September 8th, 2018
Dear Parishioners, I thought I would share with you a bit of news about myself. After Thanksgiving, I will begin a very different ministry in the Mackenzie-Fort Smith Diocese in the Northwest Territories. Other than the city of Yellowknife, the Diocese comprises isolated and remote communities, mainly of Indigenous peoples. There are only nine priests serving this Diocese of 1.5 million square kilometers. Most communities would have a priest visit to celebrate the Eucharist every two or three months. (Just think how blessed we are at St. Gabriel’s!!) As a result, Sunday communion services would be led by lay leaders of the local communities. Very often they are also the ones who would marry couples and bury the dead. They likely are also the catechists. I am being called to serve the Diocese and the people there as the Coordinator for religious education, providing resource and support to these lay leaders.
As many of you know, St. Gabriel’s is my own parish community, it is also a community that I love and cherish. For the past twelve years I have had the privilege of serving you as your Lay Pastoral Associate. Needless to say, I am sad to be leaving the parish. Yet “leaving” may not be the right word. I feel I am going to the North very much a part of this faithful community, to extend your love and friendship to the people there.
Please support me with your prayers as I begin my ministry in this far away, remote, but beautiful land. Fatima
Recent reports of clergy abuse in the Church, most notably through the release of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report, have prompted numerous questions. To access letters from Pope Francis, Cardinal Collins, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and other resources regarding this issue, please visit www.archtoronto.org/about-us/safe-environment. You can also access policies outlining how the Archdiocese responds to any allegation of misconduct by a member of the clergy or lay staff.
www.archtoronto.org/about-us/safe-environment
The Archdiocese of Toronto has implemented a series of policies and procedures to foster a safe environment for all those who interact with the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Toronto. Those we serve include young people, adults and seniors who all make up the body of Christ among us. Information includes our procedure for cases of alleged misconduct, screening for lay volunteers and an overview of requirements for candidates to the priesthood and permanent diaconate.
Sunday September 30th after the 12:30 Mass
On Sunday, September 30th there will be an altar server welcome back and retraining session after the 12:30 Mass. Every altar server is invited. Interested boys and girls, ages 9 and older, who are willing to train to be an altar server are very much welcome. Refreshments will be provided.
September 10th to September 15th
MONDAY – JAMES SHORT – Requested by Patrick Mohan TUESDAY – VINCENT HA – Requested by Laura, Sylvia & Valerie Ha WEDNESDAY – ELIO RANCATI – Requested by his Family THURSDAY – HARRY LEUNG – Requested by John Chan FRIDAY – LUZ VILLEGAS – Requested by Gloria Monroy SATURDAY – HEUNG-WAH LAM – Requested by Fung, Lam & Montero Families
St. Gabriel’s Church Wednesday, September 19th, from 7:30 to9:00 PM Thursday, September 27th from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM, Saturday, October 6th from 2.30 PM to 4:00PM.
Registration for children who wish to receive the Sacraments of First Communion, Reconciliation and Confirmation will be held at St. Gabriel’s Church on the following dates: Wednesday, September 19th, from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM Thursday, September 27th from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM, Saturday, October 6th from 2.30 PM to 4:00 PM.
Please Note: A copy of the child’s Baptismal Certificate is required if registering for First Communion or Confirmation. $30 is required at registration for Confirmation to defray related costs.
Meetings in preparation for the R.C.I.A. (Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults) will begin in October. 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.
This Sunday, September 9th at 10:00 AM St Gabriel’s School Registration forms for the Children’s Faith Program are available in the parish office. This program is for children of the Parish who attend public or private schools. Classes are held at St. Gabriel’s School every second Sunday beginning this Sunday, September 9th, at 10:00 AM.
Please note that a separate Sacramental registration form is required if your child will receive the sacraments of First Communion, Reconciliation or Confirmation during the 2018/19 year. These forms are also available in the parish office.
Those who sing pray twice.”
