October 28th, 2018
On Saturday, October 20th five altar servers from St. Gabriel’s Parish received the “Bishop’s Altar Server Award for Service during the 33rd Annual Altar Servers Awards Ceremony at St. Paul’s Basilica. We offer our sincere thanks and congratulations to the following altar servers:
Nicholas Brittain-Saldivar Claire Burke Jean-Paul Dizon Hannah Donaghy John Tupas
The parish is truly grateful to all of its altar servers for their participation at the celebration of the Eucharist and ceremonies throughout the Church year.
This Weekend, October 27th and 28th
This weekend our Youth Group will be having a Halloween bake sale after all the Masses. The money raised will help cover the Youth Group’s transportation costs to World Youth Day in Panama in January. Please support our Youth Group!
November 1st 2018
St. Gabriel’s Church
The mission of the Parliament of the World’s Religions is to “cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world.” This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Parliament, which first convened in Chicago in 1893.
The 2018 Parliament will convene November 1st to 7th at , and is expected to draw thousands of prominent global religious and civic leaders, scholars, positive social change advocates, and lay members of the world’s diverse religions.
On November 1st, St. Gabriel’s will be host to visitors from the Parliament of World Religions. If you are interested to be part of this event, more information is available at the website https://www.parliamentofreligions.org/parliament/2018-toronto-0
Protection of minors and vulnerable adults
On October 4th, the bishops of Canada issued new national guidelines for the protection of minors in Canada. Entitled Protecting Minors from Sexual Abuse: A Call to the Catholic Faithful in Canada for Healing, Reconciliation, and Transformation.
This document first and foremost, focuses on minors and vulnerable adults, whom Canada’s bishops wish to protect from sexual violence. The document can be found at http://www.cccb.ca/. Since 1989, the Archdiocese of Toronto has had an extensive safe environment policy in place, including a procedure for allegations of abuse or misconduct. That document can be found at https://www.archtoronto.org/about-us/safe-environment.
October 29th to November 3rd
MONDAY – ALICE MICHAEL – Requested by Charmaine Michael
TUESDAY – JOHN HUYBERS – Requested by his Family
WEDNESDAY – SPECIAL INTENTION – Requested by the Burke Family
THURSDAY – AURITA FERNANDES – Requested by Tony Fernandes
FRIDAY – JUANITO GAVIETA – Requested by Estrella, C. Gavieta, Rachel Luke & Family
SATURDAY – GUS CALDERONE – Requested by Marie Calderone
Thursday, November 1st at 7:30 PM.
There will be a meeting here at the Church on Thursday, November 1st at 7:30 PM. for parents of children wishing to be confirmed in 2019.
Friday, November 2nd from 9:30 AM to 12 Noon
English: Rosary – Saturday, November 3rd at 3:15 PM in the Gabriel Room.
Chinese Rosary – Sunday November 4th in the Gabriel Room
For information, please contact Linda Law at 416-918-8029.
Sunday, November 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.
All are welcome to attend.
Friday, November 2nd at 6:30 PM to
Sunday, November 4th at 1:30 PM
St. Augustine’s Seminary:
The Office of Vocations invites single Catholic men 17 years and older, to a Come and See Weekend from Friday, November 2nd to Sunday, November 4th. Participants will cultivate a deeper prayer life and relationship with Jesus Christ; leading to a better discernment of God’s call for their lives. There will be time for prayer, reflection and information on the process of becoming one of Christ’s disciples as a Catholic priest. Registrants 17 years old require parental consent. Register online at http://www.vocationstoronto.ca/.
For more information, please contact Fr. Brando or the Office of Vocations at: 416 968 0997 or email: vocations@archtoronto.org
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 contact the Parish Office at 416-221-8866.
If you have, or know of, school age children (ages 7 to 14) who wish to prepare for Baptism, please contact the Parish Office at 416-221-8866. Classes for them will begin soon.
Areas of the Philippines were devastated by Typhoon Mangkhut on September 15th, with winds of up to 225 km/h. More than 80 people died as a result of the storm and related landslides, flash floods and destruction of homes, infrastructure and crops.
Days later, on September 28th, an earthquake off the coast of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia, caused a tsunami with waves six meters high. To date, more than 1300 people have been confirmed dead and many, many more remain missing.
The earthquake damaged roads and telecommunications systems, creating many challenges to sending assistance to the affected areas.
