May 11th, 2008
The Pastoral Mission Fund, funded by ShareLife, was established in 1982 to assist missionaries working at the grass roots level in developing nations with pastoral/evangelical programs. Funds are allocated to small – scale projects for the support of missionaries.
Because you give… Missionaries, Priests and Sisters in developing nations can:
2007 ShareLife Total: $164,652.60 2008 ShareLife to Date: $120,222.00
Tuesday evening, May 20 at 7:30 PM Topic: Catholics in Nazi Germany
Wednesday morning, May 21 at 10:30 AM Topic: St. Paul – Pastor and Theologian
Congratulations to the young people of our parish who were confirmed last Sunday, May 4th by Fr. Paul Cusack, C.P.
Catherine Alulio Veronica Lei Julian Arellano Christina Leung Asif Baksh Arthur Li Ethan Ballos Julian Li Lashawna Barry-Green Sasha Maghami James Booker Laura Lee May Maria Brandes Nathan Moore Cathleen Calica Laura Munro Vivian Chan Joseph Ng April Cho Robin Ng Daniel Choi Hannah Noel Lucas Cryer Lindsey O’Neill Kathleen De Barra Morton Nguyen Madeline Della Mora Jessica Oakie Jackson Donnelly Christopher Piatek Nathan Donnelly Jessica Prieur Connor Flanagan Marc Stedman Geneva Frank Sonia Tam Lucas Furlan Arjun Tharumalingam Christina Galowitsch Alexander Tran Hannah Galway Simon Urbanc Jessica Goldson Laura Valderrama John Goncalves Joshua Vandittelli Scott Hall Alexander Videka Robert Iannuzziello Clare Wheeler Catherine Kim Hanson Wong Vanessa Laxton
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.
Fred Speed, a long-time parishioner, is offering to teach English to small groups of new immigrant women. The groups will be between four and six persons. It is anticipated that classes, with an initial focus on conversational English, will be offered one afternoon a week here at the parish. They will be targeted to immigrants with a beginner level of English. Details about the classes may be found on the bulletin boards. Those interested, please contact Fatima Lee at (416) 221 – 8866, Ext. 228 for further information and/or to register.
Total: $8,266.44
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As news reports continue to filter out of Myanmar (Burma) following the devastation of Cyclone Nargis on May 3, more than 20,000 people are already confirmed dead. More than 40,000 more are reported missing and as many as 1 million people have been left homeless, according to the World Food Program.
The ShareLife office will be accepting donations to support humanitarian relief efforts underway in Myanmar, assisting in the provision of food, shelter, clean water, and medical assistance. The Catholic Church’s official relief body, Caritas Internationalis, is coordinating the efforts for its 162 national members, working with staff in the region. As has been the case in the past, contributions will be channelled through the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development & Peace, the Caritas representative organization in Canada.
Those wishing to help may do so in the following ways:
We offer our prayers for the thousands of families affected by this natural disaster. Thank you for your ongoing efforts to serve the poor and marginalized both here at home and around the world.
Be assured that ShareLife does not apply any administrative fees to humanitarian relief contributions, ensuring as much money as possible is directed toward assistance of those in crisis.
Archbishop Collins Auxiliary Bishops Mr. John McGrath
Blessed Trinity’s annual Communion Breakfast will be held on Sunday, May 25TH in the church hall following the 9:00 AM Mass. The guest speaker is Michael McManus, National Catholic Broadcasting Council. The cost is $15. For tickets, please call Kathy Nelson at 905-886-7681 or Joyce Egberts at 416-221-9969
St Gabriel’s Parish will again be taking part in this year’s Doors Open Toronto on Sunday, May 25th from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Fair Trade organic coffees will be on sale after all the Masses next weekend.
Regular ground coffee: $5 Decaffeinated: $6 Whole beans: $5 Chocolate Bars: $4 incl. taxes Hot Chocolate and Cocoa: $4.50
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul will be collecting gently used clothing and household linens for those in need on the weekend of June 14Th and 15Th. There is a particular need for textiles and footwear. A St. Vincent de Paul truck will be parked on the upper parking lot opposite the garden. Volunteers will assist with loading before and after each of the Masses on Saturday and Sunday.
