November 21st, 2021
This is the Feast of Christ the King To Him be Glory and Kingship forever!
A Box of Remembrance has been placed on the altar for the month of November. You are invited to write the names of your deceased relatives and friends on a sheet of paper at home and bring it to place in the box.
Those whose names are in the Box of Remembrance will be remembered at all the Masses celebrated in November.
November 22nd to November 28th, 2021
MONDAY – KOK YAU MAY – Requested by Yau Lam Kok TUESDAY – ANITA LEE – Requested by Rosemary Lee WEDNESDAY – THURSDAY – FILOMENA D’SILVA – Requested by Maria D’Silva FRIDAY – SATURDAY – LOZANO FABRA – Requested by Myrian Fabra SUNDAY – 10:30 AM – CAROLYN CRAVEN – Requested by Milena Babic SUNDAY – 12:30 PM – SIMON GALVEZ PRINCIPIO – Requested by Margina Principio
Friday, December 10th from 3:00 to 6:00 PM
During this time of prayer, we are reminded that the gift of Reconciliation restores us to the fullness of life and calls us to full participation in the Christmas liturgies.
Individual reconciliation will be held on Friday, December 10th from 3:00 to 6:00 PM.
Sunday, December 5th at 3:00 PM
The Sacrament of Confirmation for the candidates from 2019/20 will be celebrated on Sunday, December 5th at 3:00 PM at St. Gabriel’s Church.
In preparation for the Sacrament, a Confirmation Retreat will be held on Saturday, December 4th from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM.
All candidates must attend.
Candidates are reminded to bring a signed letter from the service coordinator or parent stating the completion or anticipated date of completion of service hours.
At the 10:30 AM Mass from October to May each year, children ages 4 to 10 have the opportunity to gather as a group for the Liturgy of the Word led by parents who have volunteered.
We are in great need of more volunteers to assist this program.
For more information or to volunteer, please call Dawn Burke at 416 671-0561 or leave a message at the Parish Office.
Saturday, November 20th to Sunday, December 12th
St. Vincent de Paul
During Advent, the Society of St Vincent de Paul, St. Gabriel Conference will have a Giving Tree in the Gathering Space.
The tree will be decorated with gift tags. Each tag will have the gender and age of a child. We invite you to take a tag, buy a Walmart gift card of about $50 for that child and return it with the tag attached to the Parish Office.
Rosalie Hall
At this time of the year, we are also thinking of the young mothers and babies of Rosalie Hall. If you wish to help, you may choose a “Christmas Stocking” from the tree to purchase pyjamas or undershirts for babies, age 6 months to 5 years.
Because donations are very low this year, sweaters or hoodies would also be very welcome. Unwrapped Items with the original stocking tag attached can be left in the box provided near the giving tree no later than Sunday, December 12th. Toys or books for these little ones would also be appreciated.
For the Moms, we are suggesting gift cards from Tim Horton’s, Walmart or MacDonald’s. These can be placed in the envelopes provided and brought to the Office. Thank you for your generosity
Saturday November 21st h to Sundday, December 12th
We will be having a Christmas Toy Drive again this year for the Catholic Children’s Aid Foundation. You can help by dropping off an unwrapped new toy for a child, age newborn to12 years old. Containers will be set up in the gathering space on Saturday, November 21st and will remain there until Sunday, December 12th.
As you know, each week we collect food for Rosalie Hall and the Good Shepherd Centre.
Rosalie Hall assists young parents and their children to realize their potential through the provision of a wide range of child development, community, residential and educational services.
Good Shepherd provides hot meals and shelter for the homeless in our city as well as a chance to start again through the Resettlement or DARE Programs.
Your food donations are more important than ever as Covid 19 continues and numbers of needy people continue to increase. Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your generous support.
Available weekend of December 4th and 5th, 2021
A beautiful and unique calendar from the Canadian North will be available again!
The calendar showcases photos of lovely landscape of the North captured by Bishop Jon Hansen on his many missionary trips in the Diocese of Mackenzie in the Northwest Territories. That Diocese is home to many isolated indigenous communities.
Many of you may have known Fatima Lee, who is formerly a member of our pastoral team at St Gabriel’s. She has for the past three years served as a missionary in the Diocese of Mackenzie
On the weekend of December 4th and 5th, volunteers will be selling these beautiful 2022 calendars at the parish (following strict Covid protocols).
It is hoped that through the sale of these calendars, funds will be raised to support the travel of priests and pastoral workers of the diocese to the remote communities. Since this Diocese of 1.5 million sq. km has only nine priests serving, many of the isolated communities will have Mass only occasionally. Except in the deep of winter, when the ice roads are available, each time the priests or pastoral workers would have to fly in and out of these communities. It is notoriously expensive to fly in the north.
