May 20th, 2007
is designed for children from Senior Kindergarten to Grade 8 in our Parish who are attending either private or public school and wish to learn about our Catholic Faith. We are currently accepting new students for the 2007/2008 school year. Registration forms are available at the Parish Office. The deadline for enrollment is June 30, 2007. Volunteers to the program are always welcome. For more information, please call the Parish Office at 416-221-8866.
will take place here on Friday, May 25th at 10AM.
for Children’s Faith will take place on Sunday, June 3 at 2:30PM.
for St. Gabriel’s School will take place on Sunday, June 10 at 2:30PM.
A reminder to the parents of the children making their FIRST COMMUNION this year to call the parish office (416-221-8866) to arrange a short interview with Fr. Paul. The following dates for an appointment are available: May 22, 23, 24, 30 and 31.
If you are a couple who would be interested in assisting us to deliver this course three weekends a year, then contact the parish office at 416-221-8866.
We have some pamphlets at the back of the Church about WATER. They are very informative. Our next meeting is on Thursday, June 7th at 7:30 PM. Come and discuss your environmental concerns!
Tickets will be on sale after all the Masses this weekend. The price of $125 per person includes hors d’oeuvres, a catered dinner with wine, all taxes and gratuities, and contribution to a special birthday gift for Father Paul. Don’t forget to buy your ticket and mark your calendar for Saturday, October 27, 2007 – 6 PM at the All Saints Church Centre, 3215 Bayview Avenue (Bayview south of Finch).
Total: $9,682
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Next weekend there will be a collection for the charities chosen by Pope Benedict XVI. Your envelope may be placed in the basket along with the regular collection.
396 Spring Garden Ave. SATURDAY, JUNE 2nd 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM $5.00 a wash (Raindate, Sunday, June 3)
The St. Gabriel Grade 8 Grads will be holding their annual Car Wash/BBQ to raise funds for their graduation celebrations. Your support is very much appreciated. A loonie buys you a ticket for your chance to win an authentic TJ Ford Raptors autographed cap, courtesy of The Raptors and Century 21.
St. Gabriel’s Church MOSAIC SOUVENIR PICTURES are available again for purchase. Samples are in the office showcase. These are suitable for gift giving and as a beautiful remembrance of our old church.
Your prepared chicken rice 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 the casserole recipe and a pan and give it a try. For more information contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791.
The Toronto Archdiocesan Pastoral Mission Fund, funded by ShareLife, was established in 1982. They direct funds to worthy missionary and pastoral programmes in the Third World, especially areas where no other help is available. Some of the priorities of the Pastoral Fund are to support missionaries, catechetics, transportation and the education of seminarians and religious in developing nations. A gift to ShareLife can shine a ray of hope around the world!
2006 SHARELIFE TOTAL: $163,159.52 2007 TO DATE: $136,513.10
SUNDAY MAY 27th following the 9:00AM Mass at the Thornhill Golf and Country Club. Guest speaker: Fr. D. MacDonald, S.J. from St. Joseph’s Morrow Park. Tickets are $18. Please call Kathy Nelson at 905-886-7681 or Ileen Kennedy at 416-221-2786.
Women who search for God. Single women, 18-40, are invited to a retreat weekend on May 25-27, given by a team of Sisters of St. Joseph. For information call Sister Dorothy: 416-934-0042.
Catholic parents of lesbian daughters and gay sons are invited to come to a day of reflection, “SEEING WITH THE HEART”, On Friday, June 1st from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. $40 includes lunch. For information contact John Montague at 416-523-6449.
| Posted in Bulletin |
May 13th, 2007
To put it mildly, the early Church has some start up problems. As you know, the first church was all Jewish. As time when on non-Jewish men and women, impressed by the preaching of the apostles wanted to join this new community of believers. The big question came to be what makes a person a Christian? A very vocal group of believers demanded that non Jews would have to be circumcised – this was a proper rite of initiation into the Jewish faith. “Unless you are circumcised you cannot be saved”. Paul and Barnabas who we instrumental in bringing the Gentiles into the community fought this narrow minded view. As we heard in the first reading, there was “no small dissention and debate” about this matter. It was a hot issue.
