June 7th, 2009
Total: $9133
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Number of Envelopes Used: 479
Our parish has decided to participate in the “Pre-Authorized Giving” plan that allows parishioners to make their regular offertory donations by automatic monthly bank withdrawal. This system is widely used in the Archdiocese of Toronto and is a safe and convenient method of giving for those interested. Please read the brochure included with today’s bulletin and complete the authorization form if you would like to participate. Forms, in a sealed envelope, may be placed in the collection basket or dropped off at the Parish Office.
Have you moved into the Parish recently? Have you changed your mailing address?
Please contact the Parish office at 416-221-8866 so that we may update our records. Thank you.
On June 19th, 2009, Father Paul will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of his ordination. We are so fortunate in having Father Paul with us for most of those years. His love and service have touched so many of our lives.
On Sunday, June 21st from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM in the Gathering Space the parish will come together in thanksgiving and celebration of this important occasion. So mark your calendars and join us on that day!
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.
Monday Nights are R.C.I.A. Nights
R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) meetings begin on Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 8:00 PM. 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 Mary Landry at 416 – 221 – 8866.
It’s a wonder troubled teens do not have to call the streets their home…
“Covenant House has helped me tremendously. I’ve gotten off drugs and found work. But I think the best thing is that they’ve helped me feel better about myself, to be more confident.” Jeff, 24, Resident of Covenant House, Toronto
Today is the 3rd ShareLife Collection By supporting ShareLife social service agencies, you are working wonders; providing shelter, care and respect for those living in our communities who most need it. Thank you for your generosity. You can work WONDERS!
2008 ShareLife Total: $174,507.20 2009 ShareLife To Date: $156,281.51
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.
Catholic Parents of Lesbian Daughters and Gay Sons Day of Reflection
Saturday, June 13th, 2009 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Cost: $40.00 (includes lunch) Scarboro Missions, 2685 Kingston Road, Toronto For Brochure and information call John Montague at 416-523-6449.
Golf Tournament at Eagles Nest Golf Club June 16th, 2009
The Hope for the Children Foundation is holding its Annual Corporate Golf Tournament on June 16th, 2009 at the Eagles Nest Golf Club in support of the Catholic Children’s Aid Society.
Funds raised support post-secondary scholarships and emergency care in times of crisis.
For more information, please contact the Foundation at 416-395-1634.
Newman Centre Tuesday, June 16th, 7:00 PM 89 St. George Street, Toronto
Faith Connections and the Newman Centre invite young adults (18 – 39) to join them for a June Justice Month presentation and focused conversation led by Toronto artist Ilona Staples. For more information, call 416-222-1426, Ext. 276 or visit www.faithconnections.ca.
Single women, 18 – 39, are invited to a retreat being given by a team of Sisters of St. Joseph, June 19th to June 21st.
For more information, call Sister Dorothy: 416-927-0720.
Thank you to the volunteers who prepared 46 casseroles for the Good Shepherd Centre for May. For June, your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekend of June 27/28 for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre. More volunteers are encouraged to become active in helping to feed our less fortunate sisters and brothers. If you require more information or would like to get a copy of the recipe and a casserole pan, please contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791.
For many years, volunteers from St. Gabriel’s have served one of the daily meals provided to the homeless and disadvantaged that the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd offer as one of the services at the Good Shepherd Centre on Queen Street East in Toronto.
The kitchen and serving areas of the centre were recently renovated and when the meal service restarted, the serving times were changed. This change means that St. Gabriel’s will need more volunteers to continue to provide our contribution to this continuing and growing service.
St. Gabriel’s will now serve on the second Monday of the month from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM. If you are interested in being a part of this volunteer service, please contact Lily D’Gama at 416-733-3949 for more details.
The Centre also urgently needs groups of 4 to 20 individuals to make beds, weekdays only between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM until June 20th.
The Centre is in need of the following items:
For more information, please contact Rebecca Ferguson at 416-869- 3699, Ext. 262.
The Way of the Universe: Wisdom for the Ecozoic Era O.I.S.E. Auditorium June 26, 27, 2009 252 Bloor St. W. Toronto
Brian Swimme will be in Toronto Friday evening and Saturday, June 26th and 27th at the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (O.I.S.E.). Brian co-authored the Universe Story with Father Thomas Berry and collaborated with him and the Passionists over the years.
For more information on this event, please see the flyers available in the Parish Office.
| Posted in Bulletin |
May 31st, 2009
Today we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. It is the culmination of our Easter celebration. Our three stain glass windows depict the wonder of it all; Resurrection, Ascension and Pentecost.
What Mary and the Apostles experienced at Pentecost was something beyond words, something mystical. Luke tries to put the experience into words by using images. We can imagine him saying, “They told me some kind of sound came from the sky, something that sounded like, uh, oh, let’s see, uh, wind! That’s it. It wasn’t wind but that is the closest I can get. And then things that looked sort of like tongues, you know, like tongues of fire. Only it wasn’t really fire or tongues either. But they were sure that it was the Holy Spirit, and it descended upon each person.”