Our senior choir practices on Tuesday evenings, from 7:30 to 9:00 P.M. and leads community song at the 10:30 AM Sunday Mass.
Our junior choir practices on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 PM and leads the music at the 12:30 PM Mass.
We always welcome new voices and hope you will consider joining us! For more information, please contact Marilyn Calderone at 416-618-2041
Weekend of September 15th/16th
Spring Cleaning Year Round!
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is collecting gently used clothing, shoes, linens and household goods to support our neighbors in need or to be sold to help support their special works in the community on the weekend of September 15th/16th They cannot accept books, dishes, furniture, appliances, mattresses, construction materials or videos and cassettes. Please bring your donations and help others in your community.
The truck will be open Saturday from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM and Sunday from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Volunteers will be there to assist with loading before and after each Mass.
Fair trade organic coffees will be on sale after all the Masses next weekend. Regular ground coffee: $5.50 Decaffeinated: $6.00 Whole Beans: $5.50 Chocolate Bars: $4.50 incl. Taxes Hot Chocolate and Cocoa: $6.00 Teas: $4.25
Wednesday, September 19th at 1:00 PM
The Milk Bag Workshops will begin again on Wednesday, September 19th. Please make sure the bags you bring are clean and flat in the box. This will be of great help to the weavers. For further information about this program please visit www.milkbagsunlimited.ca or contact Sharon Gusz at sharongusz@gmail.com.
You can make a difference in the lives of the hungry and homeless this Thanksgiving by participating in the annual Good Shepherd Ministries Thanksgiving Food Drive.
Good Shepherd provides hot meals and shelter for the homeless in our city as well as a chance to start again through the Resettlement or DARE Programs.
Urgently needed items include: rice, pasta and pasta sauces, peanut butter, jam cooking spices hot chocolate powdered milk black/Orange Pekoe tea ground or instant coffee, sugar cookies and crackers, vegetable oil jams canned tuna, soups, stews, meats, fruits and vegetables. Please no fresh or frozen foods.
We thank you for your generous support!
Thank you to all who prepared casseroles for the Good Shepherd Centre for the months of July and August. Your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekend of September 29th/30th for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre.
More volunteers are needed to help feed the hungry in our city. We encourage you to pick up a copy of a casserole recipe and a pan and give it a try. Three recipes are available on St. Gabriel’s web site and in the Parish Office. For more information, you may contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791.
St. Gabriel’s Parish Weekend of February 22nd, 23rd, and 24th
A Marriage Preparation course will be offered here at St. Gabriel’s the weekend of February 22nd to 24th, 2019.
The course will be held Friday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM. For a registration package please email Marie Deans at deansm@sympatico.ca.
What to Watch for This fall: The north garden will completed with the addition of more fruit shrubs and trees and the mulching of the pathways.
Workshop Reminders Sundays from 1:30 to 3:00 with Cameron September 23rd Attracting Bats, Bees Birds and Other Beneficial Wildlife September 30th Cultivating Mushrooms (Oyster)
For more information on the Garden Ministry, contact Heather Bennett at heathermjb@gmail.com.
| Posted in Bulletin |
September 2nd, 2018
| Posted in Events |
Welcome back to all our parishioners who have been away on holidays. We hope you have had an enjoyable summer. For those young people who are off to university, we wish you every success as you begin a new stage of your life. For those students and teachers returning to elementary and secondary school, we wish you a very positive and rewarding year.
September 3rd to September 8th
MONDAY – LABOUR DAY – No 9:00 AM Mass TUESDAY – ARMANDO & WALTER DINARDO – Requested by Pasqua Dinardo & Family WEDNESDAY – FR. PAUL CUSACK – Requested by Parish Staff of St. Gabriel’s THURSDAY – BEV GAHAGAN – Requested by Margaret Leckie FRIDAY – JENN BLAIR COLLINS – Requested by her Family SATURDAY – HYACINTH PAUL – Requested by Sophie & Candida Pereira
The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome: Blake Payz Vivar Delos Reyes Ian Santana Max Santana Logan James Faminial Wong Luna Arcana W. Evora Damien Mateo Lee Evangeline Ging Hay Vane Braylyn Lochlyn Wong
These children received the Sacrament of Baptism in July and August. Congratulations!