Please consider supporting the Diocese of Mackenzie. The calendars, at $20 each, are great for personal use; they will also make wonderful gifts, since they are unique and not easily available elsewhere.
Weekend of November 27th/28th
Your prepared frozen casseroles will be collected at the Masses the weekend of November 27th/28th for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre.
Due to Covid 19, there are many hungry people who are counting on us to make a difference. Good Shepherd Ministries serves more than 1,1300 meals a day, every day of the year.
More volunteers are urgently needed to help feed the hungry in our city. Please get a copy of a casserole recipe and a pan and give it a try.
Recipes are available in the parish office or on our website. Remember to mark the label on the pan lid with the name of the casserole. For more information, you may contact Irene Albrecht at 416 221-2791.
Wednesday November 24 at 8:00 AM
A VIRTUAL EVENT Recommended by the Office for Promoting Christian Unity and Religious Relations with Judaism
This webinar invites us to see the arts not just through aesthetic lenses, but more so in their awareness-raising, educational and mobilizing abilities. The speaker, Favianna Rodriguez, will highlight some of our time’s most inspiring art initiatives and share how social and ethical issues can be brought to the public’s attention through art.
To register go to https://bit.ly/EthicsAndArtWebinar
Thursday, November 25th at 6:30 PM
A Virtual Event Sponsored by the Office for Interreligious Dialogue, Archdiocese of Toronto
This event is organized by the Young Adults Interfaith Dialogue Group, which is run under the auspices of the Office for Interreligious Dialogue, Archdiocese of Toronto. They have invited Dr. Shari Golberg, Saulina Amaral, Muneeb Nasir and Mandeep Singh to discuss the meaning and importance of grief and healing in their faith traditions. They will discuss: how does faith help us in the process of healing when we are challenged emotionally?
To register, go to https://bit.ly/GriefAndHealing2021
| Posted in Bulletin |
November 20th, 2021
Standing before a corrupt politician, dressed in mock purple, wearing a painful crown of thorns, weakened by his scourging, Pilate asks Jesus, ‘are you the king of the Jews. Jesus does not deny the title’ ’King’ but wants nothing to do with the reality of kingship of his time, ‘my kingdom is not off this world.’
Basically Jesus is saying to Pilate I am not tolerating this phony trial. I am here to bear witness to the truth.
Pilate asks Jesus, ‘what is truth’ but is really not interested in an answer.
Truth for Jesus was that every person has his/her own dignity before God. That’s why he praised the Samaritan people, who were despised by the Jews. That’s why Jesus ate with publicans and sinners, the despised outcasts of society. That’s why Jesus embraced prostitutes and lepers, despised by the social snobbery of the time… That’s why Jesus spent time with and preached to the crowds hungry for words of understanding as to how difficult their lives were; bearing witness to the truth that they were of value, they are loved by God, and they are loved by Jesus.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.
You’ve probably heard the saying,’ denial ain’t just a river in Egypt’. How many truths, how many realities are we denying, refusing to face the truth of our time?
How about these truths?
The embarrassing truth that our church made a terrible mistake when we teamed up with the federal government to get the Indian out of the child and staffed residential schools.
The frightening truth of global warming and climate change and our challenge to live lightly on the earth.
The embarrassing truth of the unjust and unfair distribution of earth’s wealth and resources.
The shameful truth of the racism and bigotry that pervades our communities and education systems.
The distressful truth of unaffordable housing and the homelessness that is part and parcel of our social network.
Christ our King said that everyone who belongs, admits and accept the uncomfortable truths of their times listen to his voice and works to undo the wrongs of their times.
You shall know the truth and the truth will make you free. Admitting the truth of the reality of the injustices with which live, the racism and bigotry with which we live, the consumerism and wastefulness of our lifestyles may God give us the freedom to live our lives as faithful followers of the Christ we honor as our King.
| Posted in Homily |
November 14th, 2021
From the fig tree learn this lesson – its tender branches and its fresh leaves tell us summer is near. For us falling leaves and bare branches sign us that winter is on its way. Get out our woollies.
What are the signs in our times that warn us of future troubles? The increase number of hurricanes, the loss of shore lines, prolonged dry hot seasons and forest fires, melting glaciers, polluted oceans, these are all signs that things are changing in the world in which we live. What is the lesson these signs want us to learn? Could it be; smarten up? You are in trouble?
