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bulletin – March 3

Saturday, March 3rd, 2007

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

Friday evenings at 7:30 PM

FIRST RECONCILIATION

(St. Gabriel’s School children) Saturday March 24th at 11:00 AM in the Church.

(All children in Children’s Faith Program) Saturday March 24th at 2:00PM in the Church.

ANNOUNCED MASSES

Date Time Intentions
Mar. 6 9:00AM GEORGIA ANGELA de NOBREGA req Family
Mar. 8 9:00AM TULIO RAMIREZ req Family
Mar. 9 9:00AM ARMANDO & WALTER Di NARDO req Pasqua
Mar. 10 4:30PM GORDON OATWAY req Family

SUNDAY COLLECTION: February 24/25, 2007

Total: $9,417

–>

4:30 8:30 10:30 12:30
Loose
Env. $
Total 2,135 1,573 3,234 2,475
# of Env. 130 100 155 99

WEDNESDAY MORNING

PLACE: LIBRARY
March 7th at 10:30 AM – 12 noon
Vatican II – THEN AND NOW

TUESDAY EVENING

March 6th
TIME: 7:30 – 9:00PM
PLACE: Library
TOPIC: “THE GREAT SCHISM” – The Roman Catholic/Greek Orthodox split
For more information on any of the above topics, contact Mary Landry at 416-293-3760.

ECOLOGY CONCERNS

We have formed an environmental focus group here at St. Gabriel’s. Our next meeting will be on March 8, 2007 at 7:30 PM in the Gabriel Room. Everyone is welcome to join us and share their ideas. We will tour the new church with Marilyn Doré as part of our meeting. For more information contact Mary Landry at 416-293-3760.

POTLUCK DINNER!

Since last November, a group of parishioners in the parish, who are newcomers to the country, have been meeting and getting to know and support one another. On March 16th, they will be having a potluck dinner at 7:30 PM. All recent immigrants who have not been able to join the group’s activities are most welcome to do so. For details call Fatima Lee at (416) 221-8866 ext 228.

Call the parish office at 416-221-8866 if you have a stationary bike that you could loan us for 2 months

RECOGNIZE. REFLECT. RESPOND. SHARELIFE.

We are asked to be joyful givers. To give not only of our time, treasure and our talents, but to share all of the gifts that God has given us. We need to Recognize that we are here only for a short time as God’s caretakers, trustees and managers and He invites us to Reflect on how to share sacrificially with those in need. A gift to ShareLife enables us to Respond to those less fortunate, allowing us to say “I am privileged to share God’s gifts with you.”

CASSEROLES FOR THE GOOD SHEPHERD CENTRE

Thank you to the volunteers who prepared 68 casseroles for the Good Shepherd Centre for February. For March, your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekend of March 24/25 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 2221-2791.

WORLDWIDE MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER – March 23 – 25, 2007

Married couples: You deserve a weekend to celebrate being together; to rediscover each other and focus on ways to make your relationship even better. A Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend offers this opportunity. Consider giving each other or another couple that you know the gift of a weekend away from daily pressures; time to be with each other and with God on a Marriage Encounter Weekend. For further information or registration please contact: David and Lucy Adams 905-470-9590 or email adams@rogers.com

C.L.I.M.B.

Catholic Leadership: Identify. Motivate. Believe. is a leadership program designed by the office of Catholic Youth (OCY) for young people throughout the Archdiocese of Toronto. In four
sessions held over four months (March – June), young people will have the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of their own gifts and be encouraged to put those gifts at the service of their parishes, schools, families and communities. The program is open to young leaders aged 15 – 19 and the total cost is $45.00 per participant. Anyone wishing to be involved should email his or her name, address, phone number, parish and school to John Dawson at: johnd@ocytoronto.org . For more information visit the website at: www.ocytoronto.org.

SEEING WITH HEART

There will be a Day of Reflection for the catholic parents of lesbian daughters and gay sons on Friday June 1st from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at MANRESA JESUIT RETREAT CENTER in Pickering. Cost: $40.00 (includes lunch). For a brochure and information call John Montague 416-523-6449.

