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bulletin – January 11

Sunday, January 11th, 2009

ANNOUNCED MASSES

Date Time Intentions
January 13 9:00AM CHUN KUN YEUNG Requested by Agnes Wong & Family
January 15 9:00AM CHUN KUN YEUNG Requested by Teresa Marchie
January 16 9:00AM VITO VIRGILIO Requested by the Virgilio Family
January 17 4:30PM PAUL CASEY Requested by Kathi & Philip Leah

NEW YEAR’S COLLECTION

Total: $7,432

SUNDAY COLLECTION: Christmas/December 2008

Total: $12,241

–>

4:30 8:30 10:30 12:30
Loose
Env. $
Total $3,314 $2,328 $4,173 $2,426
# of Env. 189 110 217 115

Number of Envelopes Issued: 1,136
Number of Envelopes Used: 631

NEW OFFICE HOURS

The new hours for the Parish Office are:
Monday to Friday – 8:30 AM to 12:00 Noon
1:30 PM to 4:30 PM

Weekend hours remain unchanged.
Saturday: 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Sunday: 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM

TUESDAY NIGHTS AND WEDNESDAY MORNINGS ARE LEARNING TIMES

Tuesday, January 13th at 7:30 PM
Topic: The Bible: How the Bible Was Written

Wednesday, January 14th at 10:00 AM
Topic: Movie: “Romero”

BIBLE STUDY WITH FR. BERNARD

Grow in your faith by studying the Bible regularly. Fr. Bernard’s Bible Study Group will begin again on Monday, January 12th 2009.at 7:30 PM. All are welcome. Bring a friend and your Bible.

OFFERTORY ENVELOPES FOR 2009

The 2009 Offertory Boxed Envelopes are available in the Gathering Space today. It is important that you throw away all envelopes from previous years as your number might have been assigned to another family. Please enter your full name and address on each envelope so that we may allocate donations correctly for income tax purposes. If you do not have envelopes and would like a box, please contact the Parish Office at 416-221-8866

UPDATING OUR PARISH RECORDS

We are updating our Parish Records. If you are a new parishioner and have not yet registered, please fill out a registration card which can be obtained at the Parish Office. If you have recently moved, please let us know your new address so that our records will be correct. Parish Office: 416-221-8866

JUST COFFEE

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

Regular ground Coffee: $5
Decaffeinated $6
Whole Beans $5
Chocolate Bars: $4 including taxes
Hot Chocolate and Cocoa; $4.50
Teas: $3.25 to $4.00 by variety

FUNDRAISER

For Special Education Schools in Sri Lanka

6 Left – $65 Each

The remaining souvenir mosaic pictures will be on sale on Sunday, February 1st after all the Masses. Money from the sales will go to care for children in the first and only special education schools in Sri Lanka.

See www.GodsOwnChildren.com for more information.

QUEEN OF APOSTLES RENEWAL CENTRE

Retreat Weekend for Women
January 23 – 25, 2009

There will be a weekend retreat for women at Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre from January 23rd to January 25th, 2009.

The theme will be based on the Year of St. Paul and preached by the house team of Oblate priests together with Mrs. Anne Hales.

For registration, or to obtain further information call 905-278-5229.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul would like to thank you, the parishioners, and the families of students at St. Gabriel’s School for their generosity throughout the year but particularly during the Christmas period. This has enabled us to help many of our neighbors in need, in and around the parish, all of whom are very grateful for your practical thoughtfulness.

VOCATIONS

Jesus’ identity is revealed as “The Son of God” through His baptism in the Jordan. Our identity as “children of God” is revealed through our baptism. Our lives then, must constantly witness Jesus as Lord.

If you think God is calling you to a Church vocation, call Fr. Liborio at 416-968-0997.
vocation@vocations.ca
www.vocationstoronto.ca



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homily – January 5

Monday, January 5th, 2009

Matthew 2:1-12

On November 19th, 2006, Cardinal Ambrozic consecrated our church. Just before the ceremony began the choir sang a hymn titled “All are welcome” the refrain of the hymn was “all are welcome in this place.” Today’s feast of the Epiphany is all about “all are welcome.” The first reading from Isaiah tells of a future time when the kingdom of Israel is restored and returns to faithfulness to God, then kings and nations will come to bask in its light, exiles from far away will come home. All are welcome in this place.

