June 21st, 2015
Have you ever had the experience of being caught in open water by a sudden and violent storm? I have. I was on a sail boat on Lake Erie just outside Port Dover and this storm seemed to come out of nowhere. We got back to port as soon as we could through pouring rain, high winds and rough water. Talk about wanting to kiss the ground.
This wasn’t the first storm these fishermen friends of Jesus experienced but by the violence of it they knew they were in serious trouble. All this was happening at night so they had no stars to guide them. They were amazed that Jesus could sleep through the whole thing. They woke him up with the demand ‘do something’ and he did, he spoke and rebuked the wind and stilled the waters. It was as if Jesus had a one on one relationship with the sea and the wind – Jesus knew the sea and wind and the sea and wind knew him and he told them, enough, be still, you’ve done your job, you’ve made these men turn to me. Then he asked the disciples a strange question, ’why are you afraid?’
Jesus had a one on one relationship with every man in that boat and the experience of the storm was meant to challenge and deepen that relationship. Why were you afraid, don’t you trust me, don’t you know that I’m here with you and that I care for you? The truth was they did know and yet they didn’t know. Their one on one relationship with Jesus would have its ups and downs for some time to come.
Each one of us has a one on one relationship with God in and through Jesus. Maybe we don’t think too much about our relationship with God but God never stops thinking of it, as scripture tells us, ‘Before you were conceived in the womb I knew you and called you by name.’ We all have a one on one relationship with Jesus though too often we don’t think of it but he’s told us, ‘I am the vine you are the branches, without me you can do nothing.’
Maybe that’s why our lives can become upset, turned upside down by the sudden storms that come our way. We’ve all had upsetting times in our lives, stormy days, nights, months or even years and we long for things to just settle down, we long for the calm.
Its natural when we hear this gospel to think of the stormy times in our lives, times when we feel totally helpless and alone, times when we are sure we are going under. We know from experience our storms don’t go away that easily, there is no instant calming, we have to wait them out, see them through trusting that Jesus is with us. Because of our one on one relationship with Jesus we trust that he will see us through whatever storm with which we are struggling. Jesus asks us, as he asked these frightened fishermen ‘why are you afraid, have you no faith, no trust in my love and care for you?’ Maybe all we can answer in the dark and stormy times is the simple truth, ‘Lord I believe, help the little faith I have’, and leave it at that.
| Posted in Homily |
June 20th, 2015
Tuesday, June 30th, from 7:30 to 9:00 PM
St. Gabriel’s Church
Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment was released on June 18th, 2015. To consider the content, significance, and potential impact of the new encyclical, we will be holding an open forum on Tuesday, June 30th from 7:30 to 9:00 PM here at St Gabriel’s.
Dr. Dennis O’Hara, Director of the Elliot Allen Institute for Theology & Ecology at St Michael’s College of the University of Toronto, and Father Steve Dunn, C.P., Director of the Passionist Center for Ecology and Spirituality, will be facilitating the forum.
Everyone is welcome! No pre-registration is necessary. For further information, please contact Fatima Lee at 416- 221-8866 or email fatimalee@bellnet.ca.
Sunday, June 28th after the 12:30 Mass
The Parish BBQ Picnic will be held on Sunday, June 28th after the 12:30 Mass in the parking lot. There will be hot dogs, games, face painting, lucky draws, music and more…..
Tickets are $2 each.
Please bring your families, friends and neighbours to enjoy a summer afternoon with your parishioners.
We need volunteers to help and make this event happen. Please sign up by putting your name and phone number on the sheets at the back of church. For more information, you may call Linda Law at 416-918-8029.
June 22nd to June 27th 2015
MONDAY – ERNA REBHOLZ-MILIMONKA – Requested by Mary Anne Barnes TUESDAY – FRANCES PALAYATHIL – Requested by the Family WEDNESDAY – JUANITO G. GAVIETA – Requested by Estrella, Cherrie, Stella & Isabel THURSDAY – WALTER DINARDO – Requested by the Family FRIDAY – KENG OWYONG – Requested by Helen Owyong SATURDAY – FRANCIS PEREIRA & DECEASED MEMBERS OF THE PEREIRA & PAUL FAMILIES – Requested by Sophie & Candida Pereira
As a sign of respect for the celebrant and others attending Mass, please do not let your children roam around freely during the liturgy
The method of implementation for the Sacrament of Confirmation for 2015/16 for both Grades 7&8 is dependent on the total number of candidates that will register. If the number of registrants exceed 60 candidates, they will be organised into two groups.