DAY OF REFLECTION AT BLESSED TRINITY PARISH

on Tuesday, March 9th at 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM.
Speaker: Msgr. Conrad Dachuck, Pastor of St. Catherine of Alexandria. Lunch will be served. Cost $13. RSVP: Kathy Nelson at 905-886-7681.



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homily – February 25

Sunday, February 25th, 2007

Luke 4:1-13

This Sunday’s gospel is all about the temptation of Jesus in the desert. Temptation – it’s probably our most commonly shared human experience. Usually when we hear the word ‘temptation’ with think of sexual temptations. One of our older priests was telling one time of the difficulty he had studying theology. He told us that every time he heard the word ‘grace’ his mind went automatically to a girl named Grace who lived next door to him when he was a teenager – she used to drive him crazy – the association of ideas never left him. You’ve probably heard the story of the young priest asking the old priest, ‘when do temptations cease?’ and the old priest answers, ‘a half an hour after you’re dead.’

Temptation: its defined as an allurement to something evil under the aspect of good. Remember when Satan tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit – she knew God told Adam and herself they were not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – but Eve saw that ‘it was pleasing to the eye’, it was alluring and so she ate it. And it’s been downhill ever since.

In today’s gospel we have Satan trying to lure Jesus away from His life given task. Jesus spent His forty days in the desert trying to come to grips with the words He heard when He was baptized in the Jordon, “You are My Son, the Beloved, My favor rests on You.” In that time of fast and prayer Jesus came to have a better understanding of His relationship with God, Who He was and the mission to which God called Him.

Satan tries to lure Jesus away from that mission or distract Him from fulfilling that mission by the misuse of power, possessions and domination. Jesus rejects every allurement – every false promise of power, popularity and possessions. Satan tries to lure, entice Jesus away from being Who He is – Satan tries to lure Jesus into disowning Himself, disowning His own integrity.

Someone once referred to ‘the temptation fields of our lives’, something like the minefields of our lives. We have to tread carefully. There is not a day goes by we are tempted to be someone or something we are not. When we were baptized we received in a special way our identity – you are my beloved son, my beloved daughter, my favor rests on you. At our baptisms we became sons and daughters of the Father – this is our identity – and we are faithful to it when we try to live and love and forgive as Christ-like men and women.

But everyday we are tempted to be someone, something we are not when we are tempted to anger, resentment, when we are impatient with the weakness of others. Everyday we are tempted to be someone or something we are not when we exclude any person from our lives because of who or what they are – everyday we are tempted to be someone or something we are not when we imagine our happiness and fulfillment will be found in having, possessing. TV advertisements are all about luring us, enticing us to possess more and more – luring us into believing our happiness, our fulfillment will come when we live in this home, drive this car, wear this clothing, keep this diet, use this I Pod – the list could go on and on. Everyday we are tempted to be someone or something we are not when we give in to abusing the clout, the muscle we may have over someone else. Every day we are tempted to be someone, something we are not when we are tempted to ignore or belittle the calls for a change in life style to which the present environmental crisis calls us.

One of the worst temptations that may come our way is when we face our own faults and failing and we tempted by the conviction that God has no time for one such as me, God must be disgusted with me, that God couldn’t love one such me after what I’ve done.

Temptations are part and parcel of our lives – Satan tried unsuccessfully to turn Jesus away from Who He was and His mission in life. Satan will try to lure us away from being whom and what we are; sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of the Christ Who loved us and gave His life for us.

Facing this reality of our lives we can take courage from the words of St. Paul in his letter to the Hebrews when he encourages the early Christians with these words that never loose their power and truth: ‘For it is not as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin.’ Let us be confident then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.



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bulletin – February 25

Sunday, February 25th, 2007

Passionist Insignia

FEAST OF ST. GABRIEL

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27th
St. Gabriel was a member of the Passionist Community. He was born Frances Possenti on March 1, 1838 in Assisi, and died February 27, 1862 at the age of 24. He had a special devotion to Mary and chose as his religious name Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin. He is remembered for his enthusiasm in life and his extraordinary generosity. Pope John XXIII proclaimed him as a special Patron of Youth.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

Friday evenings at 7:30 PM beginning Friday March 9, 2007

INTERNATIONAL EUCHARIST CONGRESS

Each parish is allowed two “pilgrims” to attend this Congress. The cost is $1675 (double occupancy). If you are interested in representing St. Gabriel’s Parish at this Congress contact the parish office. It would help if you let us know by March 1st. Fr. Paul

