April 30th, 2016
The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated on Sunday, May 15th for students in Grades 7, 9, 10 and 11 and on Sunday June 5th for students in Grade 8 at 7:30 PM at St. Gabriel’s Church. In preparation for this Sacrament, a Confirmation Retreat will be held on Saturday, May 14th from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at St. Gabriel’s Church. All candidates must attend. Candidates are reminded to bring a signed letter from the service coordinator or a parent stating the completion or anticipated date of completion of volunteer service hours.
Registration forms for the Children’s Faith Program are now 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 September 11th, 2016.
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 2016/17 year.
Tuesday May 17th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM Gabriel Room
Hello fellow parishioners,I have booked the St. Gabriel’s Room for Tues. May 17th for our next weaving event. We will try to weave from 1:00 – 3:00 or 4ish as long as our energy and supplies last.
Thank you to those that took bags home to cut…. I have already received some back!! Hope to see you next month and feel free to bring a friend.
Sharon Gusz
May 2nd to May 7th, 2016
MONDAY – MARY ANNE OLDEN – Requested by Kathleen Olden Powell TUESDAY – JOHN HONG – Requested by his Family WEDNESDAY – MARY T.C. LIU – Requested by Agnes Wong THURSDAY – MAURICE MICHAEL – Requested by Charmaine Michael FRIDAY – GUS CALDERONE – Requested by Marie Calderone SATURDAY – JUSTIN MCCARTHY – Requested by Bill & Carolyn Markle
Chinese: Sunday, May 1st at 3:30 PM in the Gabriel Room. English: Saturday, May 7th at 3:15 PM in the Gabriel Room.
For information, please contact Linda Law at 416-918-8029.
Friday, May 6th from 9:30 AM to 12 Noon
Catholic Education Week 2016 begins this Sunday, May 1. You are invited to discover what celebrations are happening in your children’s school to celebrate the ongoing gift of publicly-funded Catholic education and if possible, attend. Publicly-funded Catholic education has existed in Ontario since 1841 and its graduates have served Ontario and Canada very well. The current generation of students in our publicly-funded Catholic schools serve with the same spirit and generosity as their previous generations.
Pope Francis has declared 2016 a “Holy Year of Mercy” as a way for the Catholic church to “make more evident, its mission to be a witness of mercy”. The Holy Year began on December 8, 2015 and will be celebrated until November 20, 2016. Throughout the year, there will be a series of jubilee celebrations on the theme of mercy for teenagers, deacons, the sick and disabled, prisoners, catechists and clergy.
As well, Pope Francis opened the Vatican’s Holy Door on December 8th. The Holy Door is opened to evoke the concept of forgiveness which is the main focus of a Holy Year. The theme God’s mercy is illustrated in fifteen of the sixteen bronze panels that make up the Vatican Door. There are seven such Holy Doors in the world, including one in Quebec City.
Catholic Education Week 2016 combines both the theme of mercy and the act of opening doors of reconciliation, mercy and forgiveness to all around us.
It is important for you to know that to be hired to teach in any Catholic School Board in Ontario, as part of your application for employment, there must be a letter of reference from your pastor. If you are planning to apply to teach in a Catholic School, a contact with the pastor is highly recommended. Please plan to have a conversation with your Pastor early in the process, well before applications are to be submitted
Weekend of May 7th/8th
The Society for St. Vincent de Paul will hold their annual Bundle Up Collection next weekend, May 7th/8th. Bring your gently used clothing, household linens, shoes and small household goods to share with others. Appliances, furniture and books cannot be accepted.
A St. Vincent de Paul truck will be in the Church parking lot to receive donations. The truck will be open in the parking lot on Saturday, May 7th from 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. and Sunday, May 8th until 1:00 P.M.
Volunteers will assist with the loading before and after each Mass. The Society will donate, exchange for vouchers or sell these donations to support their outreach efforts. Thank you for your continued support.