Most of us don’t have these manifestations of the Spirit in our lives. We hear of people slain in the spirit, or people speaking in tongues but for most of us this isn’t how we experience the Holy Spirit in our lives. We know the Holy Spirit came to us in our Baptism giving us the boldness to call God, Father. We know the sacrament of Confirmation strengthened that original gift. We know the Holy Spirit is with us always helping us in our efforts to live Christ like lives.
In our second reading St. Paul is quite clear that the gifts of the Spirit are given to us not for ourselves but for others. Paul speaks of God activating our gifts for the common good. That’s a word we don’t often hear, the common good. We usually ask, ‘what’s in it for me, what can I get out of this?’ This is not the mind of the Spirit. Whatever gifts with which we’ve been blessed are given us for the benefit of others. They are given us to build up the body of Christ, the Church. Our gifts are given us for the betterment of the society in which we live. As we pray during this Eucharist ” and that we might live no longer for ourselves but for Him, He sent the Holy Spirit from you Father to complete His work on earth and bring us to the fullness of grace.”
This is a feast of power. A violent wind whips up the Apostles and drives them out of their closed room out into the streets to broadcast the news “Jesus is Risen, Jesus is Lord” The Spirit gave them voice to proclaim to one and all God’s deeds of power. That was a long time ago. Today I don’t think the Spirit ‘whips us up’, rather I think the Spirit nudges us, elbows us to complete God’s work and bring us to the fullness of grace.
Whether we appreciate it or not we experience the nudging of the Spirit when we are grateful for the gifts that enrich our lives, family, friends, faith, health and career. The Spirit elbows us to appreciate the goodness that is within us, when the Spirit helps us know we are ‘good people.’
The Spirit activates the love within us when we resist racist or sexist attitudes, the Spirit activates His gifts when we are willing to open our hearts and lives to men and women of other faiths, cultures and life styles.
Whenever we find patches of charity or joy in ourselves, or patience and kindness, or the ability to endure hardship and injuries; when we are tempted toward mildness and modesty, then we can be sure that the Holy Spirit is at work within us.
On this feast of wind and flame and as we continue to celebrate this Eucharist we can pray for ourselves and for each other that the Holy Spirit activate in each of us an appreciation of the full meaning of this sacrifice. May we appreciate the words of Jesus as He gives Himself totally to us saying – this is my body, this is my blood, this is my life given to you. Inspired by these words of love may we have the courage and generosity to live” no longer for ourselves but for Him to complete His work on earth.”
| Posted in Homily |
Total: $9077
Number of Envelopes Used: 495
Friday June 5th from 9:30 AM to 12:00 Noon. Please see the time schedule on the table inside the Church
“In our parishes, as in the neighborhoods of the wider community, there are plentiful opportunities for neighbor to help neighbor….each person should ask: How can I be a good steward of the gifts I have received, so that I may make fruitful use of them for the glory of God and the service of my neighbor.” Most Rev. Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto
Third ShareLife Collection. June 7th 2009
Please give generously. You can work WONDERS!
2008 ShareLife Total: $174,507.20 2009 ShareLife To Date: $150,061.51
Saturday, June 6th at 3:15 PM in the Library. For information, please contact Linda Law at 416 -918-8029.
Sunday, June 7th at 3:30 PM in the Gabriel Room. For information, please contact Linda Law at 416-918-8029.
Volunteers from the Parish to teach or to assist the teachers are always welcome. Please contact Lynette Fernandes at lynettefern@yahoo.com if interested.
To all the parishioners of St. Gabriel’s: You will never know how much we appreciate your most generous support of us with food, baby items and clothing. Truly, as Father Paul says, “You are good people!”
On behalf of all the young mothers and babies who will benefit from your generosity, we say a very sincere and heartfelt thank you and promise to keep you in our prayers. We count on yours. God’s blessing on you as you are a blessing to us.
Sunday, June 7th, 9:00 AM East Don River Park
Please join the local community in raising awareness of organ donation in tribute to 7 year old Olivia Barron.
To register, go to www.runningroom.com, bbarron@rogers.com or register at the park at 8:00 AM.
May 24th, 2009
Number of Envelopes Used: 463
The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome: Emily Grace Chan, Michael Douglas Henderson Cosley, Dante Eliahou, Domina Eliahou, Gabriel Mari Galvez, and Kunuk Vincent Rhee.
These children received the Sacrament of Baptism on Sunday, May 17th. Congratulations!
Congratulations to the young people of our Parish who were confirmed last Tuesday, May 19th by Most Reverend Richard Grecco. It was a beautiful celebration marking an important moment in their journey of faith. We were proud to celebrate this important event with them. We promise them our continued prayers and support.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated on Saturday, May 30th.
Saturday, May 30th 2009 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Raindate: May 31st St Gabriel’s School, 396 Spring Garden Ave ( Bayview and Sheppard)
Our Grade 8 students will be holding their annual car wash. Join them at the school for a fun-filled day with a BBQ, carnival games, bouncing slide, face painting, cotton candy, popcorn and many more game booths.
A day of food and fun in the summer sun for the whole family!