ANNOUNCED MASSES

Date Time Intentions
Feb. 27 9:00AM GARY DORÉ req Family
Mar. 1 9:00AM FR. LUIGI req Lorraine & Russell Ciccotti
Mar. 2 9:00AM Repose of the Souls in Purgatory
Mar. 3 4:30PM HOLLY DURANT req Paolini Family

SUNDAY COLLECTION: February 17/18, 2007

Total: $9,339.71

–>

4:30 8:30 10:30 12:30
Loose
Env. $
Total 2,388.26 1,870.38 2,791.50 1,914.40
# of Env. 127 94 164 96

EUCHARIST ADORATION

Friday, March 2nd at 9:30 AM
Every first Friday of the month from 9:30 AM to noon. See the time schedule on the table inside the Church.

ENGLISH ROSARY GROUP

Saturday, March 3rd at 3:15 PM
We meet in the Library on the first Saturday of every month. We welcome all who wish to share this time with us. For information contact Linda Law at 416-918-8029.

CHINESE ROSARY GROUP

Sunday, March 4th at 4:00 PM
We are a group of Chinese (Cantonese speaking) who get together the first Sunday of every month in the Gabriel Room. For information contact Linda Law at 416-918-8029.

FAMILY MASS

will take place at the 12:30 Mass on Sunday, March 4th. Come and celebrate with us.

PARENTS RECONCILIATION INFORMATION MEETING

on Thursday, March 1, 2007 from 7:30 – 9:00 PM in the Gabriel Room. This meeting is for the parents of the children receiving Reconciliation for the first time.

BAPTISMS – WELCOME!

HANNAH HA-RHEE
MICHAEL XAVIER BRIA
JOHN BENEDICT SALINAS
MARCUS PALERMO
AVA SIANA MAMMOLITI
EMILY SHEILAGH DEUEL
HONG DUC CHENG
XAVIER TRAN
MAXXIMUS TRAN
ADAMO NUNZIO MOGDAN
KENNETH TYLER SAULNIER-WALTON

ST. GABRIEL’S CONCERT SERIES

Sunday March 4th at 3:00 PM
Parishioners Marianne Zin-Orlowski – Soprano Soloist, Joseph Orlowski – TSO Clarinettist, Alex Seredenko – Pianist, and Suzanne Kilgore – Soprano, are offering us “An Afternoon of Song”. Join us for this delightful presentation. Admission $5 at the door (a portion will go to charity).

ECO-SABBATH

Sunday, March 4th at 11:30 AM in the 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. This guided reflection brings an ecological perspective to the readings.

WEDNESDAY MORNINGS

LIBRARY
February 28th at 10:30 AM – 12 noon – BIBLE STUDY – The Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ
March 7th at 10:30 AM – 12 noon – Vatican II – THEN AND NOW

TUESDAY EVENING

March 6th
7:30 – 9:00PM
Library
TOPIC: “THE GREAT SCHISM” – The Roman Catholic/Greek Orthodox split
For more information on any of the above topics, contact Mary Landry at 416-293-3760.

ECOLOGY CONCERNS

We are forming an environmental focus group here at St. Gabriel’s. Our next meeting will be on March 8, 2007 at 7:30 PM in the Gabriel Room. Everyone is welcome to join us and share their ideas. We will tour the building with Marilyn Doré as part of our meeting. For more information contact Mary Landry at 416-293-3760.

DAY OF REFLECTION AT BLESSED TRINITY PARISH

on Tuesday, March 9th at 9:00 AM.
Speaker: Msgr Conrad Dachuck, Chaplain – North York Knights of Columbus.

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER 2007

The theme for this years service is “United Under God’s Tent” – written by the women of Paraguay. This celebration, which takes place throughout the world in Christian Churches, will be hosted by
FOREST GROVE UNITED CHURCH, 43 Forest Grove Drive on Friday, March 2nd at 2:00 PM. Join us for this ecumenical service.

CANADIAN BLOOD SERVICES

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26th
2:30 – 7:00 PM
at St. Gabriel’s Church.
Will you help by donating the “Gift of Life”?