Sunday, September 9th at 11:30 AM Gabriel Room St Gabriel’s has a long tradition of hosting the Eco-Sabbath, usually every first Sunday of the month. This year, the tradition will continue. The first meeting after the summer break will be held on September 9th, at 11:30 AM. All are invited.
Begins Next Sunday, September 9th at 10:00 AM St Gabriel’s School
Registration forms for the Children’s Faith Program are available in the parish office. This program is for children of the Parish who attend public or private schools. Classes are held at St. Gabriel’s School every second Sunday beginning next Sunday, September 9th, at 10:00 AM.
Weekend of September 15th/16th Spring Cleaning Year Round!
You can make a difference in the lives of the hungry and homeless this Thanksgiving by participating in the annual Good Shepherd Ministries Thanksgiving Food Drive. Good Shepherd provides hot meals and shelter for the homeless in our city as well as a chance to start again through the Resettlement or DARE Programs.
Urgently needed items include: rice, pasta and pasta sauces, peanut butter, jam cooking spices hot chocolate powdered milk black/Orange Pekoe tea ground or instant coffee, sugar cookies and crackers, vegetable oil jams canned tuna, soups, stews, meats, fruits and vegetables.
Please no fresh or frozen foods.
More volunteers are needed to help feed the hungry in our city. We encourage you to pick up 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. For more information, you may contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791.
The Milk Bag Workshops, led by Sharon Gusz were very successful. Workshops will begin again on Wednesday, September 19th. Please make sure the bags you bring are clean and flat in the box. This will be of great help to the weavers. For further information about this program please visit www.milkbagsunlimit or contact Sharon Gusz at sharongusz@gmail.com.
Saturday September 8th, 2018 at 9:30 AM Blessed Trinity Parish, 3220 Bayview Ave. North York
A Women’s Retreat with Franciscan Friar Mark Steed will be held at Blessed Trinity Parish on Saturday, September 8th at 9:30 AM. A light breakfast and lunch are included. The cost is $15 per person. Contact Kay Booker 416-357-537 for more information.
Life Stories Program Beginning Wednesday, September 26th for 8 Weeks St. Bonaventure Parish Hall, from 12:45 to 2:45 PM
A small-group Life Stories program will be offered in the St. Bonaventure Parish Hall for 8 consecutive Wednesday afternoons beginning September 26th from 12:45 to 2:45 PM. Participants will write and share stories about their lives. The cost is $25 and preregistration is required. To register, call 416-447-5571 Ext. 560.
A Marriage Preparation course will be offered here at St. Gabriel’s the weekend of February 22nd to 24th, 2019. The course will be held Friday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM. For a registration package please email Marie Deans at deansm@sympatico.ca.
Did you know? The south garden was not watered this summer in order to reveal areas of drought and areas of moisture retention as well as the plants that thrived in each condition. From this information, Robert Cordy and his team will create a map of the south garden that will inform next summer’s garden design.
Workshop Reminders Sundays from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM with Cameron September 23rd Attracting Bats, Bees, Birds and Other Beneficial Wildlife September 30th Cultivating Mushrooms (Oyster)
Religion pure and undefiled before God is this, to care for widows and orphans in their distress and keep and oneself unstained by the world.
In the gospel we have Jesus exposing the shallowness of the Scribes and Pharisees in their religious observance. They strain the gnat and swallow the camel. Jesus tells them that what we eat or drink does not defile us. It is what comes out of our mouths which tells what is in our hearts, what makes us tick.
Jesus was focused on faith and integrity, not hygiene.
TV ads are loaded with advice as to what we should eat if we want to maintain healthy weights and live healthy lives. There is a diet a day.
When we receive Holy Communion we become what we receive, Christ Himself. This should have an impact on what comes out of our mouths, how we speak to others, how we speak of others.