In an effort to support the survivors of these two significant disasters, the Archdiocese of Toronto is accepting funds that will be sent through Caritas Internationalis, the official relief network of the Vatican. In both countries, Caritas agencies have deployed workers to provide food, drinking water, temporary shelter and medical support.
Those wishing to help may do so in the following ways:
• Online through the Archdiocese of Toronto website: http://www.archtoronto.org/
• By phone through the Development Office – 416-934-3411
• Through the parish, making cheques payable to: St. Gabriel’s Passionist Parish – 2018 Philippines / Indonesia – Disaster Relief
We offer our prayers for all those impacted by these natural disasters. Thank you for your ongoing efforts to assist those in crisis.
Each month the food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall and the Good Shepherd Centre. Good Shepherd provides hot meals and shelter for the homeless in our city. Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your ongoing support of these important centres.
From Creation to Commodity
Monday, October 29th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM
The Duke of York Pub, 39 Prince Arthur Dr.
Join Paul Baines from the CSJ’s Federation Blue Communities project to talk about our connection and commitment to water. We will discuss water as a human right, water privatization and commodification, and shared water infrastructure and imagination. Enjoy a drink while we get to the source of our taps and all life on this blue planet.
Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre
1617 Blythe Rd., Mississauga
Women’s ACTS Retreats
Thursday, November 15th at 7:00 PM to
Sunday, November 18th at 12:00 PM
The ACTS retreat is a three-day retreat led by those who have attended prior ACTS retreats. Men present men’s retreats; women present women’s retreats.
The retreat focuses on adoration, community, theology and service. Scripture and the teachings of the Catholic Church are the guidelines. The goals are to renew yourself spiritually, to strengthen your faith and to apply it in your daily life, and to create lasting and supporting friendships.
Men’s ACTS Retreat
Thursday, November 29th at 7:00 PM to Sunday December 2nd at 12:00 PM.
The ACTS retreat is a three-day retreat led by those who have attended prior ACTS retreats. Men present men’s retreats; women present women’s retreats. The retreat focuses on adoration, community, theology and service. Scripture and the teachings of the Catholic Church are the guidelines. The goals are to renew yourself spiritually, to strengthen your faith and to apply it in your daily life, and to create lasting and supporting friendships.
Please contact Willy Klaudusz by phone at 647-281-5990 or on the website at https://actscanada.org/
| Posted in Bulletin |
October 25th, 2018
33rd Annual Bishop’s Altar Server Awards, presented at St. Paul’s Basilica on October 20, 2018.
The servers are: Nicholas Brittain-Saldivar, Claire Burke, Jean-Paul Dizon, Hannah Donaghy, John Tupas
| Posted in Events |
October 21st, 2018
Our first reading from Isaiah is from Chapter 53 it tells of God’s suffering servant. It is a reading used on Good Friday as t the church applies these words of Isaiah to our crucified Christ as we remember him hanging on his cross, stripped, wearing his mock crown of thorns, nails through his hands and feet.
What was true of Isaiah’s suffering servant was true of our crucified Christ; ‘he was rejected and despised by others, a man of suffering, he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, by his bruises we are healed.
From its very beginning the church has always to deal with climbers. James and John started the trend causing their fellow disciples to get angry at their pushiness.
Jesus had to set them straight. No one is to lord it over others. Jesus gave us the example we are all to follow. ‘The son of man came, not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. Real glory doesn’t come from lording it over others, but from serving others. Jesus is most glorious in his crucifixion, when he has lost everything but love. But the tendency to be ‘number one’ has always been in our genetic make-up. We all want to be notice, appreciated and duly recognized and loved. We want the flood lights t shining on us.
Pope Francis, to the chagrin of many, has called the church, but especially the clergy to have the smell of the sheep. It’s a powerful image. We are to be so close to the daily lives of people that we pick up the odor of their pains and fears and desperation. He does this in the simple actions of washing the feet of immigrants and prisoners. He provides showers and laundering at St. Peter’s for the homeless men and women of Rome. He maintains that clericalism, that sense of privilege or of recognition of being someone special in the family of the church is a scourge and plague on the church. Bishops and priests who think of themselves as over and above the rest of the people of God are so off base. There are churchmen who resent the openness of Pope Francis to the basic needs of people; the Pope is getting too soft. For them there’s too much talk of love in the church and too little about hatred of evil.” He’s inherited all the pomp and circumstances of the papacy but he’s obviously uncomfortable with it all.
