July 8th, 2022
As you are aware, our parish has committed to sponsor a Ukrainian refugee family to Canada as permanent residents. Our sponsorship makes us responsible to support and assist this family during their first year in Canada. Our Parish committee of 20 members will assist them with everything from securing and equipping housing, language training, education where needed, banking, shopping, recreation, medical appointments and all the other things it takes to settle into our country.
This will be the fourth refugee family our parish has assisted in the last 10 years. The prior three families are all doing well and all have become Canadian citizens.
We have yet to be matched with a Ukrainian family but we are aware of a local church that has received their refugee family.
We will, of course, need your financial assistance to make this sponsorship a success. The government of Canada requires us to raise a minimum of $35,000 to support a family of 4. To achieve this we are now accepting donations through the parish office.
With your support we can live the gospel to which we are called.
From Mathew 25: For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.
Thank you.
| Posted in Notice, Refugee Committee |
July 2nd, 2022
Saturday, July 23, 2022 From 1pm to 4pm St. Gabriel’s Parish
Participants will engage hands on with the soil.
Sponsored by St. Gabriel’s Parish in collaboration with the Garden Ministry, the Ministry with Maturing Adults and the congregation of the Passionists.
To register, please visit stgabrielsparish.eventbrite.ca or call 416-221-8866
Download the poster for more information
| Posted in Events |
June 26th, 2022
We would like to welcome Fr. Bill Murphy CP to St. Gabriel’s Parish. He will be our Interim Pastor until Fr. Brando returns from his sabbatical. Fr. Bill is from Jamaica, New York and is happy to be here with us.
If you wish to contact Fr. Brando while he is on sabbatical, his emails are: dnarb_recp@yahoo.com or brandorecana@gmail.com
This is the last bulletin until the Labour Day Weekend in September. We wish you all a happy and safe summer!
Friday, July 1st is Canada Day.
The office will be closed on Friday for the holiday.
There will be no 9:00 AM Mass on July 1st.
June 27th to July 3rd, 2022
MONDAY – KOK YAU FUNG ✞ – Requested by Kok Yau Lam TUESDAY – ROSA LAI HING CHAN & FAMILY – Requested by Thomas Li & Family WEDNESDAY – VINCENZO & CONCEITA GRECO ✞ – Requested by the Grech Family THURSDAY – FR. PAUL CUSACK ✞ – Requested by the Taylor Family FRIDAY – CANADA DAY – No 9:00 AM Mass SATURDAY – YUNG-NIEN HSU ✞ – Requested by the Hsu Family SUNDAY, 10:30 – MELANIE WHITE ✞ – Requested by Sophie & Candida Pereira SUNDAY, 12:30 – KOK SHING WING & CHIU LAI SAU ✞ – Requested by Kok Yau Lam
Announced Masses for the summer months will be posted on the bulletin board in the Gathering Space.
This is the final week for the children’s liturgy until the fall. Thank you to the wonderful team of adult and student volunteers who led the children in expressing and deepening their faith.
When we resume in the fall, we look forward to adding more volunteers to the team. For more information or to volunteer, please call Dawn Burke at 416 671-0561 or leave a message at the Parish Office.
Thank you to our faithful choir members for their ministry! They will be taking a break, returning in September. New members are welcome to join them.
The senior choir practices on Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9:00 PM and sings at the10:30 AM Mass.
For more information, please email Serena Neil at serena.meharchand@gmail.com
Registration forms for the Children’s Faith Program are now available in the parish office. This program is for children of the Parish who attend other Catholic schools, public or private schools. Classes are held at St. Gabriel’s School every second Sunday beginning September
Please note that a separate Sacramental registration form is required if your child will receive the sacraments of First Communion, Reconciliation or Confirmation during the 2022/2023 school year. These forms are also available in the Parish Office. Baptismal Certificates are required for First Communion and Confirmation.
Meetings in preparation for the R.C.I.A. (Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults) will begin in September. 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.
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 at 416-221-8866.
Thank you for your generous support of Rosalie Hall and the Good Shepherd Centre.
Rosalie Hall assists young parents and their children to realize their potential.
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 during the summer months as numbers of needy people continue to increase. Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired.
There will be a second collection in support of our Refugee Sponsorship on the weekend of July 16th/17th. Thank you in advance for your support.
