March 3rd, 2017
Daylight Savings Time begins next weekend. Please remember to set your clocks forward 1 hour on Saturday evening.
June 9th to June 11th, 2017
Passionist Retreat House, Jamaica, New York
The Passionist Province of St. Paul of the Cross and its Commission on the Laity are sponsoring the “Convocation on the Laity” from June 9th to June 11th, 2017 at the Passionist Retreat House in Jamaica New York.
For further information, please go to www.stgabrielsparish.ca or contact Fatima Lee at 416-221-8866.
The St. Gabriel’s Parish Youth Group would like to extend a big thank you to all the families and parishioners who came out to support their Talent Show last Saturday.
The evening was a great success and thanks to the donations and the contributions from the Rosary and CD sales, more than $2500 was raised last weekend. All proceeds will help the youth group attend the Steubenville Conference in July. Thank you all for your generosity!
March 6th – March 11th, 2017
MONDAY – MAGDALENE LAM – Requested by John Chan TUESDAY – DECEASED MEMBERS OF THE NGUYEN & DOAN FAMILIES – Requested by the Nguyen Family WEDNESDAY – THANKSGIVING – Requested by May Lena Chiu & Family THURSDAY – EVELYN HARRIS – Requested by Don & Marie Harris FRIDAY – PATRICIA CLYDSDALE – Requested by Nora Kerr SATURDAY – GORDON OATWAY – Requested by the Oatway Family
Stations of the Cross will take place each Friday evening during Lent at 7:30 PM. We also encourage your attendance at our daily Mass throughout Lent.
Stations of the Cross Friday Evenings at 7:30 PM
Individual Confessions Wednesday, March 29th From 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Reconciliation Service Wednesday, March 29th at 7:30 PM
Palm Sunday April 9th Masses Sat., 4:30 PM 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM
Holy Thursday April 13th No 9:00 AM Mass 7:30 PM Mass of the Lord’s Supper Followed by Adoration until 10:00 PM
Good Friday April 14th 10:00 AM Morning Prayer 3:00 PM Solemn Passion of Our Lord 7:30 PM Stations of the Cross
Holy Saturday April 15th No 4:30 PM Mass 8:00 PM Easter Vigil
Easter Sunday April 16th Masses 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Easter Monday April 17th No 9:00 AM Mass Office Closed
Interviews for children who are preparing to receive their First Communion are now being scheduled.
Those children attending the Children’s Faith Program, private schools or others are asked to choose one of the following dates: April 18th, 19th, 20th or 21st.
Children from St. Gabriel’s School are asked to choose one of the following dates: April 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, May 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th.
Please call the Parish Office at 416-221-8866 to book your appointment with Fr. Brando or Fr. John.
Leprosy Mission of Canada Stamp Collection Program
Make a difference with your mail! You can get involved by collecting, trimming and sending your used postage stamps to Effect Hope, the Leprosy Mission of Canada. Please place stamps in the basket provided outside the Parish Office
Your kindness and compassion are felt by the friends and staff of Effect Hope and by the many people they serve. They look forward to your continued partnership with this mission of healing and hope.
Thank you to the volunteers who prepared casseroles for February. For March, your prepared frozen casseroles will be collected at the Masses on the weekend of March 25th/26th for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre.
More volunteers are encouraged to become active in helping to feed our less fortunate sisters and brothers. Three different recipes are available in the Parish Office or online at the Church website. Casserole pans are also available in the Parish Office.
If you require more information please contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791.
Each month food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall and the Good Shepherd Centre.
With everyone struggling during the winter months, your food donations are more important than ever.
Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your generous support.
Did you know that after the devastating earthquake in 2010, Canadians donated $21 million to Development and Peace to provide for the needs of people in Haiti?
To find out more about the work of Development and Peace or to become a member or donor, visit the website at http://www.devp.org/en/get-involved.
Commitment – Relationships, Career, Community
Monday March 13th from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Duke of York Pub, 39 Prince Arthur Avenue
Faith Connections invites young adults (19-39) to join them for an evening of thought-provoking theological discussion in a comfortable and relaxed setting, with special guests: Jeff and Patricia Kavanagh.
Munchies will be provided and there is a cash bar. Come and bring a friend!
For more information call Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt at 416-467-2645 or visit www.faithconnections.ca — a ministry of Fontbonne Ministries, Sisters of St. Joseph, Toronto.