Registration for this Sacrament will be accepted in the Summer through to Fall 2015, and we strongly urge you to register early to assist us in planning for this unique situation. Please remember to bring along your child’s baptism certificate when you register. Registration without a baptismal certificate will not be accepted.
We are planning for the Confirmation ceremonies to be held May 15th, 2016 and June 5th, 2016 if a second group is required. Both ceremonies will be at 7.30 pm. These are tentative dates only and may be changed as we get more information.
Please watch our bulletin or check our website for further information.
Wednesday, August 12th, at 7:00 PM
Holy Cross Cemetery or Mount Hope Cemetery
Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Services, Archdiocese of Toronto wishes to invite all families within the Archdiocese of Toronto to participate in the Annual Mass for the Faithful Departed on Wednesday, August 12th at 7:00 PM at Holy Cross or Mount Hope Cemeteries.
In the event of rain, the Mass at Holy Cross will be held in the mausoleum and the Mass for Mount Hope will move to St. Monica’s Church, 44 Broadway Avenue.
R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) meetings begin in the fall. These evenings are for persons interested in learning about the Catholic Faith. Because the Parish Community itself is considered the official teacher and guide for potential new members, it is important that some parishioners participate by being present and by sharing their Faith in various ways. It is also an opportunity for “Born Catholics” to deepen their understanding of the faith. Adult Catholics who wish to celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist and/or Confirmation are welcome. For more information, please call the Parish Office at 416-221-8866.
Registration forms for the Children’s Faith Program for next year are now available in the Parish Office. This program is for those children attending private or public schools. Please note that all registrations must be returned by August 30th, 2015.
If your child will also be receiving the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation or Confirmation, please complete a Sacramental registration form which is also available in the Parish Office. Please note that a Baptismal Certificate must accompany registration for First Communion or Confirmation.
Each month the food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall or the Good Shepherd Centre. As summer approaches, food donations tend to drop off. These donations are more important than ever as families struggle to make ends meet.
Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Working wonders for people locally and around the world…
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the 2015 ShareLife Parish Campaign. You have made a dark path to a brighter future much easier for thousands of the most vulnerable in our communities by your generosity.
For those who wish to make a contribution, you are still welcome to do so. You can drop your ShareLife envelopes in the offertory basket until July 31, 2015 or donate online at www.sharelife.org. Thank you!
ShareLife, 2014: $220,250. ShareLife to Date: $137,153
Thank you for your generosity. Together we can work wonders!
Are you concerned about justice and social issues? Would you like to help promote a greater awareness in our parish of the situation of the poor in the developing world? If you are interested, please consider becoming a part of our parish’s Development and Peace group. For further information, please call Fatima at 416 -221-8866 or email her at fatimalee@bellnet.ca
Development and Peace is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada. For the past 48 years they have been supporting and empowering the poor in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Here at St Gabriel’s, besides participating in the various Development and Peace campaigns during the year, we also support their efforts by making available to you every month the fair trade coffee, tea, and chocolates produced by farmers in the Global South.
Did you know that milk bags can be cut, looped and woven into sleep mats for individuals or families in developing countries? You may drop the colourful outer bags into the bin located in the gathering space. Please make sure that the bags are clean and dry. For further information about this program please visit www.milkbagsunlimited.ca or contact Sharon Gusz at sharongusz@gmail.com
Thank you for your generous support of Marygrove Camp. $3,635 was raised to support this important work of the Society for St. Vincent de Paul
Weekend of June 27th/28th
Your prepared casseroles (frozen please) 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 especially during the summer months. Please get 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. Please remember to mark the label on the pan lid with the name of the casserole.
For the summer, your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekends of July 25th /26th and August 29th/30th for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre. For more information, you may contact Irene Albrecht at 416 221-2791.
Liturgical Publications will be setting up the advertisements for our church bulletin. The advertising will begin in September 2015 and supports the bulletin service. Please support the bulletin and advertise your product or service.
Call Liturgical Publications at 905-624-4422.
