December 20th, 2009
Effective immediately, the doors of the Church will be locked through the week following the morning Mass. This is for security reasons following several incidents of theft.
To visit the Church, please enter through the Office Door.
May the Christ whose Birth and Life we celebrate strengthen us all and bless us with the peace and joy of this Holy Season.
Next Meetings: What’s “Canon Law” all about? Tuesday, January at 7:30 PM. Wednesday, January at 10:30 AM.
Your prepared chicken (or turkey) rice casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses the weekend of January 2/3, 2010 for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre. Please note that this is a week later than normal to avoid collection on the Christmas weekend. More volunteers are encouraged to get a copy of the casserole recipe and a pan and give it a try.
For more information, please contact Irene Albrecht at 416 221-2791.
The Catholic Children’s Aid Society is inviting families to assist them in providing some little extras, such as new clothing, new toys, food vouchers and /or gift certificates to bring the joy of the season to one of their families. If you are willing to provide a donation or adopt-a-family, please call 416-395-1634 or email info@hopeforthechildren.ca.
Christmas Offering envelopes for the St. Vincent de Paul Society are available at the back of the Church. Your donations enable the Society to help those in need. At this time of year, they try to provide a little extra to add to their Christmas celebration. Your generosity is much appreciated.
Please keep on sending us your used postage stamps so that we can work towards the day when leprosy is eradicated. We are happy to accept any and all trimmed stamps, leaving no less than ¼ inch and no more than ½ inch paper border. Stamps may be placed in the basket on the cabinet just outside the Parish Office.
December 21st to December 26th 2009
MONDAY – V TUESDAY – MARIANNA ANTONCZAK V Requested by Mary Toth & Family WEDNESDAY – V THURSDAY –
A Solstice Celebration & Memorial of the Life of Thomas Berry Winter Solstice December 21, 7:00 – 9:00 PM St. Gabriel’s Church
Join us for reflections, tributes, music and more all to celebrate the great work of Thomas Berry. There will be a reception following the celebration.
Presented by the Elliot Allen Institute for Theology and Ecology
Confessions Saturday, December 19th
Christmas Eve Thursday, December 24th
Christmas Day Friday, December 25th – 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM
Feast of the Holy Family
Office Closed
New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Day
Parking While parking at ground level is limited to 51 spaces, there is plenty of space in the underground parking lot. Please follow the instructions of the attendants. Do not park in front of the Church since this is a fire route and must be kept clear.
Additional parking is available at Elkhorn Public School. The school requests that we do not park on the grass. Many thanks to Paul Farrel, the Principal of Elkhorn Public School, for allowing us the use of the school property.
FAMILY MASS – CHRISTMAS EVE AT 7:00 pm Rehearsal: Sunday, December 20th 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Each year, young people, Grade 3 and up, form a special choir for the Family Mass on Christmas Eve. Children must be at the Church by 6:00 PM. One rehearsal, which is mandatory, will be held this weekend, Sunday, December 20 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. For more information please call Marilyn Calderone at 416-221-8866.
Dress Rehearsal: Sunday, December 20th 2:00PM to 4:00PM
S.K. to Grade 5 children are invited to participate in the pageant. Please call Anne Murphy at 416-512-0340.
Monday, December 21st at 7:30 PM St. Matthew’s Anglican Church 80 George Henry Blvd (facing Sheppard, west of Don Mills Road)
Will Christmas be difficult to celebrate this year because of the loss of a loved one? St. Gabriel’s, the other local Christian Churches and the North York Hospital Chaplaincy are offering a Christmas Service for Those Who Mourn on Monday, December 21st at 7:30 PM at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church.
December 13th, 2009: $10,693
Number of Envelopes Used: 447
The 2009 Offertory Boxed Envelopes are available in the Gathering Space. It is important that you throw away all envelopes from previous years as your number might have been assigned to another family. Please enter your full name and address on the first few envelopes so that we may allocate donations correctly for income tax purposes.
If you are on the Pre- Authorized Giving Plan, you will still receive a box of envelopes since these include New Years, Initial, Christmas, Easter and Maintenance envelopes. If you do not have envelopes but would like them for 2010, please contact the office at 416-221-8866.