It’s a wonder the silent can be heard…
Somewhere a mother is trying to ask her family for help but isn’t understood. Tomorrow, a boy will try to get his sister’s attention from across the room, to no avail.
In 2007, Silent Voice offered 311 one-week placements for deaf and hearing youngsters in its Sign Language Summer program, giving them an opportunity to be better understood at home, at school and in the community.
You can work WONDERS!
2008 ShareLife Total: $174,507.20 2009 ShareLife To Date: $128,709.51
The Altar Service is now recruiting new members. If you are in Grade 4 or higher in the September 2009 school year and interested in becoming an altar server, please call Thomas Li at 416-756-4995 or email him at li_tomas@yahoo.com.
The orientation meeting will be held on Sunday, May 31, from 1:30 to 2:30 PM in the Gabriel Room at the Altar Service Annual Appreciation. Lunch will be provided for all members.
Volunteers from the Parish to teach or to assist the teachers are always welcome. Please contact Cheryl Teixeira at checheboo@yahoo.com if interested.
Your prepared chicken rice casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at all the Masses next weekend, May 30th and 31st for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre.
More volunteers are encouraged to pick up a copy of the casserole recipe and a pan. Why not give it a try?
Please contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791 for more information.
The Hope for the Children Foundation is holding its Annual Corporate Golf Tournament on June 16th, 2009 at the Eagles Nest Golf Club in support of the Catholic Children’s Aid Society. Funds raised support post-secondary scholarships and emergency care in times of crisis. For more information, please contact the Foundation at 416-395-1634.
May 17th, 2009
I think you might agree with me when I say that the word ‘love’ is the most overused, misused and abused word in the English language. We flip around so easily it has lost its meaning. We say we love this or that when what we really mean is we admire something, desire something, envy something but we really don’t love.
Today the church puts before us all the demanding, challenging, frightening words of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you.” When we look at our history as Christians we don’t have a very good track record keeping this great commandment. Through the centuries we’ve slaughtered one another in the name of Christ. Nations have been torn apart as Catholics battle Protestants and vice versa and both sides claim the name Christian. In the name of Christ we’ve made crusades against the Moslems and done battle with other religions. A far cry from” love one another as I have loved you.”
We need only look at the crucifix to see the depth of the love of Christ for each of us. The crucified Christ is the love of God made visible. As our second reading tells us “in this is love, not our love for God but God’s love for us when he sent his son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
On one occasion Jesus told us that it’s easy to love those who love us, to do good to people who are good to us but the real test comes when we are faced with the challenge of loving those who do not love us, love those who do us harm. It is good to remember that Jesus loved Judas with the same love with which he loved Peter and James and John. It is good to remember that being loved is a gift and not something we earn. As Jesus reminds us, “ I chose you, you did not choose me.”
The author Ron Rolheiser offers this reflection on the demanding law of love:
“It’s easy to consider ourselves as loving if we only look at one side of things, namely, how we relate to those people who are loving, warm, respectful, and gracious towards us. If we rate ourselves on how we feel about ourselves in our best moments among like-minded friends, we can easily conclude both that we are loving persons and that we are measuring up to Jesus’ command to love as he did.”
He goes on to say:
“But if we begin to look at the skeletons in our relational closets, our naive confidence soon disappears: What about the people who hate us, whom we don’t like? What about the people whom we avoid and who avoid us? What about those people towards whom we feel resentment? What about all those people with whom we are at odds, towards whom we feel suspicion, coldness, anger? What about those people whom we haven’t been able to forgive?”
Let’s face it, Rolheiser asks hard questions and we come to realize love is easier to talk about than to execute.
In the first reading we have Peter sharing with his community his wonderful, God-given insight, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right, is acceptable to God.” Peter didn’t always live by this insight; he had great struggles with the truth that the Gentiles, the non Jews, were blessed with faith in Jesus Christ. Peter and many of the early Christians found it difficult to accept these outsiders into their friendship and community.
Love has little to do with feelings, it has everything to do with our willingness to accept and respect others as they are. Love requires we wish nothing but the best for others no matter how we might feel about them and whether or not they reciprocate the love we offer them.
We may be annoyed, impatient, even angry with the Tamil’s who are demonstrating on behalf of loved ones in their native country, but the great commandment requires of us we love them and pray their families be safe and their nation know peace. We may not have welcomingly feelings to newcomers to our country; we may not have much sympathy for young people gunned down in botched drug deals. We may wonder at the validity of the needs of street people and the homeless but we would do well to remember they are just as precious to Jesus Christ as we are and He died for them no less than He died for us.
To live this commandment, love one another as I have loved you, demands we face our own hard heartedness, our own close mindedness, prejudice and bias in the way we relate to men and women different from ourselves. This commandment is not easy but by God’s grace it is livable.
In this Mass we witness again how loved we are by Jesus Christ as we make present His death on the cross – this is my body, this is my blood, this is my life given for you. We pray for ourselves and for each other for the grace and openness we need to love all others as we’ve been loved, to forgive all others as we’ve been forgiven, to heal all others as we’ve been healed, to embrace all others as we each of us have been embraced by the crucified Christ.
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