June 17th, 2012
In this week’s bulletin: Children’s Faith Program and Adult Faith Development registration, and calling green thumbs for help with our garden!
Calling all green thumbs!
As you may have noticed, our garden isn’t quite like what we hoped it would be. Weeds, weeds, weeds! I wish to form a garden care committee of volunteers to come in one day a week to care for the garden. They would be under the direction of one person who has the “smarts” as regards to plants. If you are interested, please call the Parish Office at 416-221-8866 and leave your name and phone number. Thanks.
Fr. Paul
June 18th to June 23rd, 2012
MONDAY – BARRY BRADBURY Requested by Peggy Pusaka TUESDAY – WAHIBA BALADI Requested by Mary Zakher WEDNESDAY – JUANITO MEGINO Requested by Trina Pifanio THURSDAY – BRAMIMIR PETRANOVIC Requested by the Family FRIDAY – AUGUSTO SERAFINI Requested by Rita, Pasqua & Sandra Serafini SATURDAY – AMPARO VILLAFRANCA Requested by the Family
On June 5th, the Ontario Legislature has passed Bill 13. The Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario has expressed serious concerns regarding certain aspects of this legislation, as have numerous other individual citizens and groups. Recognizing that the Accepting Schools Act is now the law, Catholic partners will seek, as we have always done, in a way that is in accord with our faith, to foster safe and welcoming school communities. Bullying, in any form, is unacceptable. At the core of our Catholic Christian beliefs is the command to welcome every person with love and respect.
Thomas Cardinal Collins Archbishop of Toronto President, Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario
Registration forms for the Children’s Faith Program for next year are now available in the Parish Office. Please note that all registrations must be returned by June 30th, 2012.
Our journey of life and journey of faith are meant to converge at an early age. For many of us, however, we tend to grow physically, mentally, psychologically etc., but remain at a childish level of understanding our faith. The following information is for those who wish to keep growing, to be able to enjoy the Good news of God’s love for us as members of God’s Church.
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.
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 (or if your adult child) is planning to apply to teach in a Catholic School, a contact with the pastor before Thanksgiving is highly recommended. Please plan to have a conversation with your Pastor early in the process, well before applications are to be submitted.
Great news: it seems that our refugee family may be able to obtain their visas soon. If everything works smoothly, they should arrive in the next couple of weeks. We’ll keep you posted on new developments. Please continue to keep them and all who are affected by violence and persecution in your prayers.
The Marygrove Camp collection will be taken up this weekend June 16th/17th. Marygrove Camp is a residential camp situated on 39 acres of beautifully treed grounds and a quarter mile of Georgian Bay waterfront, near Penetang, Ontario. This summer, 1,100 girls from less fortunate families will be attending camp. Please support this important work of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Each and every child’s camping experience is fully subsidized through this collection. Thank you for your support! Envelopes are on the tables at the entrance to the Church.
Your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses next weekend for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre. More volunteers are encouraged to 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. Remember to mark the label on the pan lid with the name of the casserole. Please contact Irene Albrecht at 416 221-2791 for more information.
Please note that the collection days for the summer months are July 28th/29th and August 25th /26th.
As we come into the warmer months, food donations tend to drop off. In response to the very great need for food in our community, we are asking that you continue to fill the baskets in the Gathering Space. Thank you for your wonderful generosity!
ShareLife Collection 2011: $184,642 ShareLife Collection To Date: $136,040
Have you been cleaning out drawers and cupboards? Perhaps you have come across old eye glasses which are of no use to you. According to The World Health Organization, 153 million people have uncorrected refractive errors (near-sightedness, far-sightedness or astigmatism). Most of these vision impairments are quickly diagnosed and easy to treat with corrective lenses. You can help by donating your old eyeglasses. Glasses will be sent to the Lions Club for distribution to the needy in developing countries. Donated glasses may be left in the box provided in the Parish Office.
Our operating expenses average $13,750 per week. Collection for June 10th, 2012
Loose Change – $1,302 Envelopes (372) – $6,666 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving (180) – $3,369 Total – $11,337
Liturgical Publications will be setting up the advertisements for our Church bulletin beginning July 1st, 2012. The advertisements make our bulletin possible. Please support the bulletin and advertise your product or service. Call Liturgical Publications at 905-624-4422.
Sunday, July 8th after the 12:30 Mass
Mark your calendars for this special event with family and friends. Please bring your lawn chairs. We need volunteers. If you are able to help organize this great event or help on the day itself, please contact Linda Law at 416-918-8029 after 6:00 PM. There are also sign-up sheets on the tables at the back of the church.
The north parking lot will be closed on Sunday to allow the volunteers to set up.
Thursday, June 21st at 7:30 PM (doors open at 6:30 PM) OISE Auditorium, University of Toronto, 252 Bloor Street West
Join them for a transformative evening with special guest Joanna Macy, who will draw from her recent book, Active Hope. Active Hope is about finding and offering our best response to the crisis of sustainability unfolding in our world. It offers tools that help us face the mess we’re in, as well as find and play our role in the collective transition, or Great Turning, to a life-sustaining society.
