October 10th, 2021
A Reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians (3.12-15)
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body.
And be thankful.
O heavenly Father: We thank thee for food and remember the hungry. We thank thee for health and remember the sick. We thank thee for friends and remember the friendless. We thank thee for freedom and remember the enslaved. May these remembrances stir us to service, that thy gifts to us may be used for others. Amen.
A blessed and happy Thanksgiving to all.
Monday, October 11th is Thanksgiving Day. There will be no 9:00 AM Mass and the Parish Office will be closed.
October 11th to October 17th, 2021
MONDAY – THANKSGIVING DAY – No 9:00 AM Mass today TUESDAY – SOGAN JUNG – Requested by Veronica Do WEDNESDAY – MOLLY & BILL BURKE – Requested by Marilyn & Fred Burke THURSDAY – LEANOR MACALINO – Requested by Robert & Cheeto Miguel FRIDAY – SOGAN JUNG – Requested by Veronica Do SATURDAY – PASQUALE GATTI – Requested by Linda Gatti SUNDAY – 10:30 AM – KAZ SWIDERSKI – Requested by Irene & Family SUNDAY – 12:30 PM – ANDREW HUI TAI PANG – Requested by Howa Hui
The Altar Server Ministry invites children, 10 and above, who are interested in learning how to serve at Mass, to please email stgabrielsaltarservers@gmailcom with details of the Mass at which their children would like to serve.
The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome Ariana Nicole Mourra and Jaden Osariere Oghosa
These children received the Sacrament of Baptism in the month of September. Congratulations!
The Parent meeting for those whose children will receive First Communion in the spring is October 26th at 7:30 PM.
The Parent meeting for those whose children will be confirmed in the spring will be on October 28th at 7:30 PM.
October 23rd/24th
Since 1922, the Pontifical Missions Societies, through the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, have supported the temporal needs of missions and created awareness of the work of the missions throughout the world. Some examples of their projects include: building churches, pastoral centres, cathedrals, religious houses of formation, homes for the clergy; offering formation programs for lay missionaries; providing radio and television production and audio-visual materials to remote mission areas; and supporting pastoral work in various rural dioceses. There will be a second collection on the weekend of October 23rd/24th for the Evangelization of the Nations, otherwise known as World Mission Sunday.
This is a worldwide collection for the missionary Church and it is our opportunity to assist at-need Catholic communities around the globe. Our offerings are combined with those of other Catholics around the world and distributed to missions and dioceses.
We are called to share from our abundance with those who are less fortunate and lack the basic essentials to know, love and praise God. Thank you for your support of this important work.
Living the Gospel by supporting frontline workers
Day in and day out, frontline workers have been working tirelessly during the pandemic. While they are there for us, who is there for them?
Catholic Family Services agencies have served countless people who are on the front lines during the pandemic, providing counselling and support. Your gift to ShareLife is helping them cope with the stress and anxiety of being exposed to illness.
October 31st is the next ShareLife Sunday. Please give generously during the special collection or anytime at sharelife.org.
For the Good Shepherd Centre and Rosalie Hall
it’s not to late to make a difference in the lives of the hungry and homeless this Thanksgiving by participating in the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive.
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.
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.
Urgently needed items include: rice pasta sauces, canned tomatoes breakfast cereals hot chocolate tea bags jam granola/protein bars chocolate bars cookies and crackers, hard candy sugar coffee canned legumes e.g., chick peas, black beans canned tuna, soups, stews, fruits and vegetables
Please check the expiry date as we cannot pass on expired foods. Please no fresh or frozen foods.
Thank you for your ongoing support of these two special charities.
Liturgical Publications is seeking advertisements for our church bulletin. This advertising helps to cover the costs of producing the bulletin each week. Please support our bulletin and advertise your product or service. Call Liturgical Publications at 905 624 4422 for more information.
Friday, October 15th at 7:00 PM to Sunday, October 17th at 1:00 PM
Manresa Jesuit Spiritual Renewal Centre 2325 Liverpool Rd., Pickering
A silent Ignatian weekend retreat for men and women.
What happens to our faith as we learn just how big the cosmos is? How do we encounter God differently when we realize that all those stars and planets are real places – part of the same universe created by God and redeemed by the Incarnation?