St. Paul shocks the Jewish Christians of Ephesus when he tells them the shocking truth, “the Gentiles, the non Jews are their fellow heirs, members of the same body and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” All are welcome for in Christ there is neither Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female – all are one in Christ, all are welcome.

We hear in this story of the Magi following the star of God’s grace, seeking the new born king of the Jews, this same truth. This new born king has come for people of every land and nation and all are welcome.

One of the plagues of every religion has been the conviction that they have an exclusive ownership of God. You can’t get into heaven if you don’t know the password which only they can give you. This is why we’ve had such a long history of sectarian and religious conflicts. This is why we have tensions in our present society with the rise of radical fundamentalists – be they Christian, Moslem, Hindu, Buddhists, whatever. People who are convinced they have the truth and unless you agree with them, you are lost.

Just recently a group known as Pew Forum did a survey asking people whether or not they believed that people who did not share their faith would go to heaven. 65% of those who responded said yes. This upset a number of Evangelicals. They maintained that the question was not asked properly. So the Forum did it again making sure the question was as clear as possible. This time around the percentage of those who believed that those who did not share their faith would still go to heaven was 60% – again much to the consternation of some leading evangelicals. Thank God that we are finally getting the message of this feast, that Jesus came for all people and all are welcome. The way St. Peter expressed this truth was when he was a guest at the house of the centurion Cornelius, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” All are welcomed; all are embraced by the crucified and risen Christ. How that will be worked out in the lives of persons who do not share our Christian faith will be worked out in God’s embracing love for us all.

What does this feast have to say to us? Maybe it can challenge us to look at the way we see and accept men and women of other faiths, cultures and lifestyles. Do we allow ourselves to be limited by our own bigotry, prejudice or discriminations? Do we exclude people from our lives, because of who they are, or what they believe, or how they live? Are we ready to accept the message of this feast of the Epiphany: “all are welcome”?

As we continue to celebrate this feast which challenges us to be happy with its wonderful truth “all are welcome” we can pray for ourselves and for each other that we put aside our prejudices and be willing to accept others for who and what they are; sons and daughters of our loving God, redeemed by the blood of Christ crucified. May we live the wonderful truth, in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, male or female, slave or free but we are all one in the Christ Who loved us and gave His life for us all.



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bulletin – January 4

Sunday, January 4th, 2009

The Epiphany of Christ is a shining light set at the turning of the year to illuminate all that has gone before and to guide us through the year ahead.

NEW OFFICE HOURS

The new hours for the Parish Office are:
Monday to Friday – 9:00 AM to 12 Noon
1:30 PM to 5:00 PM

Weekend hours remain unchanged.

Saturday; 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Sunday: 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM

ANNOUNCED MASSES

Date Time Intentions
January 6 9:00AM MARIA DIDIONDATO Requested by The Rochford Family
January 8 9:00AM CHUN KUN YEUNG John & Diana Chan
January 9 9:00AM DOUGLAS ROBERTS Requested by Steve Previdsa
January 10 4:30PM HAMON YVON Requested by Noel Yvon

SUNDAY COLLECTION: Christmas/Decenber 2008

Total: $31,929/$13,929

–>

4:30 8:30 10:30 12:30
Loose
Env. $
Total $3,107 $2,494 $3,262 $5,066
# of Env. 99 77 161 85

Number of Envelopes Issued: 1,136
Number of Envelopes Used: 422

TUESDAY NIGHTS AND WEDNESDAY MORNINGS ARE LEARNING TIMES

Next Meetings:
Wednesday, January 7th at 10:00 AM
Topic: Movie: “Romero”
Tuesday, January 13th at 7:30 PM
Topic: The Bible: How the Bible was written

ST. GABRIEL’S YOUTH GROUP

St. Gabriel’s Youth Group will be meeting on Saturday, January 10th at 3:00 PM.
All are welcome.