The world summit in Glasgow on climate change is an important event. Concerned young people from around the world gave and heard speeches about possible disasters that will impact their futures. World leaders gave great promises to change our dependency on fossil fuel and made promises of economic help to poor countries.
Everyone had to admit we are running out of time to really and drastically change the ways we live on planet Earth. But let’s face it; there hasn’t been that much change, drastic change in our life styles of consumerism and wastefulness, and our dependency on fossil fuel, since the Paris Agreement in 2019
I could scare you to death with all kinds of statistical woes but all you have to do is read the newspapers to find out how bad things are. Are we really serious about the drastic changes in our lifestyles required of us if we are to survive? Are we trying to live simply on Earth that others may simply live? Or are we leaving it for the next generation to clean up the mess we leave them, are we kicking the can down the road?
There is another way we can hear today’s gloomy gospel, that is to hear Mark speaking to every generation, including our own. Each of us will have our own ‘end time’ namely our own death and our generation pass away, like those before us… Can we hear Mark not so much warning us about the future end of the world but rather telling us how to live this day, this moment, this life? Right here, right now is our time to bear fruit, right here, right now, in our time, Mark is telling us to live today as if it were our last day, loving as we’ve been loved, forgiving as we’ve been forgiven, and healing as we’ve been healed. It’s all about right here, right now.
Jesus once said to people who worried about the future problems, ‘sufficient for the day is the evil there of’. For us here and now can we hear, sufficient for the day are the possibilities there of? The possibility to be more accepting of men and women different from ourselves, the possibility to be there for friend or stranger, the possibility to act kindly, live justly and walk humbly before our God. The rest is in the hands of God
November 6th, 2021
Thursday, November 11th is Remembrance Day, a day to remember all who have served, and continue to serve in our armed forces, especially those who have died and those wounded in battle. We pray for healing and peace; that one day, all peoples will lay down their arms and embrace one another as brothers and sisters in one human family.
November 8TH to November 14th, 2021
MONDAY – SOULS IN PURGATORY – Requested by Myrian Fabra TUESDAY – SOULS IN PURGATORY – Requested by Myrian Fabra WEDNESDAY – PAULINE FUNG CHIU – Requested by the Chiu Family THURSDAY – DAMIAN GAUGHAN – Requested by Agnes Gaughan FRIDAY – CORA PARKE – Requested by Lulu Luz SATURDAY – SIMON GALVEZ PRINCIPIO – Requested by Margina Principio SUNDAY – 10:30 AM – EMILIO & JOSEFINA LUNA – Requested by Francisco Luna SUNDAY – 12:30 PM – JOSE ENRIQUEZ SR. – Requested by Jackie & Kayla Enriquez
The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome the following children who received the Sacrament of Baptism during the month of October:
Margaret Mary Calvert Owen Matthews Penelope Matthews Theodore Rutka
Congratulations and blessings to you!
The Altar Server Ministry invites children, 10 and above, who are interested in learning how to serve at Mass, to please email stgabrielsaltarservers@gmail.com with details of the Mass at which they would like to serve.
November 13th/14th
There will be a second collection next week, November 13th/14th for The Shepherds’ Trust. The mission of The Shepherds’ Trust is to ensure retired priests are provided with sufficient financial resources to lead a dignified life after many years of ministry. Your generous gift will help our priests maintain a modest, but active and independent lifestyle in their retirement years. For priests who are ill or otherwise infirmed, the trust ensures they have access to nursing home facilities and medical care. Thank you for your support of this important work.
Thank you to the volunteers who prepared 35 casseroles in October for the Good Shepherd Centre.
In November your prepared casseroles will be collected on the weekend of November 27th/28th.
Please consider helping to feed the less fortunate in our city. Recipes and casserole pans are available at the Parish Office. Recipes are also online at our website. For more information, please contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791.
1617 Blythe Road Mississauga Thursday November 11th from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM
Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre is holding a Healing Retreat for those suffering with cancer.
Please join them as they journey through the challenges of living and dealing with cancer.
The cost is $40.
To find out more information or to register, please email office@qoa.ca or call 905 278 5229.
Saturday, November 13th, 2021 at 9:00 AM
Join this webinar and learn about the importance of a Will, Powers of Attorney & Estate Planning as well as Catholic teachings and traditions around cremation.
The Archdiocese of Toronto estate planning team and Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Services will share:
How to protect your loved ones with a proper will How to ensure that your wishes are legally protected About Powers of Attorney Estate Trustee selection Finding lawyers and estate planning advisors Our Catholic traditions around wills, cremation, burial and funerals
An estate planning guide will be mailed to all attendees at no cost.