Each month food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall and the Good Shepherd Centre. Your donations are very much needed and appreciated.
Thank you for your generous support.
Working wonders for the elderly…
Elva is a client in her late 70’s who spent her life overcoming the challenges of Spine Bifida. Despite her physical disabilities, Elva travelled the world as a music teacher and pianist for the national Ballet in Canada. Wheelchair- bound for the last 25 years, Elva gradually found herself less able to continue playing the piano and doing the things she enjoyed. Last year, the Society of Sharing matched Elva with a friendly visitor, Adam a young university student, with whom she can converse with as though there were no age difference. Adam is seen as an encouraging and familiar friend and someone to share ideas with as well as assist her with her cell phone, computer and printer. With his help, Elva is able to go to out to the movies or see local sights. Because of Adam, Elva’s world has opened up and she is now reconnected to her community and able to share her incredible gifts of wit, intelligence, and positive attitude, giving her a renewed sense of meaning and purpose. This year, our support for ShareLife will help to expand this volunteer model into the Peel Region to assist seniors in this area. Last year ShareLife-supported agencies provided outreach programs that met the needs of over 2,200 seniors. This year, with your support, we can do more to help the elderly within our archdiocese.
ShareLife to date: $104,662 Next ShareLife Sunday is May 29th. Please give generously. You can work wonders!
5km Fundraising Walk and Hug Saturday, May 7th, 2016 Registration from 8:30 to 9:30 AM at Fort York 10:00 A.M. Walk to SickKids
On Saturday, May 7th, the fifteenth annual Meagan’s Walk: -Creating a Circle of Hope will take place. Registration opens at 8:30 A.M. at Fort York, followed by family activities and entertainment. The Walk begins at 10:00 AM. and concludes at SickKids with the “Hug”.
Proceeds from this event will be shared between the Meagan Bebenek Endowment Fund and awareness, research and treatment of paediatric brain tumours at SickKids.
A Catholic Young Adult Seminar Saturday, May 7th, from 8:30 AM to 4:15 PM. Gabriel Room, St. Gabriel’s Church
You are invited to attend a Catholic young adult seminar, “Faith, Finance and Self- Knowledge” being held here at St. Gabriel’s on Saturday May 7th from 8:30 AM to 4:15 PM.
Guest speakers include Fr. Brando Recana CP, Quentin Schesnik and Rose Heron. The cost of $15 includes lunch. Space is limited. To register, please contact Pauline at pauline.susanto@gmail.com.
May 16th at 7:30 PM St. Luke’s Church, 39 Green Lane, Thornhill
Mosaic Interfaith invites you to attend the next presentation in their series “From Abraham Three Faiths” to take place at St. Luke’s Catholic Parish, 39 Green Lane, Thornhill on Monday May 16th at 7.30 PM. The subject is “Everyone Wants to go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die” exploring the meaning of death and the kind of faith which disarms death from Jewish, Christian and Muslim perspectives. Panellists are Rev. Canon John Hill, Rabbi Michael Stroh and Dr. Liyakat Takim from Christianity, Judaism and Islam respectively.
Please see the flyer on the bulletin boards. For more information or to RSVP call Nora at 416-218 0680.
Saturday, May 14th from 6:30 PM. to 9:00 PM Newman Centre, 89 St George St, Toronto
Faith Connections and the Newman Young Adult Ministry invite single young adults (18-39) to a Catholic Speed Dating evening! Tickets are $35. Those registered will be divided into age groups. ID will be required. This event will be followed by a Celtic Ceilidh Dance Social!
Space is limited. Registration is required by May 8th. To register, call Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt at 416-467-2645 or visit www.faithconnections.ca – a ministry of Fontbonne Ministries, Sisters of St. Joseph, Toronto.