To settle the matter Paul and Barnabas took the matter to the top, to the Christian community in Jerusalem. James was the leader of that community and he gathered the leaders together, including Peter, to hammer this matter out. They didn’t relay on themselves, they opened their minds and hearts to the Holy Spirit, to discover what was best for the total community. In this debate Peter reminded those demanding circumcision, “Why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, just as they will.”
At the end of all the discussion we have those powerful words address to the Gentile Christians: “it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials; that you abstain from food sacrificed to idols, consuming blood and strangled animals i.e. those not ritually slaughtered, and incestuous sexual relations.”
This was a great victory for Paul who preached that people are saved, made right with God, by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and by His resurrection.
This Jerusalem decision preserved the unity of the community; it did not guarantee or legislate uniformity of life style because in some areas of the church where the majority was Jewish, Gentiles were still circumcised.
Through the long history of the church there have been great disputes – disputes that threaten to dilute our faith and divide the community. There were disputes and disagreements over the identity of Jesus of Nazareth – was He true God and true man or was He just a man imaging God? It took the community over 300 years of reflection and guidance by the Holy Spirit to clarify the truth that Jesus is true God and true man. But that was just one of many disputes – disputes about Mary, disputes about scripture, disputes about free will, disputes about authority in the church. Every Council of the church, except the Second Vatican Council, was called to settle some dispute, to come to an agreement, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and declare, this is what the community believes. Every Council echoed the words of the first council of Jerusalem – ‘It seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us” to teach this as our commonly held truth.
The church is human and the church is divine and because it is human it tends to get messy. In the community of the church we have differences regarding race, age, gender, cultural backgrounds, political preferences, personal opinions and tastes. Any disputes or disagreements in the church today are mostly about non-essential issues. It’s embarrassing to think that just a few years ago girls could not serve Mass, lay women and men could not give out communion. How many can remember going to the States on vacation and going up to communion with your hand held out only to get a scowl and have the host almost pushed into your mouth. These were big issues a few years ago. Now some say the Pope wants us to say Mass in Latin – he doesn’t, the truth of the matter is, most young priests don’t understand Latin. I remember when I was studying philosophy our teacher Fr. Robert O’Hara claimed that the church would never allow Mass in English because it would lead to nationalism. So much for ‘never’. Remember the movie, ‘Never say Never’? Or the saying ‘never is a long time’.
People in the church still take sides on issues such as – married clergy – ordination of women – the importance of certain devotions in the prayer life of the church – more shared responsibility in the community – these are not at the heart of the matter. The creed we pray every Sunday is the heart of the matter – it came to us from the Holy Spirit and the teaching church. What we say in the creed is of most importance. About other issues, it would be wise if we never said this or that will never happen.
Referring to different schools of thought in the church, Pope John XXIII is supposed to have said, “in the essentials let there be unity – in the non essentials, let there be diversity but in all things let there be charity.”
In this Mass we pray; ‘Grant that we, who are nourished by His Body and Blood, may be filled with His Holy Spirit and become one body, one spirit in Christ.’
As we continue to celebrate this Mass we can pray for ourselves and for each other that, in the living of our Christian lives within our Catholic community we show love and respect for others who don’t see things as we see them. When we do this we will maintain the spirit of unity in that bond of peace the Risen Christ offered all of us.
| Posted in Homily |
Vivan Ng, who has been the coordinator for the past 7 years, will be retiring at the end of this school year. We are in need of a replacement. Our Children’s Faith Program consists of about 20 classes which are held at St. Gabriel’s School every other Sunday morning from 10 – 11AM. We are hoping that some of the parents whose children benefit from this program will come forward to coordinate this program. If you are interested in helping please call the parish office at 416-221-8866 and we will send you a job description.
will take place here on Friday, May 18th at 7:30 PM. All are welcome to attend.
Total: $8,809
was launched in 1967 by Canada’s Catholic Bishops. It is the official Canadian Catholic overseas development organization, with a twofold purpose: to educate Canadians about North-South issues, and to support initiatives by people in Third World countries of the South. Development and Peace has helped improve living and working conditions in 70 countries around the globe. They also help channel emergency relief abroad for natural disasters and other human tragedies.