Facilitated by Br. Guy Consolmagno, SJ, known as “The Pope’s Astronomer.” He is the director of the Vatican Observatory and president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
Br. Consolomagno believes in the need for science and religion to work alongside one another, rather than act as competing ideologies. A suggested offering of $260 per person. Includes two nights’ accommodation, meals, program and spiritual direction.
To register go to www.manresa-canada.ca
For more information, contact: registration@manresa.ca or phone 905-839-2864.
Wednesday, October 20th at 7:00 PM
A virtual event recommended by the Office for Promoting Christian Unity and Religious Relations with Judaism
The Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies (ICJS) provides lectures and discussions to build religious literacy among the public. Ross Gay will share insights from his recent book that explores the delights of the ordinary, especially the small actions of individuals that create community. These shared bonds lead to the rewards that come from a life closely observed. This poet and essayist will illustrate the importance of acknowledging joy and wonder in our life as a spiritual practice.
Register at https://bit.ly/BookOfDelightsDiscussion
Virtual Online, October 22nd to October 24th
Live your best life in love! Restore your loving communication with your spouse and rekindle the romance. The Marriage Encounter experience is a skill-building enrichment program where you, as husband and wife, learn how to be the best couple you can be; a special weekend to spend in ways that normal, daily living tends to inhibit. No group discussion. Based on Catholic values but open to couples of all faiths. Rediscover the love in your relationship!
For more information and to register, contact Marge & Gerard McCauley at gerard.marge@rogers.com or (905) 792-1925.
Website: wwme.org
On this Thanksgiving weekend, the Garden Ministry would like to share with you a Thanksgiving which they created from their experiences working in St. Gabriel’s Garden.
It expresses our gratitude to the garden, its creatures, the elements and Creator, and can be found in the Fall Newsletter, at the bottom of the Garden Ministry page on the parish website: https://stgabrielsparish.ca/ministries/garden-ministry/
Thank you for your continued interest, support and encouragement.
| Posted in Bulletin |
There’s a poem titled Maud Miller. It’s about a young couple from both sides of the track. They never got together but years later they met. Maud ended their meeting with this thought; ‘of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these – it might have been.
What might have been if this enthusiastic young man had accepted the invitation of Jesus, ‘Come follow me’ the young man couldn’t do it for he had many possessions that in reality possessed him. We’ll never what might have been.
This is the weekend of Thanksgiving. Hopefully because so many people have the double vaccination we’ll feel safe getting together with family to celebrate Thanksgiving. Hopefully we’ll have a deeper appreciation of the gifts by which our lives are blessed.
There is a Canadian authoress Miriam Twoes. She wrote a book a few years ago titled, ’A Complicated Kindness’ it tells of a young girl growing up on the prairies on a dirt poor farm. Her family belonged to an old German Mennonite Church. A joyless chuch.
Her father was a strict man, so much so that her mother and her older sister just took off. She got into drugs and was sleeping around. One day she was musing on her life and came to this amazing conclusion…
My life has been an embarrassment of blessings. An embarrassment of blessings.
Can any of us here say, my life has been such, an embarrassment of blessings?
I think I can. For all the years serving in this parish of St, Gabriels, celebrating feasts and funerals with you good people, my life, my ministry has been an embarrassment of blessing.
I’ve often suggested we develop an attitude of gratitude, a mindset of thankfulness.
We’re here today to celebrate this Mass, this Eucharist. We’re here to say to God, ’thank you.’ Eucharist is Greek for thanks. I’ll be saying the second Eucharist prayer,the second prayer of thanksgiving. You good people will be making this prayer your own when you sing ‘Amen’ at the end of if. We thank God for the life, death and resurrection of Jesus
I hope and pray we all have a great Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends. I hope and pray that God gift us all with a deep and abiding attitude of gratitude.
| Posted in Homily |
October 3rd, 2021
October 4th to October 10th, 2021
MONDAY – BIENVENIDO & JULIETA PANGILINAN – Requested by Gina Hua TUESDAY – SOGAN JUNG – Requested by Veronica Do WEDNESDAY – THE INTENTIONS OF TONY FERNANDES – Requested by Chan Li THURSDAY FRIDAY – JOSEPH RORAI – Requested by Sheila Rorai SATURDAY – ANDREW HUI TAI PANG – Requested by Howa Hui SUNDAY – 10:30 AM – ARSENIA TAN – Requested by Annie T. Camarines SUNDAY – 12:30 PM – ANDREW HUI TAI PANG – Requested by Howa Hui
Meetings in preparation for the R.C.I.A. (Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults) will begin in October. These meetings are for persons interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith. The exploration may lead the candidate to seek baptism, and become a member of the Catholic Christian community; or for Christians already baptized into another Christian denomination, the reception into the Catholic Church.