We are supposed to be a servant church at the service of the good people who seek justice, love and support in the struggles of their daily living. It was Pope Pius V who described himself as Pope as ‘The servant of the servants of God.’
We do need authority in the life of the church. We usually think of the word authority as ‘power over people.’ One of the meanings of the word ‘authority’ is that we author, stimulate, encourage people to grow, we coax what is best out of them. This meaning of authority is just the opposite of putting people down, belittling them in one way of another. St. Paul encourages us, authorizes us to say to family members, co-workers, even strangers only the good things people need to hear, things that will really help them. That’s how we can be servants to one another by encouraging the very best in others. This is how we do our part to make our church a servant church.
| Posted in Homily |
October 21st Second Collection
There will be a second collection today for the Evangelization of the Nations, otherwise known as World Mission Sunday. This is a worldwide collection for the missionary church and it is our opportunity to assist at-need Catholic communities globally. Offerings are combined with offerings from other Catholics around the world and distributed to missions and dioceses. We are called to share from our abundance with those less fortunate who lack the basic essentials to know, love and praise our God. Thank you for your support of this important work.
On October 4th, the bishops of Canada issued new national guidelines for the protection of minors in Canada. Entitled Protecting Minors from Sexual Abuse: A Call to the Catholic Faithful in Canada for Healing, Reconciliation, and Transformation. This document first and foremost, focuses on minors and vulnerable adults, whom Canada’s bishops wish to protect from sexual violence. The document can be found at www.cccb.ca. Since 1989, the Archdiocese of Toronto has had an extensive safe environment policy in place, including a procedure for allegations of abuse or misconduct. That document can be found at https://www.archtoronto.org/about-us/safe-environment.
October 27th from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
On Saturday, October 27th from 9.00 AM until 12:00 Noon, an invitation has been extended to our volunteers in all ministries to attend a Day of Reflection, “Leadership through Service” to be held in our church.
Sister Mary Rowell, a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph will lead our session. Sister Mary teaches theology at St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto.
The day will include presentations, dialogue and engagement of all who attend. We look forward to this day to provide support to our parish staff and parish community. Please RSVP by October 21st to stgabrielsvolscreening@bellnet.ca
The 2018 Parliament will convene November 1st to 7th at The Metro Toronto Convention Centre, and is expected to draw thousands of prominent global religious and civic leaders, scholars, positive social change advocates, and lay members of the world’s diverse religions.
Weekend of October 27th and 28th
On Saturday, October 27th and Sunday, October 28th our Youth Group will be having a Halloween bake sale. The money raised will help cover the Youth Group’s transportation costs to World Youth Day in Panama in January. Please support our Youth Group!
October 22nd to October 27th
MONDAY – LAU KOON TING – Requested by Linda Law & Family TUESDAY – ANA YAM – Requested by Helen, Ellen & Sonia WEDNESDAY – ROMULO CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ – Requested by Rosa & Romulo Gonzalez THURSDAY – ALL SOULS IN PURGATORY – Requested by Teresa Marchie & Family FRIDAY – DRAGICA PETRANOVIC – Requested by Mira Petranovic SATURDAY – VICTOR PAUL – Requested by Sophie & Candida Pereira
Friday, November 2nd at 6:30 PM to Sunday, November 4th at 1:30 PM
The Office of Vocations invites single Catholic men 17 years and older, to a Come and See Weekend from Friday, November 2nd to Sunday, November 4th. Participants will cultivate a deeper prayer life and relationship with Jesus Christ; leading to a better discernment of God’s call for their lives. There will be time for prayer, reflection and information on the process of becoming one of Christ’s disciples as a Catholic priest. Registrants 17 years old require parental consent. Register online at www.vocationstoronto.ca.
Areas of the Philippines were devastated by Typhoon Mangkhut on September 15th, with winds of up to 225 km/h. More than 80 people died as a result of the storm and related landslides, flash floods and destruction of homes, infrastructure and crops. The region hardest hit was Northern Luzon, one of the main islands of the Philippines. In this area the storm surged up to six metres high, submerging huge areas of inhabited land.
Days later, on September 28th, an earthquake off the coast of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia, caused a tsunami with waves six meters high. To date, more than 1300 people have been confirmed dead and many, many more remain missing. Survivors are struggling to find food and drinkable water.
People also need adequate shelter and medical support. The earthquake damaged roads and telecommunications systems, creating many challenges to sending assistance to the affected areas.
