Author Archive

Bulletin – January 11, 2015

Sunday, January 11th, 2015

ANNOUNCED MASSES

January 12th to January 17th, 2015

MONDAY – PETER YANG – Requested by the Family
TUESDAY – ROSA WAI KING TSANG – Requested by the Family
WEDNESDAY – IRENE CHUCHRA – Requested by the Family
THURSDAY – MORTON SCHULMAN – Requested by the Nguyen Family
FRIDAY – MAGDALENE LAM – Requested by John Chan
SATURDAY – IN THANKSGIVING – Requested by Marie Calderone

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY 2015 ECUMENICAL PRAYER SERVICE

Sunday, January 25th at 4:00 P.M.

Yorkminster Park Baptist Church
1585 Yonge Street

Come and join us in an ecumenical prayer service with His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, Anglican Archbishop Colin Johnson, Evangelical Lutheran Bishop Michael Pryse, Slovak Catholic Bishop John Pazak, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church Rev. Dr. Harris Athanasiadis and other city-wide religious leaders on: Sunday, January 25th at 4:00 P.M. at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge Street (2 blocks north of St. Clair at Heath Street)

Parking is available. Refreshments will follow in the parish hall.

For further information, please contact the Office of Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs at 416-934-3400, Ext. 344 or Ext. 527 or vkwok@archtoronto.org.

WORLD LEPROSY DAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 25TH

USED STAMP COLLECTION

Sunday, January 25th is World Leprosy Day. Leprosy affects the nervous system deadening the body to pain. As a result, cuts and burns go unnoticed and neglected leading to severe infections. Such conditions can lead to loss of function in the limbs and even result in amputation. Please take a few moments to remember the children, women and men living with leprosy.

Please remember to bring us your used postage stamps. These are passed on to the Leprosy Mission of Canada helping them work towards the day when leprosy is eradicated. They are happy to accept any and all trimmed stamps, leaving no less than ¼ inch and no more than ½ inch paper border. Stamps may be deposited in the basket on the cabinet just outside the Parish Office.

GOOD SHEPHERD CENTRE CASSEROLES

Thank you to the volunteers who prepared 51 casseroles for December. For January, your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekend of January 24th/25th for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre. More volunteers are needed to help feed the hungry in our city. You may pick up a copy of a casserole recipe 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. For more information, please contact Irene Albrecht at 416 221-2791.

MILK BAGS

Please be aware that we will no longer be accepting milk bags since we have no means of getting them to those who use them. Thank you for your support of this endeavor over the last few years.

JUST COFFEE

Fair trade organic coffees will be on sale after all the Masses next weekend.

Regular ground coffee: $5.50
Decaffeinated: $6
Whole Beans: $5.50
Chocolate Bars: $4 incl. Taxes
Hot Chocolate and Cocoa: $4.75
Teas: $4.25

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE CAMPAIGN

Next weekend, parishioners will be asked to sign a petition supporting D&P’s campaign,”Sow Much Love”. This campaign is asking the Government of Canada to commit to:

Adopt international aid policies that support small family farmers, especially women,

Ensure that Canadian policies and programs are developed in consultation with small family farmers, and that they protect the rights of small family farmers in the Global South to preserve, use and freely exchange seeds.

Because of the ratification by a number of countries of the latest version of the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, ancestral rights, which consisted of preserving, using and exchanging farmer seeds, have become in some cases illegal acts, which are punishable by law.

More details are available at www.devp.org

NEUROSCIENCE AND RESILIENCE

January 12th at 7:00 PM

Catholic Pastoral Centre, 1155 Yonge St. 4th Floor

Please join them for an inspirational talk,” Neuroscience and Resilience”. Neuroscience teaches us that resilience is the capacity for our brain to adapt and bounce back after life-changing experiences. Come and learn how you can develop your own resiliency. The speaker will be James Shaughnessy, M.S.W., R.S.W., Psyn.D. Free underground parking is available.