Adult Catholics who have not received the sacrament of Confirmation but who wish to do so are also encouraged to attend these sessions.
As well, these meetings may be an opportunity for “Born Catholics” to deepen their understanding of our faith. Very often, especially for those of us who received our religious instruction at an early age, we tend to grow physically, mentally, psychologically etc., but the understanding of our faith does not grow correspondingly.
The RCIA may serve as a good opportunity for us to ask questions and to develop a more adult understanding of our faith. Registration will continue until September 18th. If you are interested in joining the RCIA meetings or if you would like to have more information about it, please contact Sr. Maria Lucia by email at StGabrielParishRCIA@gmail.com or by phone at 416-221-8866.
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 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.
For Children Who Were Registered in 2019 and 2020
First Communion interview dates are now being booked. They will take place on Tuesday, October 19th, Wednesday, October 20th and Friday, October 22nd.
They are scheduled every 15 minutes from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Please call the Parish Office at 416 221 8866 to book your appointment with Fr. Brando as soon as possible.
Next Weekend, October 9th/10th
“Live the Gospel” Next weekend is our third ShareLife collection. Our goal this year is $187,000 To date we have achieved $148,655.
We encourage you to give during this special collection. You can also donate online or at sharelife.org. By doing so, you’ll be making a real difference in the lives of poor and marginalized members of our community.
Monthly Pre-Authorized Giving (PAG) is a convenient way to spread your ShareLife contribution throughout the year. Simply submit a void cheque in a ShareLife envelope to the parish office or drop it in the offertory basket. Contact ShareLife at slife@archtoronto.org or 416-934-3411 if you have any questions about pre-authorized giving.
Next Sunday is ShareLife Sunday.
Please give generously during the special collection or anytime at sharelife.org.
You can make a difference in the lives of the hungry and homeless this Thanksgiving by participating in the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive.
Please check the expiry date as we cannot pass on expired foods. Please no fresh or frozen foods. We thank you for your generous support!
As a tangible expression of their commitment to walk with the Indigenous Peoples of this land along the pathway of hope, the Bishops of Canada are making a nation-wide collective financial commitment to support healing and reconciliation initiatives for residential school survivors, their families, and their communities. With a target of $30 million over up to five years, this will include initiatives in every region of the country to support initiatives discerned locally with Indigenous partners.
A news item has been posted on the archdiocesan website.
We will continue to provide further updates on national and local initiatives as appropriate.
Thank you for your ongoing efforts to engage in healing and reconciliation initiatives throughout the Archdiocese of Toronto.
Thank you to the volunteers who prepared 34 casseroles for the Good Shepherd Centre. In October your prepared casseroles will be collected on October 30th /31st.
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.
Final Event! Monday October 24, from 7:00 PM to 9:00PM
Join us virtually on Monday, October 24th, for Faith Connections’ final Theology on Tap Central – Nudged by the Spirit: The Journey Continues.
We’re looking forward to celebrating the end of this journey with you with a special panel of speakers and reflections. Stay tuned for full event description, speaker bios, and Zoom link in the next newsletter.
St. Patrick’s Church Hall, 139 McCaul Street, Toronto Thursday October 21st at 6:30 PM
Ignite Young Adult Ministry invites you to join in a series of 4 watch parties to see all of Season 2 of “The Chosen”, with viewing, reflection, and discussion.
The First Watch Party (Episode One) will be “in-person” with a “Dinner & Movie Event in Toronto on Thursday October 21st at 6:30 PM. The cost is $10 at the Door. Registration is required. Please register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/The_Chosen_Toronto
For more information about “The Chosen” Watch Parties, visit Ignite Young Adult Ministry at: “The Chosen” Season 2 Watch Parties
And if you missed Season One, visit The Chosen Season 1 Watch Parties
Live your best life in love! Restore your loving communication with your spouse and rekindle the romance.