Online through the Archdiocese of Toronto website: www.archtoronto.org By phone through the Development Office – 416-934-3411 Through the parish, making cheques payable to: St. Gabriel’s Passionist Parish – 2018 Philippines / Indonesia – Disaster Relief
Each month the food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall and the Good Shepherd Centre.
Good Shepherd provides hot meals and shelter for the homeless in our city.
Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your ongoing support of these important centres.
Sunday October 21st from 2:30 to 5:00 PM
Temple Har Zion, 7360 Bayview Avenue, Thornhill
MOSAIC Interfaith (of which St. Gabriel’s is a member) invites you to attend the annual Peace Meal on Sunday October 21st from 2.30 to 5:00 PM at Temple Har Zion. The theme will be “Charity and Justice”.
Speakers will be Sarah Dopp, Community Campaigns Manager for Grandmothers to Grandmothers, Jeff Abraham Manager Volunteer Services Habitat for Humanity GTA and Jack Panozzo, member of Steering Committee & Executive ISARC.
This will be followed by the Peace Meal. Attendees are asked to bring a nut-free and alcohol free dish for the vegan supper – ie no meat, poultry, eggs, fish or dairy products. To RSVP please contact Nora at 416-218-0680. For more information see poster on bulletin board.
From Creation to Commodity Monday, October 29th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM The Duke of York Pub, 39 Prince Arthur Dr.
Wednesday, October 24th from 9:30 AM to 12:00 Noon
Please join us for a garden cleanup “bee” on Wednesday, October 24th from 9:30 AM to 12:00 Noon. Your help in putting the garden to bed for the winter would be greatly appreciated whether you stay for all or just a portion of the time. We’ll meet in the Gathering Space.
The next meeting of the Garden Ministry will be on Sunday, October 21st in the Library. Everyone is welcome.
October 14th, 2018
On the 4th of October we celebrated the life of St. Francis of Assisi. He came from a wealthy family and lived the ‘good life’. God gifted Francis with the wisdom and understanding to see the shallowness of his lifestyle and invited him to live a life of poverty as a witness against the extravagances of the church at his time.
Not so the young man in today’s gospel. Jesus saw the goodness in him; he was faithful to the commandments all his life. So Jesus invited him to deeper life. This good young man couldn’t take the risk of giving up all his possession, could not trust the promised treasures in heaven. He went away sad, missing the opportunity of a life time.
The point of this encounter of Jesus with this young man was not the giving up of wealth as such but an invitation to a life of discipleship that leads to eternal life. Come follow me.
Every day of life Jesus quietly invites to grow, to move beyond where we are.
Maybe Christ’s invites us to move beyond the resentment and dislike we feel toward men and women from other countries, of other cultures and faiths and lifestyles and invites us to have an open heart and open mind toward these good people as we try to imitate the all-embracing love God has for all people. As we watch the world news each night can we hear Christ calling us away from what Pope Francis called, global indifference, global boredom, to the blight of our brothers and sisters living in dire poverty, our brothers and sisters trapped in the sweat shops of the world or in a war torn country? Is Christ calling us to imitate his sensitivity to the needs of others?
Can we image that Christ is inviting us to times of prayer and quiet as he hints that we’d be more peaceful people without our dependence on our cellphones or I pads, or Facebook 24/7. Are we afraid of his invitation, ‘be still and know that I am God?
Is Christ inviting us to imitate his patience toward us as he challenges us to put aside old resentments and feuds towards relatives and friends and stop picking at old wounds and let the past be the past and live in the now?
Recently the scientists of the world gave us warning. The human family has until the year 2030 to avoid the inevitable results of climate change. Can we hear this warning as a call to all of us to a drastic change in our consumeristic life styles and live lightly upon Earth?
As a church community we’ve been hurt and embarrassed by the exposure of the sins of sexual abuse by priests, bishops and cardinals. Christ challenged the abuse of power and in infidelity of the religious leaders of his time. Is the harsh reality of today’s scandal a challenge to the people of the church to speak truth to power?
Every now and then we sing a hymn titled The Summons.
Will you come and follow me if I but call your name..will you go where you don’t know and never be the same…will you let my love be shown..will you let my name be known …will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?
The point of this encounter of Jesus with this young man was not the giving up of wealth as such but an invitation to a life of discipleship that leads to eternal life. It is an invitation we’re offered in countless ways every day. Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
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.
Learn about Passionists and our insignia »
Companion for the Walk of the Stations of the Cosmic Earth
St. Gabriel’s Garden – Guided Sensory Reflective Walk