Our new activities kick off on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 with a day of golf for all parishioners at the glorious glen Eagle Golf Club. Individual players as well as foursomes are welcome and we have a great mix of both men and women players. The event is open to both casual and competitive golfers and is followed by a magnificent Dinner and Awards Banquet.
Catholic Family Services are looking for volunteers to help with fundraising events and to serve on the Board of Directors. For more information, please contact Mark Evans at Catholic Family Services by phone at 416-921-1163 or by email at mevans@cfsofto.org.
Dear Parishioners of St Gabriel’s,
Thank you once again for your generosity towards our families this past Christmastime. As you know, we continue to serve numerous families and feel honoured to provide them with your donations at Christmastime. As well, the food that you donate throughout the year enables us to maintain a small food bank here at the branch. This allows clients who are visiting the branch to pick up items in emergency situations and the social workers to assist our client children and parents when they are most in need.
Please accept this plaque (now in the display case) in appreciation of your generosity and our continued best wishes to each of you at St. Gabe’s. We really value the partnership between St. Gabriel’s Parish and the North Branch of this Society.
| Posted in Bulletin |
May 4th, 2008
One of the things we should keep in mind when dealing with today’s scripture is that we really can’t take Luke’s words literally; Jesus being lifted up into the clouds, no longer visible to the apostle’s sight is Luke’s way of describing in symbolic and poetic language how the relationship of the apostles with Jesus changed. Jesus will no longer be physically present to them but his relationship would be far deeper than in the past. They would be challenged, as we all are, to trust the reality of His presence to us every day of our lives in and through the Spirit He would send, “I am with you always, to the end of time.”
In our personal times of happiness and joy, in our personal times of desperation, confusion or grief, no matter how alone we may feel the truth of the matter is, we are never alone. “I am with you always.”
It’s very much like when someone we dearly love dies. They are no long physically present to us but we know they are with us in and through the life and love we’ve shared over the years. Death does not break the bonds of love we’ve forged over the years. Those we loved and loved us will always be part of our lives.
We are not meant to get caught up looking up into the sky at a disappearing Jesus. The most important aspect of this feast is the command of Jesus – ‘go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.’
This is Communication Sunday. We are all meant to be communicators of the good news of God’s love for all of us, a love manifested and proven in the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Our place is not meant to be on a mountain looking up; we are meant to be on the road sharing with all we meet the love God had for each of us, friend or stranger. Each one of us has a mission. Our faith in Jesus Christ, a gift given to us in baptism and nurtured through family, church and school, is not just about keeping us from sin and it’s not just about our own one on one relationship with Jesus. Each one of us is called to take His place in this world – as you’ve heard so many times before, we are meant to be His voice, His eyes, His ears, His hands and feet. Each one of us is meant to share His good news with others – to make a real difference. We are meant to be communicators of His good news that every person is precious and loved by Christ, redeemed by His blood, healed by His wounds, enlivened by His death.
There was a famous line in the movie “Cool Hand Luke” when the prison warden says to Luke who kept escaping from prison, “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” Do we have a failure to communicate? How different are our lives and values from those of friends and neighbours and co-workers who never darken the doors of a church and live their lives as if God did not exist? We’ve all met people from different Christian churches that are almost ‘in your face’ with the enthusiasm they have for their faith. Most of us are not that way. We are not used to their ‘God talk’. Are we are too private about our faith and what it means to us? Are we are too reticent to talk about what our faith means to us, too silent about how our faith in Jesus has seen us through the hard times in our lives. As I said, it’s just not our Catholic way. But is this is a weakness on our part? Do we have a failure to communicate? There is that old question, ‘if you were arrested for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you? Would we be any different from all those others in the line up?’
Could each one of us hear in a new way our constant petition in our weekly prayer of the faithful: may we live this Mass outside these walls in the lives we live, the work we do, the service we give and the prayers we pray? Could each one of us ask the question, ‘do I have a failure to communicate my faith in Jesus Christ in the life I live, the work I do, the service I give and the prayers I pray?’
I love using that quote from St. Francis of Assisi; ‘preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.’