Wednesday, July 8th at 6:30 PM
St. Patrick’s Church, 141 McCaul Street
Young adults (18-39) are invited to join us walking the streets of downtown Toronto, offering food and friendship to those in need.To share with the people we meet… please bring sandwiches and drinks. Other things that are greatly appreciated are soft fruits, veggies, snacks or sweets.
For yourself… please wear comfortable walking shoes, bring a backpack or comfortable bag to carry the sandwiches and drinks in, and water or drinks for yourself.
RSVP is required as space is limited. Please call John-Paul Markides at 416-467-2645 or email faithconnections@csj.to.ca. For more information about the Street Patrol program go to http://www.stpatrickstoronto.ca/streetpatrol/faq.php.
Our operating expenses average $14,550 per week.
Collection for Last Weekend
Envelopes 384 $ 7,594 Loose Change 1,096 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 165 3,103 Total 570 $ 11,793
| Posted in Bulletin |
June 14th, 2015
By now most people have their gardens planted though many were caught by that surprise frost. But we plant the seeds, water the soil and wait.
In today’s gospel Jesus is teaching from a boat but we can be sure that most of his listeners were people who lived off the land, farmers and sheep and goat herders. The farmer scatters his seeds for planting and then waits. While he sleeps and works the earth does it work on the seed. With its warmth it softens the hulk of the seed and allows the seed to sprout and grow – without the farmer knowing how. After weeks of growth comes the harvest. This whole process from planting to harvest, depends on sunlight, good soil and rain. The farmer is at the mercy of the elements. Think of the crops that could be lost this year in California because of drought and in the Midwest because of rain or the early frost that hit the wine region here in Ontario.
Jesus uses the example of the mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds. From its tininess grows a plant large enough to provide nesting for birds and food for the family.
When each one of us was baptised we were given the seed of glory, our relationship with God. That seed will reach its full capacity when we die, when that seed is harvested. Here is a way of applying today’s parable to ourselves.
When we come to that point in our lives when we open ourselves to receive God as Lord and Jesus as our Savior we are just at the beginning of our journey of faith. It is like that littlest seed but it is meant to grow and it will grow if we don’t give up on ourselves, if we don’t let our faults and failing think we are nothing in the eyes of God, if we bring ourselves to trust the truth that God is not finished with us yet.
Through our simple acts of love and care, our willingness to accept others just as they are, through our times of silent prayer or our participation in Sunday Mass, through our receiving the bread of life or through are being reconciled with God we stretch our branches as we grow to full maturity in Christ, as we put on Christ. It is the little things in our lives that we can do great things. That cup of water given in Jesus’ name can be anyone of those little things, those acts of random kindness we do for friends and stranger. But every day we are called to grow in God’s love and life so that God may see and love in us what he sees and loves in Christ.
Plants that grow by forced growth don’t last that long. Nature has its own pace and so does grace, we grow gradually into the likeness of Christ. Life is slow and subtle. Love takes time to show and grow. In life, little acts count. In fact, that is what a life is all about, a long parade of moments deceptively inconsequential.
Remember that song from the musical Godspell, Day by Day. Day by day, day by day O dear lord three things I pray, to see thee more clearly, follow they more nearly, love thee more dearly – day by day.
St. Paul tells us we walk by faith not by sight. We may not see the results of the good things we do and we don’t need to, God knows whether or not we are growing, growing into a deeper relationship with him, growing into a greater likeness to Christ.
We’re told that during her trial Joan of Arc was asked one of her inquisitors if she was in the state of grace. She answered ‘if I am, I pray God keep me there, if I am not, I pray God put me there.’ If we wonder whether or not we are growing in the life of God and the likeness of Christ we can answer ‘if I am I pray God increase my growth, if I am not I pray God help me grow.
June 13th, 2015
Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment is anticipated to be released on June 18th, 2015. To consider the content, significance, and potential impact of the new encyclical, we will be holding an open forum on Tuesday, June 30th from 7:30 to 9:00 PM here at St Gabriel’s. Dr. Dennis O’Hara, Director of the Elliot Allen Institute for Theology & Ecology at St Michael’s College of the University of Toronto, and Father Steve Dunn, C.P., Director of the Passionist Center for Ecology and Spirituality, will be facilitating the forum.
Everyone is welcome! No pre-registration is necessary. For further information, please contact Fatima Lee at 416-221-8866 or email fatimalee@bellnet.ca.