For inquiries please contact: Deacon James Shaughnessy, MSW., RSW., Psyn. D. at 416-921-1163 ext. 2227 or email: jshaughn@cfstoronto.com

REGIS COLLEGE FILM SERIES: “THE HIDDEN ROOTS OF LOVE”

Begins January 14th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM

Regis College, 100 Wellesley St. West.

Regis College invites you to a series of eight evenings to help you deepen your spiritual life. Small group discussion will be led by John O’Brien, SJ. The series continues on Wednesdays for eight weeks until March 11th. Admission is free.

For more information and to pre-register, please visit www.RegisCollege.ca/Film or call 416-922-5474, ext. 221. Regis College is the Jesuit School of Theology at the University of Toronto.

Mass for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees

Sunday, January 18th at 11:00 AM

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 202 St. Patrick Street

Catholics in our region can be proud that 160 parishes in the Archdiocese of Toronto are involved in sponsoring refugees to resettle in Canada. Join us for a Mass to celebrate the many individuals and families who have escaped turmoil to resettle in Canada and to pray for those still seeking to leave areas of war and strife.

Bishop Wayne Kirkpatrick, Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto, will preside. Mass is hosted by the Chinese Pastoral Council at Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish, with a reception to follow. A special invitation is extended to those who have been involved in refugee sponsorship across the archdiocese. For more information, visit www.archtoronto.org. All are welcome.

MOSAIC INTERFAITH Social Justice: Is It the Way to Peace?

Sunday January 18th at 2:00 PM

Temple Har Zion, 7360 Bayview Avenue, Thornhill

Mosaic Interfaith invites you to attend the Annual Program in honour of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. The topic this year is “Social Justice: Is it the Way to Peace?’ The program will be held at the Temple Har Zion at 7360 Bayview Avenue, Thornhill on January 18, 2015; from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. Please RSVP to Tina at 416-897-1544 by Thursday, January 15th. For more information see the poster on the bulletin board.”

THEOLOGY ON TAP – NEW EVANGELIZATION: POPE FRANCIS STYLE

Thursday, January 22nd, at 7:00 PM

The Bear, 1294 Kingston Road, Pickering

Faith Connections, the Office of Catholic Youth, and the local parishes invite young adults (19-39) to join us for an evening of thought-provoking conversation on theological topics! Their special guests will be Cheridan Sanders & Sebastian Gomes, producers at Salt + Light Media.

Munchies are provided and a cash bar is available – come and bring a friend!

For more information: visit the Toronto Theology on Tap web page, or contact OCY by phone at 416-599-7676 or e-mail youth@ocytoronto.org. RSVPs are appreciated!

FAMILY OF FAITH CAMPAIGN

Our parish has commenced the Family of Faith campaign as mandated by the Archdiocese of Toronto. As stated in my Christmas letter, the parish goal is $900,000 of which 25% will remain in the parish. We hope to use these funds to develop our youth ministry program.

Commitment Sundays are scheduled for January 25th and February 1st. Commitment pledges of $5,000 or more may be made over five years. Pledges less than $5,000 are to be fulfilled within 3 years.
I would ask you to be as generous as you always are to cover this special appeal.

Fr. Brando

Collection for New Years Day $5,742
Our operating expenses average $14,550 per week.
Collection for January 4th, 2015:
Envelopes 422 $ 8,283
Loose Change 993
Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 164 3,701
Total 586 $ 12,977

OFFERTORY ENVELOPES FOR 2015

Please pick up your 2015 envelopes as soon as possible if you have not already done so. If you are not currently using parish envelopes and wish to have a set issued for 2015, please contact the Parish Office and we will prepare a box for you. This is the most effective way to keep track of your donations. If you have recently moved, please inform the Parish Office so that we may keep our parish records up to date.

In 2015, please do not use any envelopes from 2014 or any envelopes from previous years as the number on it may have been reassigned. Please put your name on your envelope to ensure that your donation is properly recorded.