As we continue this Mass we can pray for ourselves and for each other that we be good communicators of our faith in Jesus Christ, Who loved us and gave His life for us, doing this outside these walls, in the lives we live, the work we do, the service we give and the prayers we pray.
| Posted in Homily |
Rosalie Hall was founded in 1914, and shares a heritage of more that 150 years of service by the Misericordia Sisters to young, single pregnant women, their children and their families. Rosalie Hall, with compassion and respect, assists young parents in need and their children to realize their potential through the provision of a wide range of community, residential, educational and child development services. Its homelike residence has an educational facility on-site so that young women have an opportunity to finish their high school education. Clients also have access to regular medical examinations, prenatal classes, individual and group counselling, licensed day care and post adoption services.
Because you Give…. there is a ray of hope for those living in darkness!
2007 ShareLife Total: $164,652.60 2008 ShareLife to Date: $103,002.00
Tuesday evening, May 6 at 7:30 PM Topic: Catholics in Nazi Germany
Wednesday morning, May 7 at 10:30 AM Topic: St. Paul – Pastor and Theologian
Thank you to the volunteers who prepared 61 casseroles for the Good Shepherd Centre for April. For May, your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekend of May 24/25 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
Total: $7,958.84
Fred Speed, a long-time parishioner, is offering to teach English to small groups of new immigrant women. The groups will be between four and six persons. It is anticipated that classes, with an initial focus on conversational English, will be offered one afternoon a week here at the parish. They will be targeted to immigrants with a beginner level of English. Details about the classes may be found on the bulletin boards. Those interested, please contact Fatima Lee at (416) 221-8866, Ext. 228 for further information and/or to register.
Catholic Family Services of Toronto is offering another series for “Families and Individuals Experiencing Separation or Divorce”. The program will be offered from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. at two locations beginning:
May 6 North Office 5799 Yonge Street (Finch Subway Station)
May 8 Central Office 1155 Yonge Street (Summerhill Subway Station)
For further information, call Ian Singer at the Central Office, 416-921-1163 or Mario Esposito at our North Office, 416-222-0048.
Single women, ages 18 – 40, are invited to a retreat weekend, May 9 – 11 or May 30 – June 1, 2008, given by a team of Sisters of St. Joseph. Call Sister Dorothy at 416-927-0720 for more information. Also, see the flyer on the bulletin board.
Get involved and celebrate Mother’s Day in a special way. Help make the world a better place for children! 5 km Fundraising Walk in support of Paediatric Brain Tumour Research Sunday, May 11, 2008 9:00 AM – 12 Noon from Ontario Place to the Hospital for Sick Children
All proceeds to benefit the Meagan Bebenek Endowment Fund at SickKids and b.r.a.i.n.child Register, Pledge, Donate Online At www.meaganswalk.com
Dear Father Paul and Parishioners of St. Gabriel’s,
I would like to thank you for your support of my participation in the Friends for Life Bike Rally to raise funds for the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation. The response from you, the Parishioners, has been absolutely incredible, and with your help I have already surpassed the fundraising goal of $2200!! Thank you again!
All the best, Pauline Hwang
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul will be collecting gently used clothing and household linens for those in need on the weekend of June 16Th and 17Th . There is a particular need for textiles and footwear. A St. Vincent de Paul truck will be parked on the upper parking lot opposite the garden. Volunteers will assist with loading before and after each of the Masses on Saturday and Sunday.
April 27th, 2008
The Acts of the Apostles records the life and struggles of the early Christian communities. The execution of Stephen in Jerusalem caused a scattering of the disciples. My father used to say, “It’s an ill wind that blows nobody good.” It was through this scattering of the Christian community in Jerusalem that the faith was brought to other communities, Jewish and Gentile. In the Acts we read of the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit in the first years of the church. We read of deeds and wonders that are not part of our experiences. When Peter and John laid hands over those Samaritans who had been baptized by Philip, they were blessed with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
We all received the Holy Spirit when we were baptized. St. Paul teaches that when we were baptized the Holy Spirit was poured into our very being and empowered by that Spirit we are bold enough to call God, Father. In one of the prayers for the feast of Pentecost we pray, “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 the fullness of grace.”
