the sheets at the back of church. For more information, you may call Linda Law at 416-918-8029.

STEUBENVILLE – JULY 13th to July 15th

Several members of our St. Gabriel’s Youth Group will be attending the Steubenville Youth Conference from July 13th to July 15th. Our prayers go with them for a successful conference and a wonderful experience.

BAPTISM

The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome:
Hassan Stephen
Aziz Aldonza
Audrey Claire
Raneses Cadavez
Alessia Cortese
Matthew Medrano
Micah Huntley
Gerald Murray-Quesnel
Anabella Carina Spooner
Hannah Turchanikova

These children received the Sacrament of Baptism on Sunday, June 17th. Congratulations!

ANNOUNCED MASSES

June 25th to June 30th, 2018

MONDAY – DECEASED MEMBERS OF F.O.S.S. – Requested by Agnes Wong
TUESDAY – KENG OWYONG – Requested by Helen Owyong
WEDNESDAY – EN ZO BRUNO – Requested by Fran Moscall
THURSDAY – ERLINDA SALON CAUCHON – Requested by Rizalde & Mila Cauchon & Kevin Malinao
FRIDAY – DOROTHY SULLIVAN – Requested by Anne Mohan
SATURDAY – SAUL MONROY – Requested by Gloria Monroy

Please see the bulletin board for announced Masses during the summer months. The notices on the bulletin boards will be updated each week.

THANK YOU TO OUR CHOIRS

Thank you to our faithful choir members for their ministry! They will be taking a break, returning in September. New members are welcome to join them.

The senior choir practices on Tuesdays from 7:30 to 9:00 PM and sings at the 10:30 AM Mass.

The junior choir practices Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:00 PM and sings at the 12:30 PM Mass.

For more information, please call Marilyn Calderone at 416-618-2041.

CHILDREN’S FAITH PROGRAM – 2018/2019

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 September 9th, 2018.

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 2018/2019 year. These forms are also available in the Parish Office.

CASSEROLES FOR THE GOOD SHEPHERD CENTRE

Summer Collection: July 28th/29th, August 25th/26th

Thank you to all who prepared casseroles for the Good Shepherd Centre for the month of June.

During the summer, your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekends of July 28th/29th and August 25th/26th.

More volunteers are needed, especially during the summer months, to help feed the hungry in our city. We encourage you to pick up 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 please contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791.

MISSION COOPERATIVE PROGRAM

July 7th and 8th

On July 7th and 8th, Fr. Martín Alejandro Feliciosi, a member of the Institute of the Incarnate Word will be preaching at all the Masses. This congregation, presently serving in 38 countries, is involved in a variety of apostolic works and activities, including door-to-door missions, caring for the disabled, the sick, and the elderly, providing homes for orphans and abandoned children, offering pastoral formation of missionaries, building and managing schools and educational institutions, and sustaining cultural activities for human integral development, all among the world’s most neglected population in the poorest countries and conflict zones.

There will be a second collection on the weekend of July 7th/8th for the Mission Coop at all the Masses. The funds collected will be used for the day-to-day support, to supply material goods, to finish projects, and to meet the basic needs (food, medicines) in areas where they work. Thank you for your generous support!

SHARELIFE

Living the Gospel by providing for those in need

“Without you, ShareLife could not fulfill its mission to Live the Gospel by providing for those in need. Together we are making a real difference! My prayer is that we may continue to respond to God’s love by going forth from ourselves to seek the good of others.”
Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto.

Total Collected to June 18th, 2018 – $118,027
Please make a sacrificial gift to ShareLife through your parish or sharelife.org.

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.

During July and August, food donations tend to drop off. Your donations of canned foods, cereal rice and other non perishables 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.

MILK BAGS

The Milk Bag Workshops, led by Sharon Gusz this year were very successful. Thank you to Sharon and all the milk bag weavers for their excellent work.

Thank you also to all the parishioners who are recycling their clean milk bags at the church. Please remember to flatten them before putting them into the box. This would be a great help to the weavers.

Workshops will begin again in the fall. For further information about this program please visit www.milkbagsunlimited.ca or contact Sharon Gusz at sharongusz@gmail.com.

CHURCH BULLETIN ADVERTISING

Liturgical Publications will be setting up the advertisements for our church bulletin. The advertising will begin in September 2018 and supports the bulletin service. Please support the bulletin and advertise your product or service. Call Liturgical Publications at 905-624-4422.