Wednesday, May 18th at 7:00 PM Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home & Cemetery, Thornhill
Catholic Cemeteries and the Archdiocese estate planning team will share information about: How to protect your loved ones with a proper will How to ensure your wishes are legally protected Powers of Attorney The advantage of pre-arranging funeral, burial and cremation The cost savings of making an estate plan Finding lawyers and estate planning advisors Our Catholic traditions around wills, burials and funerals.
An estate planning kit will be provided at no cost. Refreshments will be provided.
RSVP to Frank Jannetta, Catholic Cemeteries at 416.733-8544 ext. 2023 or fjannetta@cc-fs.ca.
Our operating expenses average $14,550 per week.
Collection for April 10th, 2016: Envelopes 431 $ 8,380 Loose Change 969 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 165 3,034 Total 596 $ 12,383
Please inform the Parish Office if you have changed your address or are moving out of the Parish so that we may update our records.
If you have prior year’s offertory envelopes, please do not use them! Each year we go through the unused envelopes for which no donations have been received and may reassign that number to another parishioner.
| Posted in Bulletin |
April 24th, 2016
Most religious communities treasure the accounts of the final days of their founders. It was during those last days of life the foundress or founder would leave her or his legacy to the community that meant so much to them. St. Paul of the Cross’ legacy to we Passionists was, ‘I place my trust in God. The Congregation is his; the lights he gave me for founding it were his. He will take care of its progress. My hope is in God.
When someone in the family dies the family comes together to say their last goodbyes and the dying person has the chance to do the same. It is an important time for all. In the Hebrew scriptures we read of the death of Isaac and his final words to his sons Esau and Jacob,’ Be loving of your brothers as a man loves himself, with each man seeking for his brother what is good for him….loving each other as themselves.’ We remember the great commandment of loving God with all our mind and heart and strength and loving our neighbour as ourselves.
In his farewell Jesus challenges his disciples to keep a new commandment, ‘love one another as I have loved you.’ In the past our neighbour was limited to the family members of the clan not to total strangers. Christ’s love is a universal love, no limits allowed. We are to be there in love for people we don’t know, men and women who are hungry, homeless, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned. These are the friends and neighbours and strangers who come into our lives sometimes at the most inconvenient of times challenging us to listen to their stories and love them with that same totality with which Christ loved us.
How did Christ love us? St. Paul tells us that Jesus did not consider his equality to the Father as something to be kept to himself. He emptied himself of his divinity and took on the fullness of our humanity and sharing in our humanity he took to himself the reality of a slave, an obedient slave, an obedience that brought him to his shameful painful death on the cross.
Paul tells us something we already know that can be times when a generous person will die for the sake of a friend – there is no greater love than to lay one’s life down for a friend – but what shows how great was Christ’s love for us is that while we were still sinners – still estranged from God – Christ died for us so that we could be one again with God.
Christ died for us knowing our sinfulness, knowing our selfishness, knowing how we exploit others for our own pleasure, knowing our propensity for violence toward others, knowing how we exclude other people from our lives. Knowing all these things about he was willing to die on the cross for us.
For Christ we were not tiny speck in the mass of humanity, he died for each of us as a person he loved – even unto death.
Love one another as I have loved you. Impossible! We are so caught up in our own little worlds, our needs, our wants we have so little time for others. That’s not always true. Think of the love you share with your spouse, think of the love you pour out on your children as you work through the struggles and stresses of marriage and parenthood. Think of the number of times you’ve been there for friends and neighbours, think of the many times you’ve been asked from this pulpit to be there through your generosity for men, women and children you will never know.
Love one another as I’ve loved you; accept one another as I accept with all your faults. Respect one another as you fight the good fight against racism, sexism, bigotry just as I respect you for how you were born, where you were born, when you were born.
We all know the difference between loving people and liking people. There a some people we will never like because of personality clashes and personal histories. To love people is to accept and respect them as they are knowing they are our brothers and sister, sons and daughters of God – loved by God with the same intensity with which God loves every one of us.