March 17th to March 19th
Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre
Celebrate your love and take a fresh look at your marriage! Spend a very special weekend together. A Weekend of discovery…a lifetime of love! Worldwide. The Weekend format helps couples communicate openly and honestly without group sharing, therapy or marriage counseling.
The next weekend will be March 17th to March 19th at Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre in Mississauga
For more information and application, please go to www.wwme.org or contact:Gerard & Marge McCauley at gerard.marge@rogers.com or (905) 792-1925.
Friday, March 17th Beginning at 7:00 PM to Sunday, March 19th
St. Augustine’s Seminary.
Inviting single Catholic men 18 years and older, to cultivate a deeper prayer life and relationship with Jesus Christ; leading to a better discernment of God’s call for their lives. Time for prayer, reflection and information on the process of becoming one of Christ’s disciples as a Catholic priest.
Please contact Fr. Brando or the Office of Vocations at: 416 968 0997; email : vocations@archtoronto.org.
Saturday, March 25th
Dynamic Women of Faith will be hosting its 8th annual conference for Catholic women on Saturday March 25th. Topics include: Call to Holiness, Why Minister to Moms?
Finding your Catholic Voice, Marriage & Sanity, How does CatholicMomsgroup.com Work?
Cardinal Thomas Collins will be celebrating the opening Mass. There is a mother -daughter event, Calling All Girls, the evening before!
For more information including registration fees and location visit www.dynamicwomenfaith.com or call 905 279-7702.
Weekly Offertory
Collection for last week:
Envelopes 389 $ 7,758 Loose Change 962 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 164 3,054 Total 553 $ 11,774
Have you considered using Pre-Authorized Giving ( PAG) to make your weekly offertory? Your specified offertory donation would be taken directly from your bank account on or about the 20th of each month. Authorization forms are available in the Parish Office.
There will be a collection for Maintenance next weekend.
Envelopes are in the pews.
| Posted in Bulletin |
February 24th, 2017
Monday, February 27th is the feast of St. Gabriel.
St. Gabriel, a member of the Passionist Community, was born Francis Possenti on March 1, 1838 in Assisi. In September, 1856, he entered the Passionist novitiate but before his ordination, he contracted tuberculosis. He died February 27, 1862 at the age of 24. Francis 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. Mass will be celebrated at 9:00 AM and at 10:30 AM with the children from St. Gabriel’s School.
March 1st, 2017
March 1st is Ash Wednesday.
Special Masses will be celebrated at 12:00 Noon and 7:30 PM with the distribution of ashes. There will be no 9:00 AM Mass that day.
February 27th– March 4th, 2017
MONDAY – HUI SOU LIN – Requested by Linda Law & Family TUESDAY – THANKSGIVING – Requested by John Chan WEDNESDAY – ASH WEDNESDAY – No 9:00 AM Mass THURSDAY – VIRGINIA ITCHON CHAN – Requested by David Chung FRIDAY – FERNANDO LASA – Requested by Ana Maria Lasa SATURDAY – GIUSEPPE & CLEMENTINA INTINI – Requested by Chiara & Tina Intini
The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome: Lillian Da Silva Michaella Szeto
These children received the Sacrament of Baptism on Sunday, February 19th 2017. Congratulations!
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
During Lent there are two days of Fast and Abstinence, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Abstinence means to abstain from eating meat. This applies to all Catholics 14 years of age and older. Fasting means that your two smaller meals combined should not be larger than your main meal. There is no eating between meals. This applies to healthy people between the ages of 18 and 60.
Ash Wednesday Mass at 12:00 Noon & 7:30 PM
EXTRA PARKING AT ELKHORN PUBLIC SCHOOL
Friday, March 3rd from 9:30 AM – 12 Noon
Friday, March 3rd at 1:30 PM St Elizabeth of Hungary Church 432 Sheppard Avenue East
You are cordially invited to the annual ecumenical World Day of Prayer Service which will be held at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church on Friday March 3rd at 1:30 PM.
The theme this year, “Am I Being Unfair to You?” was written by the women of the Philippines. Please join us, along with our neighbouring Christian churches, in prayer and reflection. A reception will follow.
Gabriel Room English: Saturday, March 4th at 3:15 PM Chinese: Sunday, March 5th at 3:30 PM For further information, please contact Linda Law at 416 -918-8029.