Call the parish office at 416-221-8866 if you have a stationary bike that you could loan us for 2 months.



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bulletin – February 18

Sunday, February 18th, 2007

ASH WEDNESDAY is FEBRUARY 21ST

Special Masses will be celebrated at 9:00 AM and 7:30 PM with the distribution of ashes. During Lent, we encourage your attendance at our weekday Masses on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings at 9:00 AM

DAYS OF FAST AND ABSTINENCE DURING LENT ARE ASH WEDNESDAY AND GOOD FRIDAY.

ANNOUNCED MASSES

Date Time Intentions
Feb. 20 9:00AM SPECIAL INTENTION req John Chan & Family
Feb. 22 9:00AM TULIO ENRIQUE req Family
Feb. 23 9:00AM MARCELINO FERNANDES req Tita Fernandes & Family
Feb. 24 4:30PM JOSEPHINE BADAME req Family

SUNDAY COLLECTION: February 10/11, 2007

Total: $9,085.39

–>

4:30 8:30 10:30 12:30
Loose
Env. $
Total 2,116.41 1,568.23 3,497.20 1,903.55
# of Env. 115 92 194 87

PARENTS RECONCILIATION INFORMATION MEETING

on Thursday, March 1, 2007 from 7:30 – 9:00 PM in the Gabriel Room. This meeting is for the parents of the children receiving Reconciliation for the first time.

WEDNESDAY MORNINGS

PLACE: LIBRARY
February 28th at 10:30 AM – 12 noon – BIBLE STUDY – The Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ
February 21st at 10:30 AM – 12 noon – Vatican II – THEN AND NOW

TUESDAY EVENING

February 20th
TIME: 7:30 – 9:00PM
PLACE: Library
TOPIC: History of Sunni-Shiite Islamic relations.
For more information on any of the above topics, please contact Mary Landry at 416-293-3760.

ECOLOGY CONCERNS

We are forming an environmental focus group here at St. Gabriel’s. Our next meeting will be on March 8, 2007 at 7:30 PM in the Gabriel Room. Everyone is welcome to join us and share their ideas. We will tour the building with Marilyn Doré as part of our meeting. For more information please phone Mary Landry at 416-293-3760.

CHINESE NEW YEAR PARTY

You are cordially invited to come and celebrate the Chinese New Year, which will take place on FEBRUARY 25th, after the 12:30 PM MASS, in the Gathering space. This is an event organized for the whole parish community. Please mark your calendars! (Volunteers and donations are welcome. Please contact Linda Law at 416-918-8029.

CASSEROLES

Your prepared chicken rice casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses next weekend for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre. More volunteers are encouraged to get a copy of the casserole recipe and a pan and give it a try. For more information, please contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791.

ST. GABRIEL’S CONCERT SERIES

Sunday March 4th at 3:00 PM
Parishioners Marianne Zim-Orlowski – Soprano Soloist, Joseph Orlowski – TSO Clarinettist, Alex Seredenko – Pianist, and Suzanne Kilgore – Soprano, are offering us “An Afternoon of Song”. Please join us for this delightful presentation. Admission $5 at the door (a portion will go to charity).

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE ACTION CAMPAIGN

Thank you to more than 130 people who signed the Action Card for the D & P Action Campaign about Canadian mining companies operating in the Global South. Visit the web site at www.devp.org for more information or for those who missed us and wish to sign on-line.

BLESSED TRINITY CATHOLIC WOMEN’S LEAGUE

Tuesday February 20th
Mass at 1:00 PM
General meeting in the Parish Hall after the Mass.
Guest speakers: Sr. Virginia Varley, Morrow Park
and Joan Breech, Administrator at Fontbonne Ministries. All are welcome.

DAY OF REFLECTION

at Blessed Trinity Parish on Tuesday, March 9th at 9:00 AM. Speaker: Msgr Conrad Dachuck, Chaplain – North York Knights of Columbus.

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER 2007

The theme for this years service is “United Under God’s Tent” – written by the women of Paraguay. This celebration which takes place throughout the world in Christian Churches, will be hosted by FOREST GROVE UNITED CHURCH, 43 Forest Grove Drive on Friday, March 2nd at 2:00 PM. Please join us for this ecumenical service.