Bulletin – January 4, 2015

Sunday, January 4th, 2015

The Wise Still seek Him.

ANNOUNCED MASSES

January 5th to January 10th, 2015

MONDAY – RENATO BELLISARI – Requested by Chiara & Tina
TUESDAY – ROSA WAI KING TSANG – Requested by the Family
WEDNESDAY – TOM & BETTY HIGGINS – Requested by Carol & Hugh MacKenzie
THURSDAY – CELINA DELFIN – Requested by the Family
FRIDAY – ROBERT GAUDET – Requested by Wai Chin & Paul Hwang
SATURDAY – GEORGE OLDEN – Requested by Kathleen Olden-Powell

FROM THE DESK OF FR. BRANDO

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Thank you, good people, for your overwhelming generosity this Christmas season. Thanks to you, St. Gabriel’s was able to provide toys, food and gifts to Rosalie Hall, the Catholic Children’s Aid, the Good Shepherd Centre and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

A special thank you to our neighbours the St. Gabriel’s Village Condos for their generous support of our food and toy drives. Your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated.

FAMILY OF FAITH CAMPAIGN

Our parish has commenced the Family of Faith campaign as mandated by the Archdiocese of Toronto. As stated in my Christmas letter, the parish goal is $900,000 of which 25% will remain in the parish. We hope to use these funds to develop our youth ministry program. You will be hearing more about our Commitment Sunday which is scheduled for January 25th,

To date, the parish has received pledges totaling one third of the above goal.

I would ask you to be as generous as you always are to cover this special appeal as well as your regular offerings.

Fr. Brando

NEUROSCIENCE AND RESILIENCE

January 12th at 7:00 PM

Catholic Pastoral Centre
1155 Yonge St. 4th Floor

Please join them for an inspirational talk,” Neuroscience and Resilience”. Neuroscience teaches us that resilience is the capacity for our brain to adapt and bounce back after life-changing experiences. Come and learn how you can develop your own resiliency. The speaker will be James Shaughnessy, M.S.W., R.S.W., Psyn.D. Free underground parking is available.

For inquiries please contact: Deacon James Shaughnessy, MSW., RSW., Psyn. D. at 416-921-1163 ext. 2227 or email: jshaughn@cfstoronto.com

REGIS COLLEGE FILM SERIES: “THE HIDDEN ROOTS OF LOVE”

Begins January 14th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM

Regis College
100 Wellesley St. West.

Regis College invites you to a series of eight evenings to help you deepen your spiritual life. Small group discussion will be led by John O’Brien, SJ. The series continues on Wednesdays for eight weeks until March 11th. Admission is free.

For more information and to pre-register, please visit www.RegisCollege.ca/Film or call 416-922-5474, ext. 221. Regis College is the Jesuit School of Theology at the University of Toronto.

MOSAIC INTERFAITH Social Justice: Is It the Way to Peace?

Sunday January 18th at 2:00 PM

Temple Har Zion, 7360 Bayview Avenue, Thornhill

Mosaic Interfaith invites you to attend the Annual Program in honour of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. The topic this year is “Social Justice: Is it the Way to Peace?’. The program will be held at the Temple Har Zion at 7360 Bayview Avenue, Thornhill on January 18, 2015; from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. Please RSVP to Tina at 416-897-1544 by Thursday January 15th. For more information see the poster on the bulletin board.”

THEOLOGY ON TAP – NEW EVANGELIZATION: POPE FRANCIS STYLE

Thursday, January 22nd, at 7:00 PM

The Bear
1294 Kingston Road, Pickering

Faith Connections, the Office of Catholic Youth, and the local parishes invite young adults (19-39) to join us for an evening of thought-provoking conversation on theological topics! Their special guests will be Cheridan Sanders & Sebastian Gomes, producers at Salt + Light Media.