I tell the student preparing for Confirmation that Baptism makes us the receiver of gifts but Confirmation makes us the doer of deeds. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit in us that helps us break out of and overcome our innate selfishness and go out to those in need. It is the Holy Spirit who nudges us, coaches us to do things for others. The Holy Spirit is at work in our lives as the Spirit offers us passing suggestions to make a phone call, make a visit, send a note, offer a word or admiration or congratulations to someone, offer an apology or graciously accept an apology.
We are in the midst of the very important yearly appeal of ShareLife. As you know, the money raised by this appeal helps countless men, women, and children in our Archdiocese. The motto of this year’s appeal is stated in the simple words, “Because You Give.” Because you give much good can be done. Because you give young people are helped and healed in places like Covenant House or Mary’s Place. Because you give the poor, hungry and homeless are helped by St. Vincent de Paul and Good Shepherd Centre. Because you give the agencies of Catholic Charities can keep their doors open and do their good work. The good people who cook the casseroles for the Good Shepherd Centre had a pot luck supper a while back and one of the workers from the Centre spoke about all the good that is done at the Centre, especially with the help of volunteers and the assistance of ShareLife.
As I mentioned in my letter to you on ShareLife, last year we mailed out some 1800 Share Life appeals. Only 505 families responded. In other words only 23% of the parish contributed to this important appeal. When you stop to think about it, this is not very impressive, in fact it’s embarrassing.
In any appeal that comes our way we always ask that you be as generous as your own means allow. You know your own financial obligations and you have to take these into consideration. I suggested in my letter that every family in the parish give $50.00 to ShareLife. I suggest this again.
There was a song that was popular during the Depression in the 1930s, Buddy Can You Spare a Dime? I’m asking you, in the name of the men, women and children who will be helped, because you give, can you spare $50.00? If you still have your Share Life envelope at home or if you need one they are available on the tables in the church. Please use them.
As we continue this Mass we can pray for each other that the Holy Spirit, given to us so that we may live no longer for ourselves but for others nudge us, prod us to be part of this important life giving, life changing appeal of ShareLife. Because you give good things happen and good people are helped.
2007 ShareLife Total: $164,652.60 2008 ShareLife to Date: $ 99,475.00
The Children’s Faith Program Family Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, May 4th at the 8:30 AM Mass. Children from different grades will prepare the readings and usher. All families are invited.
Tuesday evening, May 6 at 7:30 PM Topic: Catholics in Nazi Germany Wednesday morning, May 7 at 10:30 AM Topic: St. Paul – Pastor and Theologian
April 20, 2008 – $ 8,166.93
The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated on Sunday, May 4th at 3:00 PM in St. Gabriel’s Church. The celebrant will be Father Paul.
Each year, in the province of Ontario, we celebrate Catholic Education Week to recognize the importance of our Catholic schools. This year’s theme is “we are called…” and comes from the well known quote of the prophet Isaiah, “I have called you by your name, you are mine.” (Isaiah, 43:1)
Each person is called by God, and Catholic schools are based on the commitment to recognize that personal dignity, so that those who are educated there will be helped to discover the purpose of their lives as children of God. Catholic education is meant to reveal not only the “what” and “how” of life, but also, and more importantly, the “why”.
In Catholic schools across the Archdiocese of Toronto, teachers and support staff invite our children to walk with one another as they grow in faith together. This is a responsibility that we all share – in home, parish community and school. In that sense, we are all teachers and we all continue to learn.
As the Archbishop of Toronto, I encourage you to renew your commitment to Catholic education. It is a beacon of hope in a troubled world. With your active engagement, it can provide a powerful vehicle through which God can call us to become what he intends us to be. Our Catholic schools seek to graduate men and women who know and practice justice, service, love and humility in the imitation of Jesus Christ. It invites those who experience it to weave the thread of faith through all that they do, and so discover the path to the fullness of life. Catholic education is meant to lead not only to knowledge, but also to that holy wisdom that is made evident in the way that we treat one another. To the many fine teachers, administrators, support staff and trustees, I express my gratitude for your ongoing efforts. In celebrating Catholic Education Week, may we all – parents, students, clergy and educators – reflect deeply on the purpose and value of Catholic education and devote our prayers, thoughts and actions to its continued enhancement.
Yours sincerely in the Lord, Thomas C. Collins, Archbishop of Toronto
View the 2007 parish financial statement. (Please note: this is a PDF document)
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