The Music Ministry is sad to inform our community that Fletcher Agostino, cantor and choir director, is leaving us this Sunday, June 14th. Fletcher has been with us for nine years, leading us in our sung prayers with his beautiful tenor voice and warm personality. Fletcher’s strengths have been a unique blend of gentle charisma, caring, faith, conviction, dedication, musical talent and leadership abilities. Fletcher recently received his PhD in Chemistry, and is taking a job in Edmonton. We wish him and his fiancée Jenny all the best, with grateful hearts and voices!
June 15th to June 20th 2015
MONDAY – LEONARD MARCHIE – Requested by Theresa & Family TUESDAY – MARIO ROSARIO A. CALIMBAS – Requested by Estrella, Cherrie, Stella & Isabel WEDNESDAY – BRANIMIR PETRANOVIC – Requested by the Family THURSDAY – CARMEN DE HERNANDES – Requested by her Family FRIDAY – DRAGO PETRANOVIC – Requested by the Family SATURDAY – AMPARO VILLAFRANCA – Requested by the Family
Cardinal Collins recently announced that the grade level of those eligible for Confirmation will change from Grade 8 to Grade 7. In the transitional phase of the 2015 – 2016 academic year, all children in Grade 7 and 8 will be prepared for and will receive the sacrament of Confirmation. Accommodating the increased number of candidates will be a challenge but by mid June, we hope to have a clearer idea of how we will approach this unique situation.
If your child is currently in Grade 6 or 7, please watch our bulletin or check our website for further information. The process for Confirmation preparation for students entering Grade 7 and 8 will begin in September 2015.
Wednesday, August 12th, at 7:00 PM.
Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Services, Archdiocese of Toronto wishes to invite all families within the Archdiocese of Toronto to participate in the Annual Mass for the Faithful Departed on Wednesday, August 12th at 7:00 PM at Holy Cross or Mount Hope Cemetery.
Registration forms for the Children’s Faith Program for next year are now available in the Parish Office. This program is for those children attending private or public schools. Please note that all registrations must be returned by August 31st, 2015.
If you child will also be receiving the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation or Confirmation, please complete a Sacramental registration form which is also available in the Parish Office. Please note that a Baptismal Certificate must accompany registration for First Communion or Confirmation.
The second collection this weekend is for Marygrove Camp for Girls. Each and every child’s camping experience is fully subsidized through this collection. Thank you for your support! Envelopes are in the pews
Working wonders with families in our neighbourhoods…
The Smith family came for counseling to deal with the sudden death of their parent. The children’s grief was complicated by the fact that they were now residing with their other parent, with whom they had not spent a great deal of time, due to long work hours to provide for the family.
As this grief stricken family learned about each other, how to relate, how to trust, how to love and build a new definition of “family”, they began to open up to their counselor and share what their life was like before their parent’s tragic death. One child in the family shared that a trusted adult in their life used to be very abusive to them – physically assaulting them, locking them in closets, and making them hurt each other – to name just a few of the milder incidents. That disclosure to the family therapist led to the arrest of that individual and it also resulted in those children no longer feeling afraid of any future victimization. Closer family intimacy, safety, and a brighter future resulted for the Smith Family. Last year, ShareLife-supported Family Service agencies provided family counseling to over 5,100 people in the Greater Toronto Area.
ShareLife, 2014: $220,250. ShareLife to Date: $135,033 Thank you for your generosity. Together we can work wonders!
Are you concerned about justice and social issues? Would you like to help promote a greater awareness in our parish of the situation of the poor in the developing world? If you are interested, please consider becoming a part of our parish’s Development and Peace group. For further information, please call Fatima at 416-221-8866 or email her at fatimalee@bellnet.ca
Development and Peace is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada. For the past 48 years they have been supporting and empowering the poor in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Here at St Gabriel’s, besides participating in the various Development and Peace campaigns during the year, we also support their efforts by making available to you every month the fair trade coffee, tea, and chocolates produced by farmers in the Global South
Each month the food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall or the Good Shepherd Centre. As summer approaches, food donations tend to drop off. These donations are more important than ever as families struggle to make ends meet. Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your ongoing support.
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: $5.00
Please note that there are no Just Coffee sales during the months of July and August.