Munchies are provided and a cash bar is available – come and bring a friend! For more information: visit our Toronto Theology on Tap web page, or contact OCY by e-mail youth@ocytoronto.org, or phone 416-599-7676. RSVPs are appreciated!

THANK YOU FROM THE SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has been overwhelmed by your generosity once again! Your contributions to our giving tree were wonderful. Thanks to everyone who offered help and gifts to our families in need. Your kindness has been deeply appreciated.

FINANCE CORNER

Fr. Rick Frechette – Haiti Mission
The final amount received for Fr. Rick’s mission was almost $40,000. You are very generous people!

Collection for Christmas $33,373

Our operating expenses average $14,550 per week.

Collection for December 28th, 2014:
Envelopes 381 10,052
Loose Change 872
Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 164 3,058
Total 545 $13,982

If you are a regular Parish member and you do not contribute to the Offertory collection, the Finance Council reminds you that “the financial burden of the Parish is the responsibility of each and all parishioners to the extent that your means allow”.

For those parishioners who contribute to the offertory on a regular weekly basis, we thank you for your constant support.

Have you considered using PAG or Donate Now?

OFFERTORY ENVELOPES FOR 2015

Please pick up your 2015 Offertory Boxed Envelopes as soon as possible. You may contact the Parish Office if you do not have envelopes but would like a box for 2015

In 2015, please do not use any envelopes from 2014 or any envelopes from previous years as the number on it may have been reassigned.

Bulletin – December 28, 2014

Sunday, December 28th, 2014

Father help us to live as the Holy
Family, united in respect and love.

The greatest blessing you bring to your family is the presence of God in your life.
The fragrance of His presence sweetens the atmosphere of your home.
The beauty of His presence warms the relationships within its walls.
The joy of His presence lightens every heart.
The glory of His presence fills all its chambers with rare and precious treasures.

“From God’s Heart to Yours” by Roy Leesin

Let us pray for one another.
May God bless you and yours throughout this Christmas Season.
We wish you a happy and peaceful
New Year and always try to remember
“Holiness is in the ordinary.”

FROM THE DESK OF FR. BRANDO

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

A big thank you to those who decorated our church beautifully. Thank you also to the musicians who provided us with lively music, to the lectors who proclaimed the Word, to the altar servers who are always available when needed, to our hospitality ministers who welcome everyone with a ready smile and to all our generous parishioners who always make me grateful for the goodness of the Lord.

May my gratitude to all of you create a vision for tomorrow. Have a great and wonderful New Year!

Fr. Brando

Christmas Schedule 2013

NEW YEAR’S EVE – Wednesday, December 31st
No 9:00 AM Mass
Mass at 4:30 PM for the Feast of Mary the Mother of God
Office Open 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM only

NEW YEAR’S DAY – Thursday, January 1st
FEAST OF MARY THE MOTHER OF GOD
10:30 AM
12:30 PM
Office Closed

Parking

While parking at ground level is limited to 51 spaces, there is plenty of space in the underground parking lot. Please follow the instructions of the attendants. Do not park in front of the Church since this is a fire route and must be kept clear.

Additional parking is available on the east side of Elkhorn Public School and in the bus loop. Again, please follow the instructions of the attendant. The school requests that we do not park on the grass. Many thanks to Holly Richards, the Principal of Elkhorn Public School, for allowing us the use of the school property.

ANNOUNCED MASSES

December 29th, 2014 to January 3rd, 2015

MONDAY – MRS. WAI KING TSANG – Requested by Pauline & Linda
TUESDAY – FRANCISCO & MA. ROSARIO CALIMBAS – Requested by Estrella, Cherrie, Stella & Isabel
WEDNESDAY – NEW YEARS EVE
THURSDAY – NEW YEARS DAY
FRIDAY – MELENCIO YAO – Requested by Susana Yao
SATURDAY – Mr. & Mrs. WONG SANG MOU – Requested by Catherine Soong

CASSEROLES FOR THE GOOD SHEPHERD CENTRE

Your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekend of January 3rd/4th 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. 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.

