STUDY GROUP ON LAUDATO SI’ AT ST. GABRIEL’S
Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, which is addressed to all men and women of good will, reminds us the earth is our common home; yet because humankind has not been using the gifts of creation responsibly, the earth is suffering, the poor and vulnerable amongst us are also suffering. We need to work towards an ecological conversion.
For all who are interested in getting to know more about the encyclical, and to reflect on it, a study group will be held at St. Gabriel’s. We’ll be meeting six times, beginning October 5th, studying one chapter at each meeting.
The Co-leaders of Study Group will be Fr. Steve Dunn, CP and Dr. Dennis O’Hara .
Dates of Meetings: Mondays:
October 5th, 19th, November 2nd, 16th, 30th, and December 7th.
Time: 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM.
The meetings are free of charge, but donations will be gratefully accepted.
To register or for further enquiries, please call the Parish Office (416) 221-8866 or email Fatima Lee at fatimalee@bellnet.ca.
OUR PARISH’S RESPONSE TO THE SYRIAN CRISIS
Information Meeting Tuesday, September 22nd at 7:30
Special Collection – October 31/November 1st
The situation in Syria and the news about the plight of Syrian refugees have touched many of our hearts. As reported earlier, the parish is considering sponsoring again a refugee family.
A big “Thank You” to all those who volunteered to help with the application and settlement process. We are holding an informational meeting on Tuesday, September 22nd at 7:30 PM in the Gabriel Room. Please call the parish office if you want to volunteer but have not given us your name.
The parish has also been receiving financial donations to support this cause. We thank all who have already donated. This is a real humanitarian crisis. Please consider and help as your means allow; donations will be collected specially for our refugee sponsorship on the weekend of Oct 31st/Nov 1st.
ANNOUNCED MASSES
September 21st to September 26th, 2015
MONDAY – LEWIS ROYES – Requested by Helene Royes & Family
TUESDAY – JUDITH MATYASFALVI – Requested by the Family
WEDNESDAY – GERRY HATCH – Requested by the Family
THURSDAY – DARKO SEIFERT – Requested by the Family
FRIDAY – RENATO BELLISARI – Requested by Chiara & Tina Intini
SATURDAY – JOHN POWELL – Requested by Kathleen Olden-Powell
REGISTRATION FOR SACRAMENTS FOR SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN
St. Gabriel’s Church
September 22nd and September 24th from
7:30 PM to 9:00 PM.
Registration for children who wish to receive the Sacraments of First Communion, Reconciliation and Confirmation will be held at St. Gabriel’s Church from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM on Tuesday, September 22nd and Thursday, September 24th.
Please Note:
A copy of the child’s Baptismal Certificate is required if registering for First Communion or Confirmation.
A fee of $20 is required for Confirmation.
PARENTS CONFIRMATION INFORMATION MEETING
Wednesday, October 7th at 7:30 PM.
St. Gabriel’s Church
There will be a meeting here at the Church on Wednesday, October 7th at 7:30 PM. for parents of children receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation this year.
EDUCATION R.C.I.A. AND ADULT FAITH DEVELOPMENT
Meetings in preparation for the R.C.I.A. (Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults) will begin soon. 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. As well, these meetings may be an opportunity for “Born Catholics” to deepen their understanding of our faith. Very often, especially for those of us who received our religious instruction at an early age, we tend to grow physically, mentally, psychologically etc., but the understanding of our faith does not grow correspondingly. The RCIA may serve as a good opportunity for us to ask questions and to develop a more adult understanding of our faith.
If you are interested in joining the RCIA meetings or if you would like to have more information about it, please call the Parish Office at 416-221-8866. You can also contact Fatima Lee directly at ext. 228.
SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN PREPARING FOR BAPTISM
If you have, or know of, school age children (ages 7 to 14) who wish to prepare for Baptism, please contact the Parish Office, or Fatima Lee directly, at (416) 221-8866. Classes for them will begin after Thanksgiving.
ALTAR SERVERS
The Altar Service is now recruiting new members.
If you are in Grade 4 or higher and are interested in becoming an altar server, please contact Colin Meharchand at cmeharchand@bell.net or leave your name and phone number with the Parish Office at 416-221-8866.
ST. GABRIEL’S MUSIC MINISTRY
“Those who sing pray twice.”
Our senior choir practices on Tuesday evenings, 7:30 to 9:00 PM and leads community song at the 10:30 AM Sunday Mass. Our junior choir practices on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 PM and leads the music at the 12:30 PM Mass.
We always welcome new voices and hope you will consider joining us! For more information, please contact the choir director after any of the Masses.
CASSEROLES FOR THE GOOD SHEPHERD CENTRE
Thank you to all who provided casseroles for the Good Shepherd during the summer months. For September, your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses next weekend for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre.
More volunteers are needed to help feed the hungry in our city. 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 under “Ministries”. Printed copies of the recipes are also available in the Parish Office. 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.
THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE
You can make a difference in the lives of the hungry and homeless this Thanksgiving by participating in the annual Good Shepherd Ministries Thanksgiving Food Drive.
Urgently needed items include:
rice, pasta sauces, canned tuna, canned soups, stews,
canned meats, fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, jam, oatmeal, pancake mix,
teabags, ground or instant coffee,
sugar, cookies and crackers,
Please no fresh or frozen foods.
We thank you for your generous support!
FOOD FOR ROSALIE HALL
Each month the food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall. With everyone struggling at this time, these donations are more important than ever. Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your generous support.
URGENT NEED
A loving father of three and grandfather of seven is urgently seeking a living donor for a liver transplant. He has been waiting, desperately, on the transplant list for several years now and time is of the essence as his body continues to struggle and fight to survive. Anyone between the ages of 16 and 60, having Type B or Type O blood can potentially and generously become a donor and help save this man’s life. Typically, a donor’s liver re-growth occurs within 6 weeks and regular activities can be fully resumed within 2-3 months or less. General information about the liver transplant process can be obtained by contacting The Living Donor Liver Transplant Office, Toronto General Hospital at 416-340-4800, Ext. 6581 or online at www.uhn.on.ca/Focus_of_care/MOT/
Please contact Ann Ray via email at liverformike@yahoo.ca to help this family in need. May God bless you.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR ALTAR LINEN CARE
We are in need of volunteers to care for the altar linens. If you would be willing to take on this important task, please call the Parish Office at 416-221-8866.
BLESSED TRINITY CWL WELCOME BACK TEA
Tuesday, September 22nd at 1:00 PM
The Blessed Trinity CWL invites all ladies of St. Gabriel’s to their Welcome Back Tea on Tuesday, September 22nd. Their guest speaker will be Brock Godfrey from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, who will offer advice on how to avoid scams and swindles–on the phone, on-line, or at the door. The meeting will begin at 1:00 PM with Mass.
Contact: Deborah Orchard 416/497-8083 cell 416/562-7383 deborahorchard@rogers.com
NORTH YORK RETIREES CLUB
Trinity Room, Blessed Trinity Parish
Tuesday, September 22nd at 2:00 PM
The next meeting of the North York Retiree’s will be held on Tuesday, September 22nd at Blessed Trinity Parish. The guest speaker will be Sr. Mary Rose Marrin who will speak about “Spiritual Gerontology , Seniors Living in the second half of Life. All retirees are cordially invited to attend.
FINANCE CORNER
Weekly Offertory
Our operating expenses average $14,550 per week.
Collection for last weekend:
Envelopes 371 $ 8,742
Loose Change 884
Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 163 3,060
Total 533 $ 12,686
Maintenance 234 $ 4,264
Refugee Sponsorship $ 878
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.
