Dear Good People of St. Gabriel’s:
I mentioned in my Christmas letter for 2005 that, as we were preparing to move to our new home, we were going to provide a new home for a refugee family from Rwanda.
The Ntigulirwa family came to Canada in December of 2005. Sister Maria Lanthier has been working with the family along with some of our parishioners. She sent me this update as to how the family is doing…
“In the past 12 months, the Ntigulirwa family is quite proud of what they have accomplished with the assistance of the settlement team from St. Gabriel’s and the financial assistance from the parish for their living expenses. Without your generosity, they would never have been in position to do what they are now able to do from this time forward – take care of their own rent, food, utility bills, transportation needs, clothing, medications, etc.
For the last 11 months, Ezechiel worked the late shift at a bakery company. In the mornings he studied to improve his English, to obtain the highest level of forklift driver certificate, to obtain a driver’s licence, to finish a course in handling dangerous packages, and to complete maintenance training course with the Montessori school board. By late November he was ready to apply in several places for a new job, expecting to accept the first company that responded. Within 2 weeks, his own bakery asked him to transfer from the branch where he had been working to their branch in North York to become a forklift driver. This meant a salary raise of $3.50 per hour and a second raise after his initial 3 months of work for the new location. By March 1st, approximately, he will be earning a salary of $14 per hour (with the chance of going even higher after 6 months).
Ange is now in Grade 2 at the Ecole Publique Francais Montessori where she stands near the head of her class (no fees required).
Seraphine, for the first time in 9 months after a painful pregnancy, is only this week back in ESL class with her 3 year old son and the new baby. Ezechiel did well in negotiating with the YWCA to find a place that would accept all three.
It now seems this family from Rwanda will do very well indeed in Canada. They are proud and delighted with the way things turned out, as well as deeply grateful for the role of St. Gabriel’s in its generous response to their dream of one day achieving resettlement in Canada.”
ANNOUNCED MASSES
| Date | Time | Intentions |
| Jan. 16 | 9:00AM | |
| Jan. 18 | 9:00AM | JAN PLATER-ZYBERK req Friends |
| Jan. 19 | 9:00AM | JOE HINCH req Marilou Wight |
| Jan. 20 | 4:30PM | MARY ANNE O’BRIEN req Calderone Family |
SUNDAY COLLECTION: January 7, 2007
Total: $10,903.14
NEW CHURCH – OLD AND NEW IDEAS
TIME: 10:30AM to NOON
PLACE: Gabriel Room
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17th (repeat on January 24th )
This presentation will also be offered on TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 23rd at 7:30PM.
FAITH TRADITIONS
TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 30th
TIME: 7:30 – 9:00PM
PLACE: Library
“How are our Christian life and ethics similar to those of other faith traditions? How are they different?”
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 (incl. taxes)
Hot Chocolate and Cocoa: $4.50
Teas: $3.25 to $4 by variety
2007 OFFERTORY ENVELOPES
There are still some envelopes to be picked up in the Gathering Space. Please enter your full name, address with postal code and telephone number on your envelopes. It is important to throw away any envelopes that you may have from previous years, as old numbers are reassigned to new parishioners.
TO RECEIVE AN INCOME TAX RECEIPT, USE THE NUMBER ON YOUR 2007 BOX.
A “Come and See” Weekend
for single Catholic men and older who are considering a possible call to the Diocesan Priesthood will be held at St. Augustine’s Seminary on Friday, February 2nd to Sunday, February 4th, 2007.
To register or for further information, please contact The Office of Vocations at 416-968-0997 or by email at: vocations@vocations.ca
INTERNATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS
Every four years, the universal Church gathers to celebrate Jesus living and present in the Eucharist. It is a time of prayer, of reflection and of commitment. The conference will take place in Quebec City, June 15 to 22, 2008.
To help Christians to discover, deepen and celebrate the Eucharistic Mystery as a gift of God for the world, THE ARK OF THE NEW COVENANT was created.
The Ark: a Chest: In this case, the Ark is a seat, as well as a container. It will hold the King, Christ, present under the form of the Eucharistic species exposed in a monstrance. The chest will also contain the Scriptures and the Bible – Christ present through his word.
A Symbolic Boat: The boat brings to mind Noah’s Ark. However, it refers more to the boat of Peter. Ever since the institution of the New Covenant, the boat has been a symbol of the Church, the people of God who are journeying together.
The New and Eternal Covenant: Refers to the New Covenant Jesus signed with the people of the Old Covenant. This new covenant marked by the Pascal Mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection and celebrated in the Eucharist.
THE ARK OF THE NEW COVENANT, which is travelling across Canada, will be here in Toronto in January 2007. The closest locations are as follows:
| Tuesday, January 16 | St. Thomas More, Scarborough |
| Thursday, January 18 | Lay Movements@ St. Boniface, Scarboro |
| Sunday, January 21 | St. Michael’s Cathedral |
| Tuesday, January 23 | Radio Maria / St. Timothy’s, North York |
| Wednesday, January 24 | St. Justin Martyr, Unionville |
| Thursday, January 25 | St. Elizabeth Seton, Newmarket |
| Friday, January 26 | St. Paschal Baylon, Thornhill |
For more information, please visit the Diocese website at: www.archtoronto.org
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.