MOSAIC INTERFAITH Social Justice: Is It the Way to Peace?

Sunday January 18th at 2:00 PM

Temple Har Zion, 7360 Bayview Avenue, Thornhill

“Mosaic Interfaith invites you to attend the Annual Program in honour of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. The topic this year is “Social Justice: Is it the Way to Peace?”. The program will be held at the Temple Har Zion at 7360 Bayview Avenue, Thornhill on January 18, 2015; from 2:00 to 4:00 PM” Please RSVP to Tina at 416 897 1544 by Thursday January 15th. For more information see the poster on the bulletin board.”

FINANCE CORNER

The Parish’s 2014 budgeted operating expenses average $14,550 per week.

Offertory Collection for last weekend:

Envelopes 418 $11,864
Loose Change 922
Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 164 3,058

Total 582 $15,844

If you are a regular Parish member and you do not contribute to the Offertory collection, the Finance Council reminds you that “the financial burden of the Parish is the responsibility of each and all parishioners to the extent that your means allow”.

For those parishioners who contribute to the offertory on a regular weekly basis, we thank you for your constant support.

Have you considered using PAG or Donate Now?

OFFERTORY ENVELOPES FOR 2015

The 2015 Offertory Boxed Envelopes are available in the Gathering Space. Please pick yours up as soon as possible. If you have a PAG or Donate Now account, you will still receive a smaller green box of envelopes since these include Initial, New Year’s, Christmas, Easter and Maintenance envelopes. You may contact the Parish Office if you do not have envelopes but would like a box for 2015.

Please note: All donations for 2014 must be received in the Parish Office by Tuesday, December 30th 2014 or they will not be included in your 2014 Tax Receipt.

Homily – December 25, 2014

Thursday, December 25th, 2014

Have you ever noticed that when an infant is brought into a room he or she immediately becomes the center of attention? There are all kinds of compliments about how cute, adorable, sweet he or she is. The infant is passed around from person to admiring person. Kissed and tickled. Then he or she is immediately returned to the mother if there is an accident.

Today the attention and worship of billions of Christians are centered on an infant, Jesus, the son of Mary, the babe of Bethlehem. We are in awe that our God comes to us as a fragile, helpless infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a feeding trough. This infant is the center of attention of his parents, the shepherds and the angels of God. The hopes and fears of all the years are met in him this night.

Christmas is usually a children’s feast. There are toy drives everywhere – no child should be without a toy. Parents take great delight as they watch their young ones rip open their gifts and hear their squeals of happiness as they show what they got from Santa.

Children are our greatest possession. They bring us joy, they bring us grief but they are our future. We find it incomprehensible when we hear stories of mothers or fathers killing or abusing their children as happened in Australia this past week. Yet we know it happens. We ask ‘how could any rational human being go from class room to classroom slaughtering 140 children, snuffing out young and promising lives as happened in Pakistan. Imagine the grief of the mothers and fathers of these innocents. Imagine the relief and the joys of the mothers and fathers of those children who survived that dreadful day. They probably squeezed their sons and daughters so tightly. They appreciated as never before how much they loved their children and how precious they were to them.

On this feast of the Christ Child on this feast of children as you parents and grandparents celebrate this day with your children could you use this day and time to make a promise that you will treasure your children, especially the older ones, they are the one that can cause you grief and challenge your patience? My mother used to say to my brothers and me,’ the older you get the worse you get.’ She was always so affirming. It is so important that you pass on your values to you children, especially the values of our Christian faith, a faith that teaches us the worth and the dignity of every human being. May your sons and daughters be free of any prejudices and hang ups that may be part of your lives. May they see in every person they meet as they live out their lives a brother of sister a person for whom Christ was born in Bethlehem and died on Calvary. Teach them to see in every person they meet a son or daughter of our loving Father regardless of the person’s race, color, creed or life style. Nourish your children’s faith by giving them a living example of your faith through your attendance at Sunday Mass and by family prayer. The prayer said over parents at a child’s baptism says to parents – you are the first teachers of your children in the ways of faith, may you also be the best of teachers by what you say and what you do. Our faith and our values come to us through osmosis from our parents.