If what comes out of our mouths are racial slurs and bigoted remarks about good people of other races and faiths then we do not echo the voice of the bread of life we’ve received. If what comes out of our mouths are gossips and lies about family or friends, then we do not speak as one nourished by the bread of life. If our conversations are smutty and sexist then we do not speak for the bread of life we’ve received. If our words blame the victim, having no sympathy or empathy for the homeless person whose home is the street, if we have no feeling for the mother or father who has no job or the person who is paid a minimum wage instead of a living wage, then we do not echo the invitation of Christ, ‘come to me all you who find life burdensome. If we take the name of the Lord in vain, if the holy name of Jesus is a common expletive then what comes out of our mouths defiles us and the bread of life we’ve received is tasteless.
What comes out of our mouths defiles us if we fail to follow the advice of St. Paul; say only the good things people need to hear, things that will really help them. When our words are positive, when our words are helpful and encouraging then the bread of life we’ve received is bearing fruit. When we speak respectfully of other people’s faith, when we speak sympathetically of the plight of refugees knocking at our doors, when we call for justice for the homeless and the working poor we echo the words of Jesus, whatever you do to one of these, the least of mine you do to me. Whenever we speak out for a person who is put down or belittled in a conversation we speak for Christ.
Whenever we hold out our empty hand to receive the host we are touched by Jesus who left us the new commandment, ‘love one another as I have loved you.’ How did he love us? On the cross he continued to love, forgive and give his life even when those he loved were destroying him.
May the words that come out of our mouths be words of praise and thanks to God and words that lift up, heal and strengthen those to whom we speak.
| Posted in Homily |
August 26th, 2018
The core message of today’s gospel is in the exchange Jesus had with his disciples, not the crowd but his close followers. ‘Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you cannot have life in you … this is a hard teaching and who can take it? Many of his disciples walked with him no more.
Seeing many of his friends and disciples walk away, distancing themselves from himself, Jesus asked Peter, ‘do you also wish to go away’? We hear Peter’s response, ‘Lord to whom can we go, you have the words of eternal life.’
Peter couldn’t get his head around what Jesus was talking about, seeing the son of man ascending to where he was before, eating his flesh, drinking his blood, this was all so confusing, but Peter had formed a bond with Jesus and trusted what Jesus said and trusted that what he said was true. When Jesus challenged Peter,’ will you also go away? Peter’s reply ‘Lord to whom shall we go? We have come to know and believe that you have the words of everlasting life.’ In other words, I’m sticking with you.
The people’s complaint, this is a hard saying and who can take it is echoed today when men and women walk away from challenges and demands such as, love one another as I loved you and go the way of bigotry and racism. Forgive others as God has forgiven you and hold on to grudges and resentment for years. Give your cloak to those who ask for it, share your bread with the hungry and call the people on welfare as lazy bums living off hardworking taxpayers. Welcome the stranger and call immigrants and refugees as freeloaders looking for hand outs. Men and women still find the teachings of Jesus hard sayings and in their own ways, walk with him no more.
It is not easy to be a follower of Jesus, to live by his teachings, to follow his example. We do so by the grace of God and strengthened by this Mass where are nourished by the body and blood of Jesus. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him/her.
The recent exposes of sexual abuse and the lack of leadership and integrity among cardinals, bishops and priests have made many people wonder if they can walk with the church anymore, a church that has let them down, embarrassed them and disappointed them. It is a decision they alone can make. But Peter’s words are still true; you have the words of everlasting life. The teachings and example of Jesus that come to us in and through the church are words that can bring us to everlasting life.
At this Mass, at every Mass we celebrate the wonder, Lord by your cross and resurrection you have set us free, you are the savior of the world. In this time of expose’ and shame may we be strengthened to echo the words of the prophet Joshua from our first reading, ‘as for me and my house we will serve the Lord’ in this one, holy, catholic, apostolic and wounded church which still offers us the words of everlasting life.
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