2006 SHARELIFE TOTAL: $163,159.52 2007 TO DATE: $126,988.10
A reminder to the parents of the children making their FIRST COMMUNION this year to call the parish office (416-221-8866) to arrange a short interview with Fr. Paul. The following dates for an appointment are available: May 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 30 and 31.
We have some pamphlets at the back of the Church about WATER. They are very informative. Our next meeting is on Thursday, May 31st at 7:30 PM. Come and discuss your environmental concerns!
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 Teas: $3.25 to $4 by variety
is a one day Spiritual exercise in a retreat format, specifically designed to help Parkinsonians to pray with and through their suffering. Our retreat director, Father Frank Ramsperger, SJ, himself a Parkinsonian for over 17 years, invites you to join us. It will begin at 10:00 AM on Tues., May 22 at Manresa Retreat Centre, 2325 Liverpool Rd. North, Pickering, ON. For information or reservations call Peter Calzavara at 416-743-2744.
Single women, 18-40, are invited to a retreat weekend on May 25-27, given by a team of Sisters of St. Joseph. For information call Sister Dorothy: 416-934-0042.
St. Gabriel’s Church MOSAIC SOUVENIR PICTURES are available again for purchase. Samples are in the office showcase. These are suitable for gift giving and as a nice remembrance of our old church.
in memory of Olivia Barron on June 10th at East Don River Park.
following the 9:00AM Mass at the THORNHILL GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB. Guest speaker: Fr. D. MacDonald, S.J. from St. Joseph’s Morrow Park. Tickets are $18. Please call Kathy Nelson at 905-886-7681 or Ileen Kennedy at 416-221-2786.
May 6th, 2007
During these weeks following Easter we are celebrating the glory that God the Father bestowed on His Son Jesus. Jesus glorified His Father when He emptied Himself of His divinity and took to Himself our humanity and became obedient even to dying on the cross. Because of His emptying, His humility, His obedience even unto the shameful death on a cross, God the Father raised Jesus from the dead and glorified Him and given Him a name above every name that can be named, in heaven, on earth and under the earth, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
We glorify a person when we give them the praise and honor they deserve, when we acknowledge the good they’ve done, the struggles they’ve endured and the lives they’ve lived.
Acknowledging the many ways our lives have been blessed and graced by God our common prayer is, ‘glory to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.’
We glorify God when we celebrate the Eucharist and receive the sacraments.
We glorify God when we celebrate the beauty and the wonder of God’s good creation and recognize the woundedness of Earth and try as best we can to heal the Earth.
The final words of today’s gospel are a constant challenge to every one of us; ‘I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another.’
Every day of our lives we struggle to be faithful to the new commandment as we try to be patient, forgiving and accepting of all the people who touch our lives, especially those closest to us. There are days we win, there are days we fail.
One of the ways we love another is when we glorify another. We glorify another when we let them know we recognize and acknowledge and appreciate the good they’ve done. We glorify another person when we let them know we understand and support them in the struggles they are going through – as they cope with grief or struggle with addictions or wrestle with a family break up. We glorify another when we admire and support their commitment to and care of a sick spouse, their commitment to the care of aging parents. We glorify parents when we admire their patience and forbearance dealing with sons and daughters who seem to reject the faith and life values their parents offered them.
Spouses glorify each other when they appreciate how each one contributes to the health and wholeness of their relationship, and support one another in good times and in bad.
Parents glorify their sons and daughters when they take pride in their accomplishments, the marks they bring home, and the projects on which they work.
The other week I was at the school for the student’s presentation of Mama Mia. A third of the school took part in the production; they’d been practicing since September. These wonderful children glorified one another in their mutual enthusiasm, and they were glorified by the standing ovation they received from family and friends at the end of the evening.
Every day of our lives we are meant to glorify God and each other by acknowledging the goodness, the generosity, the courage we see in their lives. We glorify ourselves when we acknowledge and celebrate the many ways our lives have been blessed by God.
As we continue to celebrate this Mass we can pray for ourselves and for each other that we be blessed with the graciousness to glorify God by acknowledging the many ways our lives have been enriched and blessed by God and acknowledging the goodness, courage and generosity we see in the lives of family, friends and strangers.