To register, send them an email to: development@archtoronto.org
Please include ‘webinar on November 13’ in the subject line and provide your name and mailing address in the body of a message (otherwise they won’t be able to send you your copy of the Estate Planning guide!). Also, they would be grateful if, for the sake of their statistics, you could let them know whether you are planning to watch this webinar alone or together with a family member.
You will receive a link to the webinar on November 8th, and a couple of reminders closer to the date of the presentation.
Wednesday, November 17th at 7:00 PM St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica 65 Bond St., Toronto
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN Canada) will hold its 7th annual Red Wednesday on November 17th. The goal of the event is to raise awareness and to pray for persecuted Christians, who are the most discriminated against religious group in the world.
To mark this important day, ACN and the Archdiocese of Toronto are organizing a prayer vigil at St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica at 7:00 PM. All are welcome!
For more information, please contact Aid to the Church in Need (ACN Canada)at el@acn-canada.org or by phone at 416-827-5022
Thursday November 18th at 7:00 PM
The Online Separated/Divorced Introductory Program offers both women and men a learning environment which is safe, welcoming and non-judgmental. The program provides 4 weeks of psycho-education which assists and accompanies the separated/divorced in exploring grief, experiencing healing and renewing faith. The program resources include PowerPoint, audio/video media and time will be allocated for group discussion.
Program Goals • Understanding the fundamentals of grief and mourning • Explaining the transitional dynamics of loss • Developing skills for emotional management and practical care • Renewing faith and rediscovery of personal spirituality
Program Access The ideal candidate is ready and able to participate in a group setting. Each candidate will be screened prior, to being considered for admittance into the program.
For more information and to register please contact: Arcangelo Limanni, MRE (416) 921-1163 ext. 2225 alimanni@cfstoronto.com We welcome people from all ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds
Saturday, November 20th from 9 :00 AM to 3:30 PM
The Office of Vocations will host a Come & See – Day Retreat for men 18 years and older, at St. Augustine’s Seminary on Saturday, November 20th from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM This day retreat offers men a way to discern a possible call to priesthood at our seminary. We encourage you to promote this retreat in your parish and during your livestream Masses. Thank you in advance for your generosity as we work together to build a culture of vocations.
Please register at www.vocationstoronto.ca.
For more information go to vocations@archtoronto.org
I don’t know if you’ve heard of the book, Angela’s ashes. It’s about the dire poverty and hunger of the poor in Limerick, in Ireland. When there was knock on the door at mealtime no one was ever turned away, they just a little more water to the stew.
Today’s scriptures tell the story of two widows, living centuries apart. The only thing they have in common is an open heart to the needs of others.
The prophet Elijah intruded into this widow’s life and asked for bread. She explained her own situation; she had handful of meal in a jar and a little oil for cooking a final meal for her son and herself. Elijah made her a promise; if she shared the little she had, then the jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the drought is over.
Jesus praises the widow he sees in the Temple. She drops her copper coins into the collection basket, trusting they will be put to good use. It was all she had, but she was willing to help those who were worse off than herself. These two widows share a common kindness, an open heart to those who share their poverty.
This ever present pandemic has turned our lives upside down. We never imagined theaters closed, restaurants closed, family gatherings discouraged, weddings and funerals with limited attendance. Whoever imagined working from home would be the normal or teaching on line? What will the next normal be?
So many people are just stressed out waiting for new guidelines for the future.
We all want to discover new ways to reconnect, to be there for one another. A phone call, an email would be great.
I think we’re all familiar with the image of the lone wolf, the predator searching for its prey. But wolves never travel alone, they travel in packs and as they travel they bump into one another, nudge one another just to let one another know they are not alone, I’m with you.
Can there such a thing as a ‘lone Christian? I hope not.
Maybe this is one way of coming out of this pandemic, letting family and friends and strangers know they are not alone.
Many people’s financial security has been impacted by this virus. Bars and restaurants, small businesses were closed never to reopen.
Government was there to help, but that will change.
Here’s our reality as a parish.
From now on until Christmas you’ll be inundated with appeals for help. Just check the bulletin and see the appeals for Christmas food, Christmas clothing, and Christmas toys. Our St. Vincent de Paul men and women have so many requests for help at this time of year and the number of needy men and women and families never goes down. It’s the same for the Salvation Army, the Scott Mission, and The Good Shepherd Refugee.
Some people may resent all these appeals, ignore them. Our past Christmases appeals prove that’s not true here. Your past generosity gives great promise.
Today’s widows offer us an example. They had open hearts to the needs of others.
In these coming weeks before Christmas may we, as a parish family, be gifted with open hearts and open hands.
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