Eco-philosopher Joanna Macy PhD is a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory and deep ecology. A respected voice in the movements for peace, justice and ecology, she interweaves her scholarship with five decades of activism. Her work helps people transform despair and apathy, in the face of overwhelming social and ecological crises, into constructive collaborative action. It brings a new way of seeing the world, as our large living body, freeing us from the assumptions and attitudes that now threaten the community of life on Earth.
Tickets $20 advance /$25 at the Door Students under 21 years old. Free For more information or to purchase tickets in advance go to http://www.theinnergarden.ca/active-hope
Exciting new Retreat Weekend MEN`S ACTS (Adoration, Community, Theology, Service) June 21st to June 24th
This retreat is a powerful, experiential retreat for personal renewal. For further information or to register please call 905-278-5229.
Safari Bar and Grill at 1749 Avenue Road Friday, July 6th at 5:00 PM
Did you graduate from Blessed Trinity School in 1976? If so, join Tom Sheedy and some of your Grade 8 classmates for a 36th year reunion to celebrate our “mid-century” mark. For more information and to RSVP please contact: speedclaire@gmail.com or nancy.pitts@sympatico.ca.
| Posted in Bulletin |
June 14th, 2012
The 2011 financial statements for the Parish is available here.
On behalf of Father Brando and myself, the Passionist Community and the Finance Committee, I want to thank St. Gabriel parishioners very much for your continued generosity in supporting the Parish and Diocesan needs over the last year.
| Posted in Notice |
June 10th, 2012
An important word in our scripture for this feast of the Body and Blood of Christ is ‘covenant.’ A covenant is far deeper than a legal contract. A covenant is a bonding, a pledge or promise between persons. A covenant demands loyalty on both parties. Moses made a covenant between the twelve tribes of Israel and God and the people made a solemn promise, ‘all the words that the Lord has spoken, we will do.’
At the last supper Jesus made a covenant with each one of us. Mark tells us that during the meal Jesus took bread and after blessing it he broke the loaf and gave it to them and said, ‘Take, this is my Body.’ He took a cup and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my Blood of the covenant which is poured out for many.” This is Mark’s version of what happened at the last meal the disciples shared with Jesus.
Covenants were always ratified or sealed by blood. Scholars claim the death of the victim has a finality about it that makes it and the covenant that it seals irrevocable and shows that those involved have made a total commitment to carry out the terms of the covenant. We have Moses sprinkling the people with blood; we have Jesus shedding his blood on the cross. In the Mass after the words of consecration we are told, “do this in remembrance of me.” A remembrance is a ceremony whose repetition makes present an event that occurred in the past. So we say, “when we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim your death O Lord until you come again.”
Bread is more than bread; it is the body of Christ. Wine is more than wine; it is the blood of Christ. Not a symbol but a reality. The Eucharistic Congress is being held in Dublin this weekend. People will be there from all over the world. But a recent study on the Irish Church claimed that many Catholics do not subscribe to key teachings of the Church. Almost two-thirds of the people believe the blessing of bread and wine during Mass only represents or symbolises the body and blood of Christ. Just over a quarter believe that bread is more than bread and wine is more than wine, that they are truly the body and blood of Christ.
There is a saying, ‘you are what you eat.’ Our body takes the food we eat and turns it into us. The food we eat becomes our new skin, our new blood, and our new bones. In Holy Communion it is just the opposite. Jesus, our Bread of Life, makes us more like him. As He promised, “those who eat my flesh and drink my blood live in me and I live in them.” And so we believe that Jesus Christ, “body, blood, soul, and divinity,” becomes truly one with us as our very food and sustenance. God looks at us and sees each of us as the beloved Son sent to save us. Supposing as I came into Mass this morning instead of genuflecting to the tabernacle I turned and genuflected to you good people. What would your reaction be? My action would take you by surprise but it would be theologically correct. Actually I can’t genuflect; if I did I couldn’t get up. But remember God looks at us and see each of us as the beloved Son he sent to save us. We are the body of Christ in the world today and Christ’s work is our work; to bring good news of God’s love for everyone, to love and heal and forgive and nurture.
In the end we will be judged by how faithfully we lived our lives as the body of Christ. Remember Matthew’s description of the last judgement? Someone put this beautiful twist to it:
When all the nations of the world are gathered together, the Son of Man utters those strange words: “Insofar as you did it to the least of these, you did it to me.” In the body of the prisoner or stranger, the hungry or the naked, the disconsolate or the sick, a second transubstantiation has taken place. Christ has said over the least of us: “This is my body.”
The author C. S. Lewis wrote: “Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses.” Christ’s body is as hidden in the least of us as it is under the appearances of bread and wine. Both require an uncommon and daring faith. That’s why I would be perfectly correct if I genuflected to you good people, the Body of Christ.
| Posted in Homily |
Congratulations to the children of St. Gabriel’s school who received their First communion! In this week’s bulletin, help around the garden, and registration for the Children’s Faith Program and Adult Faith Development.
Read more »
June 3rd, 2012
A few years ago two students from a nearby theological school came to see the church. I was showing them the Stations of the Cosmos we have in our garden. These stations offer points of reflection on different stages of the evolution of the universe and the development of human life and culture. One of the young students wasn’t buying it. Obviously he took the biblical account of creation literally. He asked me, “do you believe in evolution?” I told him “no, I believe in mysteries. Evolution is an observable fact.” He looked at me, shook he head and walked away.
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
