May 18th, 2014
Monday, May 19th is Victoria Day. The Parish Office will be closed. There will be no 9:00 A.M. Mass that day.
To avoid accidents, the middle arm in the parking lot will remain closed until 9:15 A.M. each weekday. This is to ensure the safety of the pedestrians walking through to the school.
Congratulations to the following children from the Children’s Faith Program, and those from Private and Public Schools who received their First Communion as a group on Sunday, May 11th, 2014.
Nicolas Albornoz John Avila Luna Avila Sophia Avila Toby Avila Giulia Bernardini Rachel Eliz Brown Victoria Campbell Gigi Ciarlandini Marie French Julie Fung Nicholas Gratsas Hannah Ha Rhee Hayden Lee Caitlin Leung Justin Lui Isabel Luke Joshua McKinnon Avery Muradali Alexander Musarai Christopher Mong David Perry Simon Ramirez Abigail Seymour Navaeh Supan Chloe Wong Valerie Wong
It was a beautiful celebration. We promise to support them with our prayers as they continue on their journey of faith.
May 19th to May 24th 2014
MONDAY – VICTORIA DAY – No 9:00 A.M. Mass TUESDAY – MARZO AGARAO – Requested by Bong & Nicka Cochangco WEDNESDAY – CECILIA MANALANG – Requested by her Husband THURSDAY – DAN BADOI & HIS FAMILY – Requested by Carmen Badoi FRIDAY – KIM SE DONG – Requested by the Family SATURDAY – SAUL MONROY – Requested by Gloria Monroy
THANK YOU!
Once again, Bundle Up Weekend was a huge success! A very big shout out to all the young people who helped with loading the truck. Your energy, good humour and willingness to work were very much appreciated. We are also grateful for the generosity of the parishioners of St. Gabriel’s. Thank you for all your donations.
“My worst day clean is better than my best day using,” exclaims Suzanne, as she shares the details of her past use of drugs and other substance abuse. “I was on medication constantly to deal with the side effects and was a chronic pain patient for 35 years. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. With the support of Catholic Family Services, I was able to finally kick the habit.” The Closed Trauma and Sister mentoring program were crucial to helping Suzanne get her life back on track. The positive influence of CFS sistering program supervisor Valerie Anderson and encouragement from other professional staff gave Suzanne the courage to try again. She sheds ‘tears of joy’ as she now speaks on behalf of CFS, sharing the detailed differences Catholic Family Services has made in her life.
Over 77,000 individuals received help in getting their lives back on track through ShareLife-supported family services programs.
ShareLife For 2013: $193,410 ShareLife to Date: $99,712.05
Next ShareLife Sunday – June 1, 2014 Please give generously. You can work wonders!
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. You may pick up a copy of a casserole recipe and a pan from the Parish Office.
Three recipes are also available on St. Gabriel’s web site. 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.
Each month the food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall. With everyone struggling at this time, these 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.
June 1st AT 4:00 P.M. St. Gabriel’s Chuch
Join SPO on its final journey through a landscape of new, unusual, and profoundly moving Canadian works. After a rip-roaring opening featuring one of our favourite overtures, Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, we proceed to a work of a dramatically different ilk: composer/conductor William Rowson’s dark and affecting Aria.
To commemorate artistic director Kevin Lau’s departure from SPO, we present his latest composition Illumination (featuring pianist Mary Kenedi and percussionist Michelle Colton). The work was inspired by a wide range of sources, from Toronto’s recent ice storm to the surreal vignettes found in Alan Lightman’s short novel Einstein’s Dreams.
We are excited to present renowned soloist Erika Raum on a special performance of a lushly dramatic violin concerto written by her mother, Elizabeth Raum.
Finally, as part of our ongoing dedication to the young champions of our musical future, we are delighted to present a short orchestral composition by 13-year-old Ian Chan entitled Valse D’un Enfant.