May we be graced every day to love others as we have been loved – totally, unconditionally.
| Posted in Homily |
April 23rd, 2016
Thank you, good people, for your overwhelming response to the appeal for help from Fr. Rey Ondap in the Philippines.
A total of $34,321 was collected. Your caring and generous support towards the Indigenous People of the Philippines will make a great impact on their lives as they face the difficult challenge brought by El Niño.
Your financial assistance will be used entirely to provide basic provisions for their needs. There’s no doubt that the need is huge. However, your staggering support will help to alleviate their desperate situation.
Thank you again for your compassionate support. I pray that the good Lord may bless you and your family.
The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome: Max Rorey Alonsagay-Tacay James Thomas Barbetta Isabella Stella Brennan Sophie Etiembre Zoe Isabella Grant Cristian Marko Harispuru Ovie Jeremiah Mayomi Enajite Florence Mayomi
These children received the Sacrament of Baptism on Sunday, April 17th, 2016. Congratulations!
Hello fellow parishioners,I have booked the St. Gabriel’s Room for Tues. May 17th for our next weaving event. We will try to weave from 1:00 to 3:00 or 4ish as long as our energy and supplies last.
April 25th to April 30th, 2016
MONDAY – MARGARET CHAN – Requested by Agnes Wong TUESDAY – MARCELINO FERNANDES – Requested by Tita Fernandes WEDNESDAY – GERARD WALSH – Requested by his Family THURSDAY – MARGARET MULLANE – Requested by Margaret Anne Leckie & Mary Alice O’Mahony FRIDAY – ALLAN PERSAUD – Requested by the Persaud & Goldenberg Families SATURDAY – VICTOR JOSEPH – Requested by Margaret & Family
The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated on Sunday, May 15th for students in Grades 7, 9, 10 and 11 and Sunday June 5th for students in Grade 8 at 7:30 PM at St. Gabriel’s Church. In preparation for this Sacrament, a Confirmation Retreat will be held on Saturday, May 14th from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at St. Gabriel’s Church. All candidates must attend. Candidates are reminded to bring a signed letter from the service coordinator or a parent stating the completion or anticipated date of completion of volunteer service hours.
Sunday, May 1st 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.
It is important for you to know that to be hired to teach in any Catholic School Board in Ontario, as part of your application for employment, there must be a letter of reference from your pastor. If you are planning to apply to teach in a Catholic School, a contact with the pastor is highly recommended. Please plan to have a conversation with your Pastor early in the process, well before applications are to be submitted.
May 1st to May 7th
Catholic Education Week 2016 begins on Sunday, May 1. You are invited to discover what celebrations are happening in your children’s school to celebrate the ongoing gift of publicly-funded Catholic education and if possible, attend. Publicly-funded Catholic education has existed in Ontario since 1841 and its graduates have served Ontario and Canada very well. The current generation of students in our publicly-funded Catholic schools serve with the same spirit and generosity as their previous generations.
Working wonders for our new arrivals in Canada…
“As an Iraqi Christian, the Office for Refugees (ORAT) has provided me with the opportunity to meet other people who have experienced the same thing that I have. We are able to help support each other in this new journey to Canada and without ORAT, I do not know where I would be today. It is possible I would still be in Jordan, afraid for my life, unable to practice my religion, and under threat of deportation. The work that ORAT did truly gave me hope and a chance at life free from persecution and fear. ORAT has also invited me to volunteer with them, and I am even able to sponsor a new person or family to come to Canada with their help.” Sara, a Christian refugee from Iraq.
Since 2009, ShareLife-supported ORAT has sponsored over 2,500 families to be resettled in the GTA.
ShareLife to date: $103,312 Next ShareLife Sunday is May 29th. Please give generously. You can work wonders!
Each month food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall and the Good Shepherd Centre. Your donations are very much needed and appreciated. Thank you for your generous support
The Society for St. Vincent de Paul will hold their annual Bundle Up Collection on the weekend of May 7th/8th. Bring your gently used clothing, household linens, shoes and small household goods to share with others. Appliances, furniture and books cannot be accepted.