You’ve probably seen that poster titled ‘Children learn what they live’. Here are a few lines to keep in mind;

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.

But

If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves..
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

Parenting is not an easy vocation. Some of you may be saying to yourselves, he doesn’t know the half of it.. I know, I took the easy way out. As we celebrate the birth of the Christ child may all you good parents, single parents and grandparents be blessed with the grace of treasuring your sons and daughters, your grandchildren, they are your your treasures, they are your future.

May we all be blessed with a peaceful and holy Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Mary’s child, Jesus the babe of Bethlehem.

Homily – December 21, 2014

Sunday, December 21st, 2014

Today’s gospel tells of that moment in time when God intruded into the lives of a young engaged couple living in a backwater village called Nazareth. Theirs was a simple life. The engaged Mary was probably making plans for her upcoming wedding. It would be a simple affair. Her future husband probably 16 years old, was an apprenticed carpenter and like Mary a person of limited means.

Luke’s telling of the angel’s visit to Mary and the consequences of that visit, that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of the most high would overshadow her and her child would be holy and called the Son of God teaches us that the history of Jesus does not emerge out of the stream of ongoing history but tells us of the transcendental origin of the history of Jesus. God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, one is being with the Father.

Gabriel promised Mary her son would be great, and would be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will have no end.’

Mary’s answer to Gabriel’s mysterious message was, ‘be it done to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed and Mary’s life began to be complicated. When she returned home after going to help her aged cousin Elizabeth with the birth of John the Baptist, Mary’s pregnancy was obvious. Young Joseph was at his wits end. He decided to divorce Mary quietly, there would be no scandal. Then God intruded into Joseph’s life too. Trusting in the mysterious ways of God Joseph took Mary as his wife.

This Thursday we will be celebrating the birthday of Mary’s first born child.

Pope Paul V1 described Mary as ‘she whose life was available to God.’ She never took back her words,’ be it done unto me according to your word.’ Those words would cost Mary. She endured the long journey to Bethlehem and gave birth in stable. At Joseph’s insistence they fled to Egypt to protect their child’s life. After years of what we know as the ‘hidden years’ Jesus began to preach to the people that the kingdom of God was near. Mary must have worried about him as reports came back to Nazareth that Jesus was upsetting and making enemies of powerful people in Jerusalem. Then Mary was brought the startling news of Jesus’ arrest, his quick trial and his death sentence. Mary rushed to be with her son. We can’t imagine what went through her mind as she stood at the cross and looked at the beaten and naked body to which she had given birth. We can wonder if she remembered the words we just heard in the gospel; he will be great and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will have no end.’ Such a memory would test her faith. How can this be – be it done unto me according to your word. Mary was ever faithful to these words even as she helped lay the body of Jesus in a borrowed tomb.

If we think about it, every time we say the Our Father we echo Mary’s words, be it done to be according to your word. Every time we say the Our Father we too make our lives available to God as we say ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done.’ These are easy words to say but not easy words to live especially when things go wrong in our lives. Thy will be done may challenges us to accept an unexpected illness in our life or a death of one we love. Thy will be done will challenge us to struggle with living Christ’s great commandment, ‘love one another as I have loved you or forgiving someone who has really wronged us. Be it done to me – these were no easy words for Mary to live – thy will be done – are not easy words for us to live, but we try and as always, some days we win and some days we lose.

As we come closer to the birth of Jesus we ask his loving and faithful mother for the help we need to say, with as much generosity as we can – be it done to me according to your word and like Mary try to make our lives available to God as we pray, thy will be done.