Saturday, May 24th at 10:30 A.M. Meeting at the front entrance of St. Michael’s Cathedral, 200 Church St
Faith Connections invites all young adults 18-39 to join us for a Hike and Prayer at Doors Open Toronto. Together we will explore the architecture Toronto has to offer and reflect on it through prayer. Nurture your spiritual life while exploring interesting areas of our beautiful city! It’s a chance to meet like-minded young adults who hope to find God through spiritual and physical activity. Hiking rain or shine.
RSVPs appreciated, call Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt at 416-467-2645 or visit www.faithconnections.ca
Catholic Parents of Lesbian Daughters and Gay Sons Saturday, May 31st 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Manresa Jesuit Retreat Centre’
A retreat for Catholic parents of lesbian daughters and gay sons will be held at the Manresa Jesuit Retreat Centre, 2325 Liverpool Road in Pickering on Saturday, June 8th.
The cost for the day including lunch is $40.00
For Brochure and information call John Montague at 416-523-6449.
Saturday May 31st from 9:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. Julius Banquet Centre, 2201 Finch Ave W # 32 North York
You are invited to a breakfast sponsored by Magnificat – a Ministry to Catholic Women. A morning of song, prayer, good food, testimony, friendship and ministry. for women of all ages. The Guest Speaker will be Elizabeth Belen. Tickets are $20.
For tickets contact Inez at 416-745-4268. Tickets will not be sold at the door. All our past meals have served capacity groups of 300 guests. To avoid disappointment, buy your tickets early.
Weekend of June 6th to 8th Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre
Refresh and rekindle your love for each other by treating yourselves to a marriage enrichment weekend at Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre, or give a weekend as a gift to family or friends. The Centre offers comfort, excellent cuisine and an inspiring program. The next weekend is June 6th to 8th. For more information telephone: 905-278-5229.
Toronto Catholic District School Board Staff Arts is pleased to present My Fair Lady
At the Theatre at Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts, 36 Greenfield Avenue, North York. June 6th, 7th, 12th, 13th, 14th at 7:30 P.M., June 8th at 2:00 P.M. All tickets are $22.
For more information please call 416-222-8282 ext. 2787 or visit the website: www.tcdsb.org/staffarts
Our operating expenses average $14,550 per week.
Collection for last weekend: Envelopes 432 $8,713 Loose Change $1,326 Weekly Portion of PAG 177 $3,307 (Pre-Authorized Giving) Total $13,346
If you have been a Separate School Supporter and have moved, you may not realize that your tax support automatically defaults to the Public School system. If you would like to be a Separate School supporter, please pick up a form in the Parish Office.
| Posted in Bulletin |
May 11th, 2014
WHAT MUST WE DO?
The Holy Spirit was alive and well in those early years of the church’s life. The Spirit is still alive and well and working in our church today though in different ways. Men and women heard Peter telling them about Jesus and the wonderful things he did for people. Peter told them what jealous and self-serving religious authorities did to Jesus, hanging him on a tree. The people listening to Peter were ‘cut to the heart’ and wanted to know what they were to do. Through the actions of the Holy Spirit the words of Peter touched their hearts. They came to understand who Jesus is as never before. He was more than a worker of miracles, more than a teacher of God’s love and mercy. The risen Jesus was their Lord and Christ. He is indeed the Messiah promised long ago, the Messiah who reconciles them with God their Father. So they did what Peter told them to do, they repented of their sins and were baptised.
This Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday. We know Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd of our lives. Jesus is the shepherd who lays down his life for us. As the psalm reminds us, Jesus is the shepherd who watches and guides us through all the difficulties of our lives. He will not abandon us.
God has blessed us with a new shepherd, Pope Francis. To say the least he is a different kind of Pope. Jesus once said of himself as our shepherd, ‘my sheep listen to my voice’. Will we listen to the voice of our shepherd Francis as he calls us to be vital and involved members of the church? Our shepherd Francis calls us to be a community of faith, an open and welcoming community to all who seek Christ. Francis calls us to be a community of love more than keepers of laws, a community that does not point figures at others but opens its arms to all those struggling to find their way to God.