Wednesday, June 17th at 7:00 PM
St. Monica’s Parish Hall
Catholic Cemeteries and the Archdiocese estate planning team will share: How to protect your loved ones with a proper will How to ensure your wishes are legally protected 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 and Funeral Services – Archdiocese of Toronto at 416.733-8544 ext. 237 or fjannetta@ccat.on.ca
Saturday, June 20th from 9:30 AM to 12:00 Noon
Catholic Pastoral Centre, 1155 Yonge Street, 4th Floor
Catholic Family Services of Toronto and New Beginnings invite you to an Appreciation Breakfast on Saturday, June 20th from 9:30 AM to 12 Noon at the Catholic Pastoral Centre. The guest speaker will be Dr. Josephine Lombardi, Assistant Professor, St. Augustine’s Seminary. She will speak about the Influences that Shape our Personalities. Please pre-register for this event, by contacting mbenincasa@cfstoronto.com or phoning 416-921-1163 x 2235.
Collection for Last Weekend Envelopes 405 $ 7,085 Loose Change 1,124 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 165 3,103 Total 570 $ 11,312
June 7th, 2015
Today we celebrate the awesome feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. It is our Catholic belief that Jesus Christ is truly present in the bread and the wine we receive in Holy Communion. This belief is shared by all the Orthodox churches, the High Anglicans and many of the Protestant churches that sprung from the Reformation. We believe that Jesus Christ is present, body, blood, soul and divinity in the host we receive and we make that our act of faith with our ‘Amen’ as we receive the host.
At Christmas we acknowledged Jesus in the poor and homeless child in the stable in Bethlehem. At each Mass we acknowledge Jesus in a simple piece of bread but we believe that bread is more than bread, wine is more than wine, they are the body and blood of Jesus.
Jesus told the people of Carpharum, I am the living bread come down from heaven. Unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood you cannot have life in you. The people’s reaction to His words were,’ this is a hard saying and who can take it and we are told many of his followers walked with him no more.’
We believe Jesus is the bread of life without which we cannot survive as His followers.
I read somewhere about a situation in Germany after the second world war. It was a refugee camp for children who were completely lost – no mother or father, no family, no home, no country – they were just set adrift in the chaos of the time. In this camp good people tried to help them thru this trauma and restore them to physical and mental health. Most of these children suffered from nightmares, they would wake up screaming and shaking. One doctor came up with an idea. Before they went to bed they were given a good meal and then they were tucked into bed and each child was given a large piece of bread – they were told to save it until the next morning. The children began to sleep soundly after that because, after so many years of hunger and uncertainty as to their next meal, they finally had the assurance of food for the next day.
In a way this is what Jesus does for us as he offers us his flesh to eat, his blood to drink. This is how he answers the very prayer he taught us,’ give us this day our daily bread ‘He assures us that the nourishment we need when life becomes burdensome, when we worry and fret over important decisions, when we face family or personal conflicts, when we stumble and fall thru our own weaknesses, that nourishment will be there for us. Jesus gives himself totally to us but we might ask ourselves, do we give ourselves totally to him?
I celebrated a funeral for a long time parishioner. His sons and daughters were not much into the church and were looking at the possibility of skipping a funeral Mass and having a service at a funeral parlour. The choice was made for his children when the eldest son, while going through his father’s wallet found this prayer card. It read,’ dear master what a lesson for me. Even though the Mass is a re-offering of the sacrifice of the Cross, for me to please you at Mass I must offer it ‘in spirit and in truth’. The Mass must be my gift, my outward way of telling you of my love, otherwise I am bystander at Mass. I am like those people on Calvary who just watched it all out of curiosity. They stood there, my King, at that supreme moment in history and yet came away unaffected, unchanged, because they were only bystanders, not offerers. They didn’t worship in spirit and in truth. Lord the Mass is a beautiful act of love on your part to the Father. Let me make it my act of love too.
This prayer expresses a basic truth. The Mass involves an exchange of gifts. Take and eat, this is my body, take and drink, this is my blood. Our response is ‘Lord receive my gift to you – my total being, with all the blessing with which I have been blessed and all my self-inflicted wounds. As you give yourself to me I give myself to you. This must be our mindset, otherwise we are just bored, distracted bystanders uninvolved in the great exchange we celebrate.
As we continue to celebrate this feast of the body and blood of Christ we pray for ourselves and for each other that we be graced with the desire to give ourselves totally to Christ as he gives himself totally to us as he says ‘take and eat’ may our response be ‘this is my body, this is my life, I give it totally to 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