THANK YOU

With this feast of the Epiphany we close our celebration of Christmas and we look forward to a Peaceful New Year. Sincere thanks to all who supported the Toy and Food Drives. You are wonderful people!

FAMILY MASS

There will be no Family Mass in January, 2008. The next Family Mass will be on February 8th, 2009.

CASSEROLES FOR THE GOOD SHEPHERD CENTRE

Thank you to the volunteers who prepared 46 casseroles for the Good Shepherd Centre for December. For January, your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at all the Masses on the weekend of January 24th and 25th for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre. More volunteers are encouraged to become active in helping to feed our less fortunate sisters and brothers. If you require more information or would like to get a copy of the recipe and a casserole pan, please contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791.

VOCATIONS

The Son of God is manifested to the world first through the visit of the magi. Today, God’s Son is brought into the world and is present to the world through His Church. If you think God is calling you to a Church vocation, call Fr. Liborio at 416-968-0997.

Email: vocation@vocations.ca
Website: www.vocationstoronto.ca

NEW BEGINNINGS

For Separated, Divorced and Widowed Persons

Mini – Renewal Presentation
January 6th, 2009 at 8:00 PM
St Bonaventure’s Church,
1300 Leslie Street, Toronto

Saying “Yes” to Life
Guest Speaker: John Dubeau
Spend an evening with friends who understand you.
For more information, please call
416-921-1163, Ext. 2246
New Beginnings,
1155 Yonge Street, 2nd Floor
Toronto, Ontario,
M2M 3S4



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homily – December 28

Sunday, December 28th, 2008

Luke 2:22-40

Recently I read this very realistic description of the Holy Family – A betrothed man feels jilted – words at the child’s presentation in the temple cause anxiety – a political threat causes the family to seek refuge in a foreign country and hide out in Nazareth after their return – a child runs away in Jerusalem – a mother has difficulty perceiving her son’s plan in Cana – the family believes he is out of his mind and tries to bring him home – a son is arrested and executed in his prime -a mother is left by her dying son in the care of a non relative – – truly theirs was a family fraught with all of the ups and downs, joy and sadness of our own families.

As I said this is a realistic portrait of the life of Mary, Joseph and Jesus.

I received a Christmas card from a former classmate of mine – he was one of my best friends in the seminary and in the priesthood. I was shocked when he left the priesthood. He married (they had three children – all adults now). His first son was born with only half of a left arm. In their late teens both his daughters were heavily into drugs – and in his Christmas card he tells me his wife has been under medication for the past ten years for clinical depression.

In my years as a priest I have been spared all his troubles – and I admire the commitment his has to his wife and family in his new vocation as husband and father.

That’s why I keep telling you – the saints of the church are in the pews of the church – someone has said the family is a little church – and it’s your life within your little church that brings you to holiness. Your struggles to keep alive and deepen your first love – your efforts to raise sons and daughters passing on to them the learned wisdom of your own lives – the way you deal with hurts and disappointments – your patience with teenage sons and daughters as they work their way through the insanity of those years – young people have to deal with feelings of not being understood or appreciated by parents – the anxiety of going on to college – trying to sort a career – good people have to face the loneliness of widowhood – the pain and anger of divorce – the struggles and hard work of being a single parent – good people are dealing with family illness, family alienations – all these mixed in with the joys of family celebrations of feasts and birthdays and anniversaries – new births and weddings – all these are part and parcel of family life – many of them were experienced in the family life of Mary, Joseph and Jesus.

As I mentioned many times before, holiness is in the ordinary – we come to holiness in the ordinary living of our ordinary lives – being open to whatever comes our way with each new day – trusting the truth that God is with us every step of the way – trusting the promise of Christ, I am with you always even to the end.

This feast is your feast – as you come to holiness through all your efforts to live a positive, healthy and holy family life – and as you know so well – some days you win and some days you lose – but you never give up. This is what makes you the saints of the church – the heroes and heroines of the church. You are the ones who make the church holy.