Francis wants his fellow shepherds, priests and bishops, to have the smell of the sheep; the smell of people’s hurts and disappointments with other people and with their church itself, the smell of those who endure injustice and hatred and persecution, the smell of good wives and husbands confused over the teachings of the church and the reality of their own lives. The smell of men, women and children victimized by the greed and power of others. The smell of countless refugees and immigrants who seek new and better lives. The smell of those whose lives are at risk, the unborn and neglected elderly. The smell of the hopes and joys, the pains and hurts of all the people of God – which we are.
If we were to ask our shepherd Francis, as the people who asked the shepherd Peter, ‘What must we do?’ our new shepherd Francis would tell each one of us, be open to the opportunities God puts before you every day of your lives; accept those different from ourselves, seek justice and fairness for the men, women and children who are exploited in the work place, be attentive to the needs of the poor and elderly in your neighbourhood, respect and protect life in all its stages, be agents of peace in your homes and neighbourhoods, respect and protect God’s good creation and above all be people of prayer so that we may be open to the things to which Christ the Good Shepherd calls you each day. These are the smells to which we all should be attentive and to which we should respond.
Strengthened by the bread of life we will receive at this Eucharist may be willing to follow out shepherd Francis wherever he may lead us.
| Posted in Homily |
Recently there have been several close calls as drivers use our parking lot as a short cut to and from Sheppard Avenue.
To all the Mothers, Grandmothers and Stepmothers, we wish you a very happy Mother’s day. May you be blessed with the graces you need, with courage, compassion patience and peace.
May 12th to May 17th, 2014
MONDAY – MICHELLE HALES – Requested by the Sheldrick Family TUESDAY – KEVIN TAKAKI – Requested by Violet Pung & Family WEDNESDAY – BIEN & MILA COCHANGCO – Requested by Bong & Nicka Cochangco THURSDAY – ELAINE PICKEN – Requested by Bernadette De Groot FRIDAY – GERRY & EDNA HATCH – Requested by the Family SATURDAY – ANA SOFIA NASCIMENTO – Requested by the Family
Men who have responded to God’s call to dedicate their lives to His service come from all walks of life. Those who enter the priesthood come from different ages and backgrounds, economic situations, skill sets, and ethnic communities.
At ShareLife-funded agencies such as Serra House, Redemptoris Mater, and St. Augustine’s Seminary, they undergo extensive theological education and practical field training. Through ShareLife, you are helping sustain the vocations for priesthood and inspire discernment for God’s call. Last year ShareLife helped support over 70 priests and seminarians in their formation studies.
ShareLife For 2013: $193,410 ShareLife to Date: $90,143.80
Next ShareLife Sunday – June 1, 2014 Please give generously. You can work wonders!.
This Weekend, May 10th/11th
The Society for St. Vincent de Paul is holding their annual Bundle Up Collection this weekend, May 10th/11th. Bring your gently used clothing and household linens to share with others. A St. Vincent de Paul truck is in the Church parking lot to receive donations. We will donate or sell these donations to support our outreach efforts. Thank you for your continued support. The truck will be open on Saturday, May 10th from 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. and all day Sunday, May 11th until 4:00 P.M. Volunteers will assist with the 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 Whole Beans: $5.50 Chocolate Bars: $4 incl. Taxes Hot Chocolate and Cocoa: $4.75 Teas: $4.25
We are still collecting Canadian Tire money in support of Matercare International which is an association of Catholic Obstetricians and Gynecologists working in developing countries. This organization is dedicated to improving the lives and health of mothers and their children, both unborn and born, through initiatives of service, training, research and advocacy. Please support this worthwhile campaign by dropping your Canadian Tire money in the collection basket or bringing it to the Parish Office.
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.