Calling all interested Catholic Ratepayers!
St. Augustine’s Seminary of Toronto is presenting a series of workshops on 6 consecutive Saturdays, January 9th to February 13th from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. for anyone in the Province of Ontario who is considering running for the position of Catholic Trustee, is a present trustee or any other persons who are interested.
A nominal fee of $100 will be charged for the complete series and lunch will be provided. The fee must be paid by December 20th 2009. Cheques should be made payable to St. Augustine’s Seminary. For inquiries please email receptionist_sas@yahoo.ca or call 416-261-7207, Ext. 221.
Our Commitment to a Greener Planet Daily per capita use of water in residential areas:
| Posted in Bulletin |
December 13th, 2009
I read something the other day and I thought I‘d like to pass on this idea to you. A writer suggests; “It is helpful to our spiritual life to spend more than a glancing-moment in our reading of Christmas Cards with their notes of good wishes both printed and hand-written. It is good for our souls also to spend time with the pictures or drawings on those cards and notes. We too quickly look at the signature. Do that first, as is natural, and then again but only after spending time with the card. It will become a prayer and a preparation for Christmas.”
I never thought about that before but it is a good idea. First of all look to see who sent us the card, we read its message and look at the art work. Maybe we’ve become too blasé with Christmas cards, see one, you’ve seen them all. But it’s not so. Some cards are graced with beautiful works of art by the great masters, others can be very simple drawings but beautiful in their very simplicity. But all remind us of the wonderful event we are preparing to celebrate; the awesome truth that God love us so much He sent His Son to us, not to condemn us but to embrace us. We can take the time to read the prayerful and reflective message on the card. It is a form of prayer. Christmas cards are important. Friends took the time to choose, buy and send us the card. They wrote a short or maybe long message. As we read their signature we think of them, remember them and what they mean to us and we thank God we have such friends in our lives.
Many people buy Christmas cards to support different causes, support different charities. Father Bernard is very grateful to all those who bought his Christmas cards in support of our Passionist Missions in the Philippines, West Indies and Haiti. But buying such cards puts us in touch with people whose lives and living conditions are so different than our own. When we read the name of those charities we might take the time to pray for these good people and those who help them.
Two years ago I received a card from a friend in Belfast. She is very much involved in the peace movement in Northern Ireland. The card showed the three wise men following the star to Bethlehem but they couldn’t get to Bethlehem because of the security wall built by the Israelis on Palestinian land. The star was on the other side of the wall beckoning on toward the prince of peace but the wall hinders their journey. There was no message on the card, it spoke for itself. I’ve kept that Christmas card on my desk ever since and every time I look at it I pray for the Palestinian people and for an end of the violence and injustice in the homeland of Christ.
But it is a good thought, a challenging thought that Christmas cards can be occasions of prayer. We usually see this time of year as a hectic time. There are so many things to do getting ready for a day that passes so quickly. Anything that helps us pause and think about what the birth of Christ is all about is a good thing.
This Advent Sunday is known as ‘rejoice’ Sunday. The scriptures call us to rejoice and exult with all our hearts, our God is in our midst, the Lord is near we are not to worry and in the spirit of thanksgiving we let our needs be known to God.
As we continue to celebrate this Mass we pray for ourselves and for each other for the grace to take the time to use such a simple thing as a Christmas card as an occasion of prayer, a prayer of thanksgiving for the friends who remember us as together we rejoice in the coming of the Christ.
| Posted in Homily |
Prepare for the season with the Christmas mass schedule, and join our memorial of Thomas Berry in Bring Back the Sun.
Read more »
December 6th, 2009
This week, the Awakening the Dreamer symposium, an Advent day of reflection, Human Rights Day, and opportunities to help those in need this Christmas.
November 29th, 2009
Technically this is not New Years Day but it is a beginning of a new year in the life of our church, and the beginning of the season of Advent. With every new beginning we can take the sound advice of St. Paul when he tells us to ‘forget what is behind, forget past mistakes and lost opportunities, and strive on to what is ahead, open our lives to new life, new love, new opportunities.
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