We have learned that a neighbouring church, St Elizabeth of Hungary Church, received a Ukrainian Refugee family on very short notice. We are assisting them by sharing our settlement plan with them. Our Sponsorship is through the Office of Refugees Archdiocese of Toronto (ORAT) and they have a team in Poland speaking to Ukrainian families about resettlement in Canada.
Thank you for your continued support of this important work.
Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
Help homeless youth through ShareLife
Covenant House is one of the agencies you support through ShareLife. It’s located in Toronto, but its young clients – largely homeless youth – arrive from throughout the archdiocese.
“Your commitment to love and care for the youth experiencing homelessness and trafficking who come to Covenant House truly means so much,” says the agency’s director. “Your support gives hope to young people who need hope right now – and you give youth a real chance for a better future.”
Our goal this year is $198,000. To date we have achieved $132,650 Please give at the parish using a ShareLife envelope, online through our parish website, or at sharelife.org.
Summer Collection: July 30th/31st, August 27th/28th
Thank you to all who prepared casseroles for the Good Shepherd Centre for the month of June.
During the summer, your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekends of July 30th/31st and August 27th/28th.
More volunteers are needed, especially during the summer months, to help feed the hungry in our city. We encourage you to pick up a copy of a casserole recipe and a pan and give it a try. Three recipes are available on St. Gabriel’s web site. Printed copies of the recipes are also available in the Parish Office. Please remember to mark the label on the pan lid with the name of the casserole. For more information, please contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791.
Wednesday, August 17th at 7:00 PM
Catholic Cemeteries and Funeral Services, Archdiocese of Toronto wishes to invite all families to participate in the Annual Mass for the Faithful Departed on Wednesday, August 17th at 7:00 PM.
His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins will celebrate Mass at Holy Cross in Thornhill.
Rev. Msgr. Paul Zimmer will be the celebrant at Mount Hope Cemetery in Toronto.
Most Rev. Bishop Robert Kasun will celebrate the Mass at Christ the King Cemetery in Markham.
In the Event of Rain, Mass will be celebrated in the mausoleum at Holy Cross and at St. Monica’s Church instead of Mount Hope Cemetery. Mass will be celebrated in the Reception Centre at Christ the King Cemetery.
This Sunday, June 26th, the Garden and the Children’s Liturgy ministries are once again collaborating to give the children an experience of caring for a garden that grows food for those in need of a meal. (The produce from St. Gabriel’s Garden is given to the Good Shepherd Ministries.)
The summer issue of our Garden Ministry newsletter, Growing News, is now available on the parish website. Featured in this issue is an interview with Fr. Brando, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his ordination, in which he reveals the captivating story of his call to the priesthood.
To contact the Garden Ministry, please email sgpgardenministry@gmail.com
Saturday, July, 23rd from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Elders in the parish are invited to a mini retreat on Saturday, July 23rd from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the parish sponsored by the Garden Ministry and the Ministry for Maturing Adults.
Through hands-on encounters in the garden, reflection and discussion of scriptural passages, elders will be invited to share their wisdom and discover the spiritual roots of their relationship with nature.
More details and registration information will be available on posters in the Gathering Space next weekend.
During the last two years, the Ministry for Maturing Adults has been organizing programs to meet some needs of our parish’s maturing adult population.
Currently, MMA is teaming with the Heather Bennett and the Garden Ministry Team to organize a Garden Retreat on July 23rd with the emphasizing “how grandparents and the elderly are a value and a gift both for society and for ecclesial communities.
MMA will also be hosting a Technology Workshop starting in July for those would like to learn how to use technology (cellphone, social media, emails, etc.) in a safer way. This is being done in collaboration with the Youth Ministry Team of our parish.
If you have any ideas, suggestions, or interest, please contact our Maturing Adult Ministry Team via Sr. Maria Lucia at StGabrielMMA@gmail.com.
| Posted in Bulletin |
June 17th, 2022
My dear Good People of St. Gabriel’s These past two years, we have been united in braving through various challenges, the top of which is the global health crisis which wreaked havoc on homes and communities. It exposed many of our vulnerabilities, especially our distance from the mystery of nature, including our very own bodies. Then, later, political crises from afar – in Ukraine and Africa – have haunted us. As children of the Passion of Christ, like our patron St. Gabriel, we cannot be apathetic amid this suffering world. We are so blessed with peace and bounty here in Toronto and in our parish, but our arms are open to our worst-affected brothers and sisters.