Sunday, March 5th at 11:30 AM Gabriel Room
On Sunday, March 5th, the Passionist Centre for Ecology and Spirituality will facilitate 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.
Rosalie Hall assists young parents and their children to realize their potential through the provision of a wide range of child development, community, residential and educational services.
Good Shepherd provides more than 1,200 hot meals a day as well as shelter for the homeless in our city and a chance to start again through the Resettlement or DARE Programs.
With everyone struggling during the winter months, your food donations are more important than ever. Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your generous support.
Did you know that as pressure to privatize the natural resource of water increased, Development and Peace focused on water as a human right and campaigned for public control of water systems in areas where millions of people suffer from water scarcity? To find out more about the work of Development and Peace or to become a member or donor, visit the website at http://www.devp.org/en/get-involved.
Make a difference with your mail! You can get involved by collecting, trimming and sending your used postage stamps to Effect Hope, the Leprosy Mission of Canada.
Please place stamps in the basket provided outside the Parish Office
Saturday, March 4th at 10:00 AM Blessed Trinity Church, 3220 Bayview Avenue
Professor Janine Langan has written and lectured extensively on Catholic education, the family, various encyclicals and theology. She will present this talk, Emotionally and Spiritually Healthy Catholic Families, on Saturday, March 4th at 10:00 AM at Blessed Trinity Church. For more information, contact Terry McDermott, RN, Parish Nurse, at 416-226-0262 ext. 8 or email: btparishnurse@gmail.com.
March 12th from 3:30 PM. to 6:00 PM St. Cecilia’s Church, 161 Annette Street, Toronto
The Principal Celebrant and Homilist will be his Excellency, Bishop Wayne Kirkpatrick, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto. Eithne Heffernan will be the guest Irish harpist. The ceremonial coordinator will be Hugo Straney. A reception will follow the Mass in the church hall, with refreshments and Irish entertainment provided by Michael Kelly and Irish dancers from the Johnson School of Dance.
For more information email: stceciliatoronto@gmail.com or call St. Cecilia’s parish office at 416-769-8163.
Weekly Offertory Collection for last week: Envelopes 423 $ 7,807 Loose Change 1,065 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 164 3,054 Total 587 $ 11,926
If you are contributing cash to the Offertory Collection without any identification, you will not receive credit for your contribution. You must provide your full name and address.
If you are not currently using parish envelopes and wish to have a set issued, please contact the Parish Office and we will prepare a box for you. This is the most effective way to keep track of your donations.
February 19th, 2017
Years ago a parishioner who was not a Catholic but who was at Mass every Sunday with his family told me what he expected and hoped for from a Sunday sermon. He said ‘I want to be challenged even to take one step, even one baby step, beyond where I was when I walked into the church. I want to be challenged to be a better man, a better husband, a better father.
These series of teachings we hear in today’s gospel offer each one of us such a challenge. We hear these same challenges year after year, gospel reading after gospel reading. The question is have we accepted the challenge?
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth was taught to prevent an individual wrong from developing into a tribal feud. Keep it one on one. But Jesus challenges us to not to respond in kind to any hurt or slight, but to be willing to work things out with people who abuse our good will, people who take advantage of us in business. Jesus challenges us to show those who wrong us cheat us that we will not be lowered to their level, that we and they are meant for better things. Are we willing to accept his challenge to move on and be free of the burdens of resentment and ill will?
Love your enemies and those who do you harm. That’s always been a hard one. Doesn’t ‘don’t get angry get even’ sound better? What do we gain by bearing grudges and resentments year after year? I forget who is supposed to have said, ‘I destroy my enemies by making them my friends. Can we take even a baby step and move beyond our grudges and memories of past hurts that only wear down and even wear us out? Aren’t we meant for better things?
Be prefect as your heavenly father is perfect. The word perfect for us means faultless. This we are not. Our heavenly father makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends his rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
The same sun shines on all of us, the same rain falls on all of us the difference is in how we accept these gifts of sun and rain. Think of communities hit by what we call natural disasters – we see neighbourhoods wiped out by floods or tornados. Homes are destroyed, livelihoods wiped out, good people killed or seriously injured. In the midst of all this we see neighbour helping neighbour, stranger being there for stranger. These things can and often do, bring out the best in people.
Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount is a challenge to each one of us to take the road less travelled. The less travelled road is a road so different from the one we so often walk that leads to getting even, getting back at those who have wronged us, a road on which we don’t forgive and we don’t forget.