Vivan Ng, who has been the coordinator for the past 7 years, will be retiring at the end of this school year. We are in need of a replacement. Our Children’s Faith Program consists of about 20 classes which are held at St. Gabriel’s School every other Sunday morning from 10 – 11AM. We are hoping that some of the parents whose children benefit from this program will come forward to coordinate this program. If you are interested in helping please call the parish office at 416-221-8866 and we will send you a job description. Please give this appeal serious consideration, especially f your child is in the Children’s Faith Program.
Total: $10,287
Catholic Family Services of Toronto helps individuals, couples and families to strengthen human relationships. The agency provides the following services: Counselling – individual, marriage, family and group; Wellness Groups – the aim of these groups is to provide education and information to assist people move through life’s transitions competently and successfully; Marriage Preparation and Family Life Office – provides extensive Marriage preparation program and other Family Life programs. People from all religious, cultural, and racial backgrounds are welcome.
2006 SHARELIFE TOTAL: $163,159.52 2007 TO DATE: $123,558.10
A reminder to the parents of the children making their FIRST COMMUNION this year to call the parish office (416-221-8866) to arrange a short interview with Fr. Paul. The following dates for appointments are available: May 8, 9, 10, 1516, 17, 22, 23, 24, 30 and 31.
CHLOE CECILIA SAMUEL-KAMAKA CHASE KEON ATKINSON ANN FRANCE MARAN PURCELL JONATHAN ARTHUR CLARENCE ERSKINE MARK GABRIEL SASU
for Fr. Paul’s Birthday Celebration will go on sale next weekend after all the Masses.
How fortunate we are that our Toronto tap water is proven to be safe to drink. An added benefit is that a glass of tap water costs 1/800 of a penny, whereas bottled water costs up to $2.00 a bottle. By reducing our bottled water use, we also reduce the amount of plastic to be recycled. It is recommended that plastic water bottles should not be reused. For further information check one of the following: www.inside the bottle.org www.toronto.ca/water www.kairoscanada.org www.devp.org
St. Gabriel’s Parish will be taking part in this year’s Doors Open Toronto on Saturday May 26th and on Sunday May 27th. We need volunteers to host this event – showing our visitors around the Church and explaining different aspects of Canada’s First Green Church. If you are willing to help us on both or either one of these days, please call Marilyn or Marie at the parish office and they will fill you in on the details.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an organization devoted to the assistance of our neighbours in need within the parish and also within the Greater Toronto Area. The scope of the latter activities is outlined on the St. Vincent de Paul poster on the notice board in the church gathering area. However, the principal and fundamental activity of members is to visit those looking for help, assess their needs and assist them in whatever manner is most appropriate, frequently in the provision of food, clothing and furniture. The St. Gabriel’s group or “Conference” is looking for new members. Anyone who is interested and would like to know more is invited to get in touch with Philip Taylor at 416 225-7750.
Thank you to the volunteers who prepared 51 casseroles in April for the Good Shepherd Centre. For May, your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekend of May 26/27 for delivery to the 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.
is named in honour of Meagan Bebenek who died of a malignant brain tumour. The sixth annual Walk will take place on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 13th with registration starting at 9:00 AM. A 5km event for all ages begins at Ontario Place and culminates at Sick Kids. Funds raised support paediatric brain tumour research at SickKids. For information, to register or to donate online, visit www.meaganswalk.com or call 416-239-7843.
Sisters of St. Joseph invite you for a thought provoking social evening for young adults (19-39 yrs) where a speaker provides opportunity for discussion. On Monday May 14th, Archbishop Thomas Collins will be speaking about “Being a Christian Today” at Duke of York Pub, 39 Prince Arthur Ave. from 7 – 9 PM. Munchies provided. Come and bring a friend! For more info contact Vanessa Nicholas at 416-222-1426 ext 276 or faithconnections@csj-to.ca
…women who search for God Single women, 18-40, are invited to a retreat weekend on May 25-27, given by a team of Sisters of St. Joseph. For information call Sister Dorothy: 416-934-0042.
St. Gabriel’s Church Mosaic Souvenir Pictures are available again for purchase. Samples are in the office showcase. These are suitable for gift giving and as a nice remembrance of our old church.
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