The Marriage Encounter experience is a skill-building enrichment program where you, as husband and wife, learn how to be the best couple you can be; a special weekend to spend in ways that normal, daily living tendsto inhibit. No group discussion. Based on Catholic values but open to couples of all faiths. Rediscover the love in your relationship!
For more information and to register, contact Marge & Gerard McCauley at gerard.marge@rogers.com or (905) 792-1925. Website: wwme.org
During the Garden Retreat, participants planted crops of garlic, radish, lettuce, spinach and chard, joining the cabbage, carrots and beets already planted for a mid-fall harvest for the Good Shepherd. Take a moment after mass to drop by and to track their progress.
Did you know that comfrey tea is a natural fertilizer made from comfrey leaves fermented in water? The tea is rich in nitrogen (necessary for healthy growth), potassium (protects from disease and pests), and phosphorus (promotes fruiting and flowering in perennials and fruit bearing annuals). Several times a summer, our volunteers harvest comfrey leaves from both the north and the south gardens, make tea and apply it to the fruit trees in the gardens.
To learn more: join the Garden ministry! sgpgardenministry@gmail.com
At different times when witnessing a marriage I’ve used the words of Jesus from his cross, ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.’ And they don’t. The young bride and groom are making an act of faith in an unknown future. In that act of faith they say to one another, in good time and in bad, in sickness and in health, in all the future possibilities of our lives, I will be yours and you will be mine. The old marriage ritual contained the following promise; ‘God will be with you in your needs, he will pledge you the lifelong support of his grace in the sacrament you are about to receive. ‘Still, they know not what they do.
One biblical scholar claims that we know very little about how divorce was handled in Jewish society at the time of Jesus, but Jesus maintains God’s dream of humanity is bigger than the social realities of that time and it still is. This ‘oneness of flesh is an ideal to aim for and not a rule to be applied strictly without taking circumstances into consideration. It is an ideal to reach towards, without pretending to have obtained it with a perfect love.
In the ancient Mediterranean world, marriages were between families. It is the custom in many cultures today. Each family selected a partner for the other. Marriage was intended to bind families together, forming a stronger unit.
A divorce was more than the separation of a husband and wife; it was the separation of the families. Such a separation could lead to family feuds as each side blamed the other for the break-up. This happens today as family and friends are expected to take sides blaming the other for the break up. It can get quite nasty.
Maybe the basic purpose of this commandment in ancient Israelite society was to head off feuding which led to bloodshed. The idea was to maintain internal societal harmony and stability.
Jesus saw the marriage covenant as a symbol of the unbreakable covenant between God and the people of Israel. St. Paul saw marriage as a symbol of the covenant of Christ’s love for his bride, the Church. A covenant sealed with his blood.
Sadly the words of Jesus, ‘what God has joined let no one separate’ have little or no influence on society today. Divorce is a sad and painful reality in our lives. Husbands and wives split, children are passed back and forth and one family wants nothing to do with the other.
Divorce is a fact in our reality as Church. Men and women who divorce believe they are out of the church. This is not true. A divorced man or woman who remarries without an annulment, which can be a painful process, opening old wounds, is at odds with the church but they are still in the church, they are still family, they are still welcome.
Jesus speaks about the hardness of people’s hearts. Pope Francis is facing resentment and resistance from cardinals and bishops as he’s asked for a reform of the annulment process and a change in attitude toward divorced men and women. He respects the decision of divorce men and women who, mindful of their need of God’s grace seek to come to receive Holy Communion. Who am I to judge? Pope Francis also reminds us the Holy Communion is not a reward for the righteous but a remedy for the weak. And we are all weak.
There may be many at this Mass whose lives have been touched by the tragedy and sadness of divorce. May we as a parish family pray for and welcome these good people whose lives have been touched by this blight. We pray for the children whose lives are in turmoil because of divorce. May our parish family always welcome divorced men and women to the Eucharist. May these good people find new life and new love. God said , ‘it is not good to be alone.’
September 26th, 2021
September 27th to October 2nd MONDAY – HELEN LEE & HENRY HUI – Requested by Linda Law & Family TUESDAY – EVELYN CORMIER – Requested by Tom & Ellie Pidgeon WEDNESDAY – THE INTENTIONS OF CHUN LI – Requested by Tony Fernandes THURSDAY FRIDAY – THANKSGIVING – Requested by Sophie Pereira SATURDAY – ANDREW HUI TAI PANG – Requested by Diana Lau SUNDAY – 10:30 AM – THANKSGIVING by CAROLYN COOK – Requested by Carolyn Cook SUNDAY – 12:30 PM – ANDREW HUI TAI PANG – Requested by Howa Hui
Until September 30th
There is still time to register your child for First Communion,
Please Note: A copy of the child’s Baptismal Certificate is required if registering for First Communion or Confirmation. Registration forms will not be accepted without it.