Will we that take the road that leads us to a life of loving and forgiving those who have wronged us in any way. A road less travelled on which we meet and can care for the poor, hungry, homeless of our own little worlds. This less travelled road brings us into the kingdom of God and fellow ship with Jesus our Christ. The question for all of us is, are we willing to take that one step along this road that moves us beyond where we were and who we were when we came to Mass this morning?
| Posted in Homily |
February 18th, 2017
Monday, February 20th
Monday February 20th is Family Day, a day to celebrate our families.
The Parish Office will be closed and there will be no 9:00 AM Mass on that day.
For further information, please visit https://stgabrielsparish.ca/ministries/convocation-of-laity-2017/ or contact Fatima Lee at 416-221-8866.
Saturday, February 25th at 7:00 PM
Did you know that we have many talented young people within our Parish Community?
All parishioners are invited to attend our Youth Group’s Talent Night, which will be held on Saturday February 25th at 7:00 PM here at the church. Admission is by donation. The Youth Group’s CD will also be available for sale after the show.
Please come out and show your support of our youth’s talents!
February 20th – February 25th, 2017
MONDAY – FAMILY DAY – No 9:00 AM Mass TUESDAY – FR. TIMOTHY HIGGINS – Requested by Jeanne Robinson WEDNESDAY – FR. DON SANVIDO – Requested by Jeanne Robinson THURSDAY – STEPHEN TSAO – Requested by the Au Family FRIDAY – ALINE, RENE & PAUL LAVERTU – Requested by Helene Lavertu SATURDAY – DECEASED MEMBERS OF THE CHUCHRA & WROBEL FAMILIES – Requested by Jack & Wanda
Friday, March 3rd at 1:30 PM
St Elizabeth of Hungary Church 432 Sheppard Avenue East
You are cordially invited to the annual ecumenical World Day of Prayer Service which will be held at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church on Friday March 3rd at 1:30 PM. The theme this year, “Am I Being Unfair to You?” was written by the women of the Philippines. Please join us, along with our neighbouring Christian churches, in prayer and reflection.
A reception will follow.
Wednesday, February 22nd from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Gabriel Room
Volunteer milk bag weavers will be meeting Wednesday afternoon, February 22nd from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM in the Gabriel Room. All are welcome!
Your prepared frozen casseroles will be collected at the Masses next weekend for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre.
More volunteers are needed to help feed the hungry in our city. Three recipes are available on St. Gabriel’s website. Printed copies of the recipes are also available in the Parish Office. Please remember to mark the label on the pan lid with the name of the casserole.
For more information, you may contact Irene Albrecht at 416 221-2791.
Did you know that in the early eighties a severe famine caused by drought killed more than 400,000 people in Ethiopia? Development and Peace launched an emergency appeal and raised $20 million to aid those most affected. To find out more about the work of Development and Peace or to become a member or donor, visit the website at http://www.devp.org/en/get-involved.
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.
With everyone struggling at this time, your food donations are more important than ever. Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your generous support.
Make a difference with your mail! You can get involved by collecting, trimming and sending your used postage stamps to Effect Hope, the Leprosy Mission of Canada. . Please place stamps in the basket provided outside the Parish Office
Online courses from Yale open to all who are interested.
Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, experts on Religion and Ecology, and Senior Lecturers and Research Scholars at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies are currently offering four six-week online courses. These are featured as a specialization under the theme of “Journey of the Universe: A Story for our Times.” These are the first MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) for the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. The MOOCs are available on courser.org to anyone, anywhere on the planet.
Those interested may audit these courses free of charge (with the exception of the capstone course). The courses do not have to be completed within the six week period, rather, learners may finish at their own pace.
Courses: • Journey of the Universe: The Unfolding of Life • Journey Conversations: Weaving Knowledge and Action • The Worldview of Thomas Berry: The Flourishing of the Earth Community • Integrating Capstone: Living Cosmology
For more details and to register, please go to: https://www.coursera.org/specializations/journey-of-the-universe
The Principal Celebrant and Homilist will be his Excellency, Bishop Wayne Kirkpatrick, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto. Eithne Heffernan will be the guest Irish harpist. The ceremonial co-ordinator will be Hugo Straney. A reception will follow the Mass in the church hall, with refreshments and Irish entertainment provided by Michael Kelly and Irish dancers from the Johnson School of Dance. For more information email: stceciliatoronto@gmail.com or call St. Cecilia’s parish office at 416-769-8163.