WOMEN’S LENTEN RETREAT WEEKEND

March 2-4, 2007 at Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre.
The theme for this retreat is “EXPLORING THE GRACE OF THE CROSS”. The retreat includes delivered talks, private reflection, faith sharing, ritual, an opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and Eucharist on Saturday and Sunday. This retreat is preached by the Centre Team. For reservations or further information please call 905-278-5229.

MARRIED COUPLES

You deserve a weekend to celebrate being together, to rediscover each other and focus on ways to make your relationship even better. A Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend offers this opportunity. Consider giving each other or another couple that you know the gift of a weekend away from daily pressures, time to be with each other and with God on a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend. Upcoming weekend date: March 23 – 25, 2007. For further information or registration please contact David & Lucy Adams 905 – 470 – 9590 or email adams@rogers.com.



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homily – February 11

Sunday, February 11th, 2007

Haves and Have nots

On Tuesday when the staff was reflecting on today’s readings someone mentioned that Jeremiah wrote his words about 500 years before Christ and Luke wrote about the year 70, 30 years after the death of Christ – quite a stretch of time, yet Jeremiah’s message resonates with Luke’s; people who put their trust in mere mortals, people who think that riches and position and power are what it’s all about, people who see these as their sufficiency, their security, are in for a surprise. Jeremiah uses a biblical image of what we call tumbleweed – to describe such people. They are rootless and without direction, rolling through the desert, driven by whatever wind that blows.

People who put their trust in God and see their personal relationship with God – which involves a just and loving relationship with others – as something of first importance, they are like trees planted by a running stream – untouched by scorching heat or drought, always bearing fruit.

When Luke recorded what Jesus taught, 500 years after Jeremiah; blessed are the poor, blessed are the oppressed and the distressed – forgive your enemies, pray for those who persecuted them, turn the other cheek – people’s reaction was ‘you got to be kidding’? What do you mean blessed are the poor – the poor are losers – what do you mean ‘woe to you rich’ – we’ve always been taught riches are a sign of God’s favor.

From the beginning of his public life, which began in the synagogue in Capernaum, Jesus meant to turn mindsets and value systems upside down. God sent Jesus into the world to bring new news, good news to the poor, to give sight to the blind, proclaim liberty to captives, set the downtrodden free. Jesus meant to reverse the mindsets of his time – that the poor were losers, the rich were favored by God.

Things don’t change – 500 years between Jeremiah and Jesus – 2000 years between Jesus and our time and still things are the same. Today there are the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. Then as now the ‘haves’ often have what they have as the expense of the ‘have nots’, the working poor, the undeserving poor, good men and women struggling to get by on an inadequate minimum wage, working at two or three jobs just to get by.

Jeremiah and Jesus didn’t condemn ‘having’. Their concern was, does what you have, have you? Do you own the car, the house, the job, the career, and the investments – or do they own you? Is there any place for God, any place for others, especially men and women who are the ‘have nots’, is there any place for them in your life?

If you’ve been reading the articles on poverty that have been in the Star these past weeks or the articles about the bonuses CEOs have received or the severance packages offered chief executives, doesn’t it boggle your mind?

I’m not into Catholic guilt – but shouldn’t we be bothered at the widening gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’, both here and around the world? Shouldn’t we be bothered with the fact that our North American society uses a disproportionate amount of Earth’s energy resources? Shouldn’t we be bothered by wasteful lifestyles? Shouldn’t we be bothered by our failure to live lightly on the Earth? Shouldn’t we be bothered by the truth that very often the clothes we wear, the food we eat come to us from the hard labor of the working poor and the sweat shops of the world? Shouldn’t we be bothered with the pittance that was just added to the minimum wage compared to the increase in salaries that other’s received?

Shouldn’t we be bothered with men and women sleeping on our city streets? Shouldn’t we be bothered with overextended food banks? Shouldn’t we be bothered with families who have no place to live? I don’t have any answers to the great social problems facing our city or the country, but shouldn’t we be bothered?

As we continue to celebrate this Mass maybe we can pray for ourselves and for each other for the grace to be bothered – and being bothered maybe we can do something to change our attitudes to what we have, and change our attitudes towards the ‘have nots’.



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