A Baptism certificate is not required for Reconciliation.
A fee of $30 is required at registration for Confirmation to defray related costs.
The deadline for registration for all sacraments is September 30th. No registrations will be accepted after that date.
Second Collection this Weekend, September 25th/26th
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) is involved in national and international areas of pastoral activity, including social justice, ecumenical and interfaith relations, collaboration with Indigenous peoples, life and family issues, liturgy, catechesis, doctrine and relations with Catholic associations and movement.
There will be a second collection this weekend, September 25th/26th for the Needs of the Church in Canada. Your gifts are used by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to represent Canadian Catholics in national and international pastoral activity. Thank you for your support of this important work.
World Day of Migrants and Refugees
ShareLife Sunday is October 10th
Your gift to ShareLife facilitated the arrival of 528 refugees through the Office of Refugees of the Archdiocese of Toronto last year. They are among the 150,000 people helped by generous donors like you.
As we emerge from the pandemic, let’s not forget the plight of those facing hardship and persecution, and continue our efforts to welcome them to Canada.
October 10th is the next ShareLife Sunday.
We thank you for your generous support!
As you know, Haiti has now been hit with a 7.2 earthquake, the latest in a series of disasters to strike this small nation. The devastation was worsened by arrival of Tropical Depression Grace, bringing heavy rains flooding and landslides.
In an effort to support those have been most directly impacted by these disasters, St. Gabriel’s Parish is accepting funds which will be passed on directly to Fr. Rick Frechette in Haiti.
Contributions can also be made through the Archdiocese of Toronto.
Those wishing to help may do so in the following ways: Through the parish, making cheques payable to: St. Gabriel’s – Haiti Disaster Relief 2021. Disaster Relief envelopes are on the table in the Gathering Space.
Online through the Archdiocese of Toronto website
Through the Development Office at 416-934-3411
Please offer your prayers for all those impacted by this tragedy. Thank you for your ongoing efforts to assist those in crisis.
This Sunday, September 26th from 12:30 to 2:00 PM
Native Peoples’ Mission (at St. Ann Parish) 711 Gerrard St. E., Toronto
Join the Native Peoples’ Mission (NPM) community in a day of reflection, solidarity and commemoration of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a new federal statutory holiday being observed on September 30th.
John Robinson, an Ojibway elder, will do a purification ceremony. Sr. Petite Lao, RNDM, NPM volunteer and Filipina researcher, will share her reflections on the “Filipino Catholics and the Challenges of the Truth and Reconciliation Process in Canada.” For more information, contact Sr. Petite Lao, RNDM at petite.lao@utoronto.ca
Live your best life in love! Restore your loving communication with your spouse and rekindle the romance. The Marriage Encounter experience is a skill-building enrichment program where you, as husband and wife, learn how to be the best couple you can be; a special weekend to spend in ways that normal, daily living tends to inhibit. No group discussion. Based on Catholic values but open to couples of all faiths. Rediscover the love in your relationship! For more information and to register, contact Marge & Gerard McCauley at gerard.marge@rogers.com or (905) 792-1925.
For the latest Garden Ministry news, please check the parish website for our fall newsletter, which contains an editorial by Fr. Paul Cusack, retired pastor of St. Gabriel’s and a member of our local Passionist community.
On Saturday, September 18th, St. Gabriel’s and the Garden Ministry hosted our first Garden Retreat, focused on the garden as “Gateway to Earth Spirituality.” Participation was limited to 20 participants in addition to Garden Ministry members, who acted as guides for hands-on gardening activities. The event was well received. Speakers Fr. Steve Dunn, Roberto Chiotti, the architect of St. Gabriel’s church and indigenous knowledge holder, Maria Montejo, exposed participants to the need to heal ourselves of the legacy of abusing Earth and its peoples and to honour all Earth communities as our relations.
To get involved in the care of St. Gabriel’s garden, please email sgpgardenministry@gmail.com. As little as an hour a week can make a difference.
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