Being your pastor, it would have been an insurmountable task to deliver God’s works with all these challenges. However, having you as my mission partners, the difficulties are dwarfed by continued inspiration. In fact, years before the pandemic, you have empowered me with great care and support.
As I reach the silver milestone of my priesthood, my 25th anniversary of ordination, I count my ministry with you as sort of glorious mysteries. I had meaningful ministries and years prior to arriving here in St. Gabriel’s Parish, but I could not ask for a ministry and community more significant than this one that I have shared with you. Indeed, all your love and fellowship have shamed me as I often times feel not deserving of such overwhelming support.
Hence, I look at my life as an embarrassment of blessings. It is an embarrassment of blessings as per the great privilege to serve all the good people in our parish. Shepherding you through the celebration of feasts, baptism, weddings and funerals, I experienced the fullness of agape-or shared love. In the mobilization of aids during the pandemic and for the refugees affected by senseless wars, you rallied with me. You are always there with your unwavering support.
You are not just passive recipients of sacraments and undertakers of a pastor. You are active co-agents of building our local Church. The universal Church has encouraged synodality, that is, the life of the Church being shared by all sectors of the parish. But even before the Pope’s pronouncement, synodality is already very much operative in our parish.
It is easy to count 1 to 25 years, but my journey with you can never be quantified. As St. Francis de Sales would say: “The measure of love is to love without measure.” That is the most I can grasp of your overwhelming-embarrassing-love. So, I can only return: “The measure of service is humbly serving you without measure.”
May the Passion of Christ be ever in our hearts!
Fr. Brando
Happy Father’s Day to all the Fathers, Grandfathers, Stepfathers and Great Grandfathers. May you be blessed with the graces you need to be good and loving role models to your children. May God give you courage, compassion, patience and peace.
Gerry Massicotte died on June 1st 2022. He was a longtime parishioner of St. Gabriel’s Parish. He was very active in the Parish and served as head of the Hospitality Ministry for many years. His skill in Japanese Bunka embroidery was amazing and he donated some of his work to special causes in the Parish.
Gerry’s funeral Mass will be held at St. Edward’s Church at 11:00 AM on Monday, June 27th. A reception will follow.
Please call Kathy his daughter, at 416 602 9934 or email her at kathyfrey@rogers.com before June 20th if you wish to attend.
June 20th to June 26th, 2022
MONDAY – TERESIA HUI TAM ✞ – Requested by Catherine Chung TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY – PETER GEORGE VALAVI ✞ – Requested by the Valavi Family FRIDAY – GIOVANNI, MARIA & FRANK PUGLIESE ✞ – Requested by Rose Pugliese SATURDAY – BERNIE KELLY ✞ – Requested by Barbara Kelly SUNDAY, 10:30 – KENG OW YONG ✞ – Requested by the Helen Ow Yong SUNDAY, 12:30 – DECEASED MEMBERS OF F.O.S.S. ✞ – Requested by Agnes Wong
ShareLife agencies need your support, now more than ever
Did you know that, through your support, no one is turned away from ShareLife-funded agencies due to inability to pay? One of these agencies whose work you make possible is Catholic Crosscultural Services (CCS).
“The pandemic has affected the newcomer and refugee communities we serve greatly,” the agency reports. Thanks to you, CCS continued its settlement and mental health services for this marginalized population without interruption.
Our goal this year is $198,000 To date we have achieved $121,820. Please give at the parish using a ShareLife envelope, online through our parish website, or at sharelife.org.
Your food donations are more important than ever as Covid 19 remains with us and numbers of needy people continue to increase. Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired.
June 18th and 19th
This week, there will be a second collection for Marygrove Girls Camp run by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Each year, over 1,000 young girls with financial or domestic hardship enjoy a subsidized joyful camping experience at Marygrove. Please give generously to support this important initiative.
On Sunday, June 26th, the Garden and the Children’s Liturgy ministries will once again collaborate. This time, the children will experience caring for a garden that grows food to feed those in need of a meal. (The produce from St. Gabriel’s Garden is given to the Good Shepherd Ministries.) Since the children will be weeding and watering our vegetable garden, please ensure that they dress for hands-in-the-soil and perhaps an unintended splash. A hat and sunscreen are recommended.
The summer issue of our Garden Ministry newsletter, Growing News, will be available on the parish website on June 21st, the summer solstice. Featured in this issue is an interview with Fr. Brando, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his ordination, in which he reveals the captivating story of his call to the priesthood.
June 12th, 2022
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