MARRIAGE PREPARATION COURSE

St. Gabriel’s Parish
Weekend of September 21st, 22nd and 23rd, 2018

A Marriage Preparation course will be offered here atSt. Gabriel’s the weekend of September 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, 2018. The course will be held Friday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM. For a registration package please email Marie Deans at deansm@sympatico.ca.

CELEBRATION IN HONOUR OF SEÑOR SANTO NIÑO

Saturday July 14th beginning at 9:00AM
Shrine of Our Lady of Grace at Marylake

The 6th annual celebration in honour of Señor Santa Niño will be celebrated on Saturday, July 14th at the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace at Marylake. The festivities begin at 9:00 AM with confession followed by a rosary procession, Open Air Mass and Benediction. There is ample space for fellowship and picnic following the Mass and Benediction.

Please join them for this great Augustinian and Filipino Feast. For more information, please call 416-787-4547.

ANNUAL MASS FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED

Wednesday, August 15th, 2018 at 7:00 PM

Catholic Cemeteries and 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 15th, at 7:00 PM.

Mass at Mount Hope Cemetery will be celebrated by Rev. Michael Busch. In the event of rain, Mass will be celebrated at St. Monica’s Church, 44 Broadway Avenue.

Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Robert Kasun at Holy Cross Cemetery in Thornhill. In the event of rain, Mass will be celebrated in the Mausoleum.

THE GARDEN SHED PERMACULTURE WORKSHOPS

A series of seasonal permaculture garden workshops will be offered by Robert’s team over the summer and early fall.

All will begin after the 12:30 mass and everyone is welcome.

July 15th: Weed identification, prevention and value; Bloom calendars
July 29th: Medicinals & Tea/Beverage Plants
August 5th: Cover Crops Part 2
August 26th: Solar Dehydrators
September 23rd: Building Bathouses, Birdhouses and Bee hotels
September 30th: Cultivating Mushrooms (Oyster)

For more information on the workshops or the Garden Ministry, please email Heather Bennett at heathermjb@gmail.com.

Bulletin – June 17, 2018

Sunday, June 17th, 2018

Happy Father’s Day

To all the Fathers, Grandfathers, Stepfathers, Single Fathers and Great Grandfathers we wish you a very happy Father’s Day.

May you be blessed with the graces you need to be good and loving role models to your children.

May God give you courage, compassion, patience and peace.

A MESSAGE FROM CARDINAL COLLINS

Save Summer Jobs and Reach Out to Your Member of Parliament.

Thousands of charitable organizations are being denied funding through the Canadian Summer Jobs Program. The federal government has introduced a litmus test. To qualify for funding, organizations must agree with the Liberal Government on issues such as abortion and gender expression. This has impacted more than 150 jobs and more than $1 million in funding in the Archdiocese of Toronto alone. Across Canada 1,500 groups had their applications rejected this year vs. 126 in 2017.

Cardinal Collins invites you to write to your federal Member of Parliament to respectfully express your concerns. Visit https://www.savesummerjobs.ca/ to send a message to your MP, a process that will take less than 3 minutes. You can also donate at the same time to support those organizations impacted by the new application guidelines.

PARISH PICNIC

Sunday, July 8th after the 12:30 Mass

The Parish BBQ Picnic will be held on Sunday,

July 8th 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.

We need more young volunteers to help and make this event happen. Please sign up by putting your name and phone number on the sheets at the back of church. For more information, you may call Linda Law at 416-918-8029.

ANNOUNCED MASSES

June 18th to June 23rd, 2018

MONDAY – JOHN & CHRISTOPHER DI LALLO – Requested by Val Palazzo

TUESDAY – BERNIE CABRERA – Requested by Olivia Pereira

WEDNESDAY – PRIVATE INTENTION – Requested by the Cordi, d’Orano-Macri & Radomski Family

THURSDAY – TSANG SHEK BOR – Requested by Paul, Wai Chin, Irene, Pauline & the Hwang Family

FRIDAY – FRANK COLANTONIO – Requested by Angela Colantonio

SATURDAY – FRANCIS PEREIRA – Requested by Sophie & Candida Pereira

CHILDREN’S FAITH PROGRAM – 2018/2019

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 September 9th, 2018.

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 2018/2019 year. These forms are also available in the Parish Office.