As we continue to celebrate this feast of the holy family we pray as a parish family for all the families of our parish – the solid and the troubled families – that God’s peace and healing be found in every home in this parish family of St. Gabriel’s.



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bulletin – December 28

Sunday, December 28th, 2008

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 it’s walls.
The joy of His presence lightens every heart.
The glory of His presence fills all it’s chambers with rare and precious treasures.

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

Christmas & New Year’s Schedule

NEW YEARS’ EVE WED DEC 31st NO MASS
NEW YEARS’ DAY MASSES THUR JAN 1st 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM

ANNOUNCED MASSES

Date Time Intentions
December 30 9:00AM ROSA LOURDES RYCKEWAERT Requested by Carmela Dean
January 1 9:00AM NEW YEAR’S DAY
January 2 9:00AM CHUN KUN YEUNG Requested by Agnes Wong & Family
January 3 4:30PM AUGUSTINE WONG Requested by Angela Wong

WELCOME! BAPTISMS

The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome:
Juliet DiMenna
Rodleigh Paz

These children received the Sacrament of Baptism on Sunday, December 21st. Congratulations!

SUNDAY COLLECTION: December 20-21, 2008

Total: $11,404

–>

4:30 8:30 10:30 12:30
Loose
Env. $
Total $2,823 $1,568 $2,224 $4,789
# of Env. 142 58 124 103

Number of Envelopes Issued: 1136
Number of Envelopes Used: 427

THANK YOU

A special thank you to all those who helped with our Christmas celebrations; those in the Music Ministry, the Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors, the Altar Servers and Ministers of Hospitality, those responsible for decorating, and the Pastoral Team. Your work helped to make Christmas a beautiful and uplifting time.

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION

O Come let us adore Him.

Jesus, who came to us as a Babe in the manger, waits for us daily in the tabernacle to come and visit Him. On the First Friday of each month, the Sacred Host, the same Jesus, is exposed in the monstrance so we can adore Him more profoundly from 9:30 AM to 12:00 Noon. When the disciples asked Jesus “Where are you staying?” Jesus answered, “Come and see.”

ENGLISH ROSARY GROUP

Saturday, January 3rd at 3:15 PM in the Library
For information, please contact Linda Law at 416-918-8029.

CHINESE ROSARY GROUP

Sunday, January 4th at 3:30 PM in the Gabriel Room
For information, please contact Linda Law at 416-918-8029.

ECO-SABBATH

Sunday, January 4th at 11:30 AM
Gabriel Room

On the first Sunday of each month, the Passionist Centre for Ecology and Spirituality facilitates a 30 minute reflection and discussion prompted by the readings for that Sunday’s liturgy. The guided reflection brings an ecological perspective to the readings. All are welcome.

FAMILY MASS

There will be no Family Mass in January, 2008.
The next Family Mass will be on February 8th ,2009.

ST. GABRIEL’S YOUTH GROUP

St. Gabriel’s Youth Group will be meeting on Saturday, January 10th at 3:00 PM. All are welcome.

KOLBE EUCHARISTIC MINI-RETREAT

Come and adore the Lord
Saturday, January 3rd, 2009

Fr. Emeka Obiezu, O.S.A. will be speaking on “St. Paul and the Eucharist as a Sacrament of Unity” at St. Brigid’s Church from 2:00 to 4:30 PM.
For more information, please check www.kolbeapostolate.com.

NEW BEGINNINGS

For Separated, Divorced and Widowed Persons

Mini – Renewal Presentation
January 6th, 2009 at 8:00 PM
St Bonaventure’s Church,
1300 Leslie Street, Toronto

Saying “Yes” to Life
Guest Speaker: John Dubeau
Spend an evening with friends who understand you.
For more information, please call
416-921-1163, Ext. 2246
New Beginnings,
1155 Yonge Street, 2nd Floor
Toronto, Ontario,
M2M 3S4

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.”



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