Commitment – Relationships, Career, Community Monday March 13th from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM Duke of York Pub, 39 Prince Arthur Avenue
Faith Connections invites young adults (19-39) to join them for an evening of thought-provoking theological discussion in a comfortable and relaxed setting, with special guests: Jeff and Patricia Kavanagh. Munchies provided, cash bar, come and bring a friend! For more information call Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt at 416-467-2645 or visit www.faithconnections.ca — a ministry of Fontbonne Ministries, Sisters of St. Joseph, Toronto.
March 17th to March 19th Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre
Celebrate your love and take a fresh look at your marriage! Spend a very special weekend together. A Weekend of discovery…a lifetime of love! Worldwide Marriage Encounter is a weekend getaway that helps married couples rediscover themselves as individuals and as a couple. The Weekend format helps couples communicate openly and honestly without group sharing, therapy or marriage counseling.
The next weekend will be March 17th to March 19th at Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre, Mississauga. For more information and application, please go to www.wwme.org or contact:Gerard & Marge McCauley at gerard.marge@rogers.com or 905-792-1925.
Dynamic Women of Faith will be hosting its 8th annual conference for Catholic women on Saturday March 25th. Speakers include: Dr. Josephine Lombardi, Deacon Robert & Gabrielle Suthers, Tanya Granic Allen, Cheryl Thompson, and Dorothy Pilarski.
For more information including registration fees and location visit www.dynamicwomenfaith.com or call 905-279-7702.
Collection for last week: Envelopes 289 $ 5,657 Loose Change 706 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 164 3,054 Total 543 $ 9,417
If you have not picked up your 2017 envelopes please do so as soon as possible. You will find them in the hall outside the Gabriel Room.
If you are not currently using parish envelopes and wish to have a set issued for 2017, please contact the Parish Office and we will prepare a box for you. This is the most effective way to keep track of your donations.
February 12th, 2017
So often when bad things happen to good people, when good people are murdered while they pray, when innocent people are the victims of civil wars, when we know of men or women or children whose bodies are ravaged by cancer, we spontaneously ask, ‘ why does God allow these terrible things? Why doesn’t God stop this slaughter? Why is God so silent?
Our first reading from Sirach has something to say about this; ‘for great is the wisdom of the Lord; He is mighty in power and sees everything. Before each person is life and death, good and evil and whichever one chooses, that shall be given.
God did not create us as automatons, puppets. God will not rush in to save us from ourselves. We are free agents. We are gifted the gift of free will. We can choose to be good or bad, loving or unloving, just or unjust. The decision is ours and the consequences are of our own making. As Moses said to the Israelites – this day I play before you life and death, choose life.
We’ve all been blessed with gift of free will. We’ve been given the awesome power to choose. What the author of the Book of Sirach wants to do is to exonerate God from all responsibility for the evil that surrounds us in the world. Each of us knows ‘good is to be done, evil is to be avoided’. We bring the consequences of our choices upon ourselves.
But there is a fly in the ointment. We know it as original sin. It is that forbidden fruit that is attractive to our eyes and lures us to that false promise that we will be like God, knowing good and evil. There is a tendency in each of us to be lured away from what God calls us to be and do by false promises of love and happiness and power.
In his letter to the Romans St. Paul claims that ‘if it had not been for the law I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said ‘you shall not covet.’ Eve and Adam would not have eaten the forbidden fruit if God had kept quiet and not told them to stay away from that tree. To put it another way, ‘this bean would not be up my nose if my mother hadn’t told me, don’t put that bean in your nose. The don’ts of life cause us to wonder, ‘why not’ why not give it a try? Don’t we pray every day, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
We are all caught up in the life long struggle, ‘ the good that I would that I do not and the evil I would not do, that I do.’ I think we can make our own the conviction of Paul that the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus our Christ, love of God made visible can be our motivation to ‘keep the commandments, be faithful to the teachings and example of Jesus, especially trying to keep Christ’s great commandment, ‘love one another as I have loved you.’
We are not in this struggle alone. Christ has promised us, I am with you always. I walk beside you; if you fall I will pick you up no matter how many times you fall. All I ask is don’t give up trying. My grace is sufficient for you.
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