SHARELIFE

Living the Gospel by helping isolated seniors

In partnership with Catholic Family Service agencies and six parishes in Peel Region and Simcoe County, ShareLife is funding a pilot project that connects trained volunteers with isolated and lonely seniors. Volunteers cultivate relationships by conducting home visits, making phone calls, and linking seniors with community resources. Through your generosity, ShareLife is connecting these seniors with the support they need.

Total Collected to June 11th, 2018 – $117,537

Please make a sacrificial gift to ShareLife through your parish or sharelife.org

CASSEROLES FOR THE GOOD SHEPHERD CENTRE

Your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses next weekend. Each month, the casseroles are picked up early on Monday morning for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre.

More volunteers are needed to help feed the hungry in our city. We encourage you to pick up 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.

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.

During July and August, food donations tend to drop off.

Your donations of canned foods, cereal rice and other non perishables 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.

YOUR USED FURNITURE WILL CHANGE A LIFE.

Furniture Bank is a registered charity that provides quality furniture to people in need, including the formerly homeless, women and children fleeing violence, and newcomers and refugees. Furniture Bank is currently seeking donations of gently used furniture and housewares to help combat the growing issue of furniture poverty in Toronto.

Do you have unwanted furniture and housewares to give? Change the life of a family in the process?

Please call 416-934-1229 to book your drop off or hire Furniture Bank’s pick-up team to help transfer your unwanted furniture and housewares to its warehouse. All donations of gently-used furniture and housewares are eligible for a tax receipt. Visit furniturebank.org to learn more.

MARRIAGE PREPARATION COURSE

Weekend of September 21st, 22nd and 23rd, 2018

St. Gabriel’s Parish

A Marriage Preparation course will be offered here at St. Gabriel’s the weekend of September 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, 2018. The course will be held Friday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM. For a registration package please email Marie Deans at deansm@sympatico.ca.

POST SECONDARY CAMPUS MINISTRY

Attention high school graduates: Are you moving on to post-secondary education in the fall? Check out Campus Ministry! Connect to campus ministry by visiting www.chaplaincyconnect.ca and find your Catholic home on campus.

For information about the campus ministries in our archdiocese, please view the poster on our bulletin board or at http://bit.ly/PostSecondaryCampusMinistry.

MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP NOVENA TRIDUUM

Monday, June 25th to Wednesday, June 27th at 7:00 PM

St. Patrick’s Church, 131 McCaul Street

The Parish of St. Patrick invites you to join them at the annual Novena Triduum at the Shrine of our Mother of Perpetual Help, as they welcome Bishop Bob Kasun CSB and Fr. Mark Miller CSsR as the presiders and preachers. Each evening will begin at 7:00 PM and consist of Novena Prayers, Mass and Mission Homily. The first evening will focus on Family with a special family blessing at the end of Mass. The second evening will focus on Healing with the Sacrament of the Sick for those in need. The third evening will focus on the feast day to Our Mother of Perpetual Help. An international social will follow in the Parish Hall. For more information, please visit www.stpatrickstoronto.ca.

ANNUAL MASS FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED

Wednesday, August 15th, 2018 at 7:00 PM

Catholic Cemeteries and 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 15th, at 7:00 PM.

Mass at Mount Hope Cemetery will be celebrated by Rev. Michael Busch. In the event of rain, Mass will be celebrated at St. Monica’s Church, 44 Broadway Avenue.

Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Robert Kasun at Holy Cross Cemetery in Thornhill. In the event of rain, Mass will be celebrated in the Mausoleum.

CHURCH BULLETIN ADVERTISING

Liturgical Publications will be setting up the advertisements for our church bulletin. The advertising will begin in September 2018 and supports the bulletin service. Please support the bulletin and advertise your product or service. Call Liturgical Publications at 905-624-4422.

THE GARDEN SHED PERMACULTURE WORKSHOPS

A series of seasonal permaculture garden workshops will be offered by Robert’s team over the summer and early fall. All will begin after the 12:30 PM Mass and everyone is welcome.

June 17 Cover Crops Part 1

July 15 Weed identification, prevention and value; Bloom calendars

July 29 Medicinals & Tea/Beverage Plants

August 5 Cover Crops Part 2

August 26 Solar Dehydrators

September 23 Building Bathouses, Birdhouses and Bee hotels

September 30 Cultivating Mushrooms (Oyster)

On June 24th, Robert has arranged a tour of Fiddlehead Nursery, near Collingwood. Meet up at the nursery at 2:00 PM. More information on the nursery can be found on their website: http://fiddleheadnursery.ca.

For more information, please email Heather Bennett at heathermjb@gmail.com.