Hope for the Children Fund
No parent should have to put their baby to sleep in a stroller or car seat because they can’t afford a crib. The Hope for Children Fund in support of the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto has been actively working to educate Toronto families about safe sleep.
As part of their mission, they provide cribs to low-income families. The campaign, which runs through to Mother’s Day on May 11th, encourages donors to visit www.hopeforchildren.ca to make a donation towards the purchase of a crib. An acknowledgement card may be sent to one’s mother in recognition of the donation. Just in time for Mother’s Day!
May 14, 2014 – June 4, 2014 from 1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M.
The Paulist Ministry Centre 830 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON
Part II of four sessions in holistic faith development and growth in Christian maturity for men and women in the second half of life (pre-retirement to retirement years) will be offered by Sr. Mary Rose Marrin, CSJ.It is NOT necessary to have attended part I to participate in part II. Please pre-register if possible. There will be a free will offering for the sessions.
For further information, please contact 416-534-2326 or Fr. John F. Duffy, CSP at jfdcsp1@cs.com
Saturday, May 24 — 10:30 A.M.
Meeting at the front entrance of St. Michael’s Cathedral, 200 Church St
Catholic Parents of Lesbian Daughters and Gay Sons Saturday, May 31st from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Manresa Jesuit Retreat Centre’
A retreat for Catholic parents of lesbian daughters and gay sons will be held at the Manresa Jesuit Retreat Centre, 2325 Liverpool Road in Pickering on Saturday, June 8th. The cost for the day including lunch is $40.00
Weekend of June 6th to 8th
Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre
Save this date… Sunday, June 1st at 4:00 P.M. The Sneak Peek orchestra returns to St. Gabriel’s for another wonderful concert. Watch the bulletin for more detail.
At the Theatre at Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts, 36 Greenfield Avenue, North York.
June 6th, 7th, 12th, 13th, 14th at 7:30PM June 8th at 2:00 PM
All tickets are $22.
Saturday, June 21st to Tuesday, June 24th
The 29th annual pilgrimage to the Canadian Shrines from Blessed Trinity Parish will take place Saturday, June 21st to Tuesday, June 24th. The tour will include St. Joseph’s Oratory and the Shrine of Kateri Tekakwitha in Montreal, the Shrine of our Blessed Mother at Cap de la Madeleine, Chapel of Blessed Frederic in Trois Rivieres, St. Anne de Beaupre and old Quebec City. For more information, please contact Mary at 416-497-7059 or go to www.blessedtrinity.ca.
Collection for last weekend: Envelopes 417 $7,695 Loose Change $1,387 Weekly Portion of PAG 177 $3,307 (Pre-Authorized Giving) Total $12,389
May 4th, 2014
Today’s scriptures tell of humanity’s fall from grace at some unknown time through a conscious act of disobedience to God as God was known then. Adam and Eve had almost everything. Their only drawback was the fact that they were creatures of limit. They were good, but they were not God. They could have the fruit of every tree except the tree of limits, the tree of creatureliness. It was their creature hood that made them susceptible to the lie that by eating of the forbidden fruit they would be like God.
That rift between God and humanity was healed and mutual friendship was restored when Jesus who did not consider equality with God as something to be clung to,emptied himself of divinity and took to himself our humanity, our creatureliness. Becoming as we all are he was obedient to God unto death even death on the cross. As St. Paul teaches in our second reading, ‘ just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all so one man’s act of righteousness – obedience unto death, ever death on the cross – leads to justification and life for all people.’
When John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan God the Father declared Jesus to be his beloved son in whom he was well pleased. Jesus knew he had a special relationship with God and a special mission to carry out in God’s name. He was to tell over and over again by the words he spoke, by the deeds he did and how he treated the men and women who came into his life that all of us are loved by God.
The forty days Jesus spent alone in the desert were spent pondering his life’s purpose and praying for strength to carry it out. Weakened and weary by these forty days his was confronted by the Tempter, the same one who lured Adam and Eve away from their friendship with God with the promise that they could become like God, knowing good and evil. Whereas Adam and Eve failed the test of their loyalty to God Jesus did not. He would not diminish or deny his status of the ‘beloved’ of God and his mission to do the will of his Father.