Collection for April 17th, 2016: Envelopes 402 $ 7,610 Loose Change 1,158 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 165 3,034 Total 567 $ 11,802
April 16th, 2016
In our first reading we heard about the rejection of Paul and his companions by the leaders of the synagogue in Antioch. Paul responds by telling them they’ve had their chance to hear the good news of Jesus and that by refusing to listen, they were the losers. Paul would take his message to the Gentiles.
The Gentiles were non Jewish people and were considered as of less value to those who saw themselves as the people of God. Gentiles were shunned by Jews and any Jew who socialized with them was considered to be in danger of being contaminated by pagan ways. But the Gentiles were good men and women who lived their lives according to their own lights and beliefs.
Who are the gentiles of today? Who are the people who need to hear the good news that they are important to God, acceptable to God, loved by God and their lives would be different if God was important to them. Today’s Gentiles could be unchurched men and women, friends we know who may have come from a catholic or non- catholic family background but were only exposed to a primitive form of religious education. Or they are people we’ve called ‘recovering Catholics’, good men and women who were raised in a very strict family or experienced an unbending parish life, good people who were never encouraged to think for themselves but to do what they were told, good people who won’t go back to the old ways and mind sets. Today’s Gentiles are successful career oriented young people who are living the good life but are totally un interested in God or the things of God. Then there are men and women who lived in good parishes and went to catholic schools but now are totally indifferent to life in the church. We have good people totally scandalize by the sexual crimes of priests and the cover-up or denial of bishops and want nothing to do with the church. These are all good people.
On this Sunday we are asked to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. It’s no secret we have a shortage of vocations in our archdiocese and in every diocese in Canada. At different times I’ve asked young men in the parish if they ever thought of becoming a priest. They look at me as if I was out of my mind. Personally I’m happy to be a priest, always have been, because my priesthood has been blessed and supported by good people like you.
By our baptism we are all members of the priesthood of all believers. Priests preach the good news of Jesus Christ who died on the cross to restore us to the life and love of God. Every one of us is to witness to the truth of God’s love for all by how we live out our own faith. As one saying goes ‘we may be the only bible people will ever read ‘ or as St. Francis is supposed to have said, ‘ preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words.’ We are all meant to draw other people to God and Jesus by the way we live our own Catholic Christian faith, by what we say, by what we do, by the way we relate to others.
We are to make our faith authentic; believable to others by the way we live this Mass outside these walls. We make our faith convictions attractive to others when in our social life or places of work we refuse to tolerate expressions of bigotry, misogyny, racism or homophobia. We make our faith authentic when we get involved in the struggles of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the beaten down men, women and children of Toronto.
Could we imagine that can follow the example of Paul and Barnabas and reach out to the Gentiles in our lives and through the simple, unpretentious living of our lives lure them back to a vital relationship with Christ in the family of our church?
Think about it.
We have just received an urgent appeal for help from Father Rey Ondap, a Passionist priest working in Mindanao of the Philippines. Because of the effects of El Niño, there was little or no rain for the whole growing season this year. Crops have failed miserably. The situation among the indigenous people there is most dire. At least 3,500 families, many children among them, are suffering from starvation and other forms of illnesses brought about by the drought.
Father Ondap is trying to raise funds to buy rice and other supplies for these affected communities in the mission areas, so that they can deal with this emergency situation. If you would like to help, you can drop off your donations in the box provided in the Gathering Space this weekend.
In order to receive appropriate tax credit, please include your offering in an envelope with your full name, address and/or envelope number.
There is a compelling need for palliative care in Ontario. Recently, Cardinal Collins mentioned in his address to all parishes that less than 30% of those needing end-of-life care can find it. Availability of palliative care is what is needed not doctor-assisted-suicide.