Because of our baptism each one of us has a life purpose. We are sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Christ. Each of us has a mission in life. As St. Paul tells us we are to put on Christ, we are to grow to full maturity in Christ so that the Father can see and love in us what he sees and loves in Christ. Our life’s purpose can only be achieved when we accept our dependency on God and God’s grace. Our life’s purpose can only be achieved when we open our lives to what God would have us be and what God would have us do.
Our life experience tells us the Tempter is still alive and well and is active in our lives. We are constantly lured from our relationship with God and Christ by empty promises of happiness, fulfillment and love in relationships that only bring emptiness and disappointment. We are lured into compromising our own integrity with promises of power and popularity. We are lured into believing that freed from a confining stupid belief in God we will be free to find fulfillment by doing things ‘our way.’ All these promises liberate us from gospel demands of putting other people’s needs before our self-interests and promise us the freedom to do our own thing, do what’s best for us.
Temptation is as much a part of our lives as the air we breathe. We pray every day, ‘lead us not into temptation’ because we know we are weak, fragile men and women who can be lured into believing we can find love, happiness and fulfillment by ignoring the teaching and example of Jesus to love, share and forgive. Our life time project is to be as Christ-like as we can possibly be as by God’s grace we grow to full maturity in Christ.
As we continue to celebrate this Mass we can pray that we all will faithful to God’s call and will be as faithful as Christ was when rejected the temptation to be unfaithful to his Father’s will.
April 27th, 2014
We’re all familiar with this powerful story of the Doubting Thomas. Thomas was missing when the dispirited and confused disciples gathered together behind locked doors, unsure of their own safety but supporting one another, comforting one another in grief. Suddenly despite barred doors Jesus was with them. They heard that he appeared to Mary Magdalene and Peter but they were unsure what that meant. Maybe there were just imagining things. But there Jesus was showing them the gapping wounds in his hands and feet and side – blazing pledges of his undying love for them. His first words are of peace not recrimination. Jesus says nothing of their cowardly deserting of him. He offers them the gift of his peace and empowers them to pass that peace on to others.
Thomas was as confused and grief stricken as the rest of them but he wanted to be alone to sort out the confusing, devastating events of the last couple of days. He avoids the company of the other apostles and companions of Jesus. This was his big mistake. We know from experience that we need the presence and support of others when we come face to face with a personal crisis or loss. We need to hear comforting, consoling words, words that let us know others feel our pain and are with us in our time of struggle. We need a hug, an embrace to strengthen us. There is great wisdom in the Jewish custom of Shiva. For several days after the death and quick burial of a family member, friends come to the home with food. They sit with the family, often in silence. There is silence and conversation and the grieving family knows they are not alone. Thomas didn’t see his need for companionship. He wanted to face his grief on his own.
Thomas’ decision robbed him of that surprising and comforting encounter the other apostles had with the risen Christ. When Peter and the others told him about it he refused to believe their story. He demanded proof. ’Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the mark and my hand into his side I will not believe.’ Jesus gives Thomas another chance. A week later he comes again. To Thomas Jesus says, ‘Put your finger into my hand and your hand into my side and believe.’ The embarrassed, shamed Thomas could only stutter, “My Lord and my God.’
This gospel praises people like you and me, people who often wonder if God exists or cares as we face many hard realities of our lives. We can convince ourselves no one hears our prayers, no one understands our sadness, our loneliness. We feel our struggles to live lives of love and justice is going nowhere. There can be times when we wonder if all this ‘faith stuff’ is for real. Yet we hang on. We pray, ‘Lord I believe, help the little faith I have.’ We can do this because we belong to a community of faith; men and women who struggle and wonder as we do and yet believe; believe that Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again. We are all those good people who have not seen and still believe.
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