We are a small group of parishioners and health care professionals who have a vision to care for people needing inpatient palliative care. Our plan is to create a place where patients and their families will receive care imbued with the value of compassion and which provides total care from physical, social and spiritual care. Setting up hospices will be an effective way to achieve this objective and to this end we are engaging communities and organizations that have similar values. We need people with a diversity of backgrounds to realize this dream. If you are interested in volunteering with us please contact Bob Parke or Ron Forbe at hospiceprojects@gmail.com or call 416-577-1406.
The St. Gabriel’s Children’s Faith Program is a Parish faith program for children in Grade SK to 8 who attend Public and Private schools.
We are in need of volunteers to serve as coordinator of the program and as class teachers and assistants. If you are interested please call 416-221-8866 ext 224, email francisng@bellnet.ca or leave your name and contact number with the parish office.
Hello fellow parishioners, I have booked the St. Gabriel’s Room for Tues. May 17 for our next weaving event. We will try to weave from 1:00 – 3:00 or 4ish as long as our energy and supplies last….
Thank you to those that took bags home to cut…. I have already received some back!! Hope to see you next month and feel free to bring a friend. Sharon Gusz
April 18th to April 23rd, 2016
MONDAY – LORENZO GRECH & SEBASTIANO PADOVA – Requested by the Grech Family TUESDAY – BERNIE CABRERA – Requested by Olivia Cabrera WEDNESDAY – ANTHONY O. B. YEUNG – Requested by Agnes Wong THURSDAY – HUI SOU LIN – Requested by Linda Law & Family FRIDAY – LEONARD MARCHIE – Requested by Teresa Marchie & Family SATURDAY – THOMAS DONAGHY – Requested by Siobhan Donaghy
Each month food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall and the Good Shepherd Centre.
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 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.
“The ShareLife campaign provides for the needs of our social service agencies, helps our brothers and sisters in Christ across the world, and supports the education of our clergy. It is important that we continue to support the ShareLife appeal, to provide for the needs of the marginalized both here in our communities and around the world regardless of their religious beliefs or personal background. ShareLife agencies meet people where they are, treating them with the dignity and respect we all deserve.” Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto.
ShareLife to date: $85,256 Today is ShareLife Sunday. Please give generously. You can work wonders!
Monday, April 18th at 6:30 PM
Catholic Pastoral Centre, 1155 Yonge Street, 4th Floor
You are invited to attend an upcoming Inspirational Talk “Living With Loneliness” which will be held on Monday, April 18th at the Catholic Pastoral Centre, 1155 Yonge St., 4th Floor. The talk will begin at 6:30 PM.
Pope Francis and the Quest for an Integral Ecology Tuesday, April 19th from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM Leaside Library, 165 McRae Drive
Join Dr. Stephen Scharper as he speaks on the above subject. Dr. Scharper is a professor of religion and the environment at the University of Toronto and a Toronto Star columnist. Author of For Earth’s Sake: Toward a Compassionate Ecology.
Refreshments will be served. Please join us for an evening of interesting conversation.
For more information contact St. Anselm’s Ecology Group at stanselmecology@gmail.com.
Saturday, April 23rd from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM
St Bonaventure’s Parish, 1300 Leslie Street The New Beginnings Spring Retreat, entitled, “Nurturing Seeds of Hope in all the Seasons of Life” will take place on Saturday, April 23rd at St. Bonaventure’s 1300 Leslie Street from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM.
Saturday, May 14th from 6:30 PM. to 9:00 PM
Newman Centre, 89 St George St, Toronto
Space is limited. Registration is required by May 8th. To register, call Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt at 416-467-2645 or visit www.faithconnections.ca — a ministry of Fontbonne Ministries, Sisters of St. Joseph, Toronto.
Wednesday, May 18th at 7:00 PM
Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home & Cemetery, Thornhill
Collection for April 10th, 2016: Envelopes 418 $ 7,894 Loose Change 817 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 165 3,034 Total 583 $ 11,745
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