December 15th, 2019
Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas. We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day. We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us. We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom. We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence. We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light. To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus!” Amen.
Fr. Henri J.M. Nouwen
December 16th–December 22nd, 2019
MONDAY – KAZ SWIDERSKI – Requested by Irene Swiderski TUESDAY – ALAN RUTHERFORD – Requested by Persaud & Goldenberg Families WEDNESDAY – For the Intentions of STEPHAN YOUNG SIK HUH & CECILIA HUH – Requested by Bona Oh THURSDAY – For the Intentions of CLAUDIA CHO & REGINA SHIN – Requested by Bona Oh FRIDAY – FRANCO INTINI – Requested by Chiara & Tina Intini SATURDAY – ABANDONED SOULS IN PURGATORY – Requested by Sophie & Candida Pereira SUNDAY 10:30 AM – MARIA MARCZENKO – Requested by Rusiecki Family SUNDAY 12:30 PM – JOSE TEPE ENRIQUEZ – Requested by Jackie & Kayla Enriquez
Each month, the food we collect is sent to 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 the winter begins 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.
Collecting Stamps
This is a wonderful time of the year to collect stamps from your Christmas cards and letters to give to Effect Hope, the Leprosy Mission of Canada. If you wish to help, your stamps may be left in the basket on the counter outside of the office.
Please visit effecthope.org for more information.
Friday, December 20th
On Friday, December 20th, we will all have the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Confessions will be heard from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
Saturday, December 21st Vigil Mass – 4:30 PM Office Open – 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Sunday, December 22nd 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM Office Open – 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM
CHRISTMAS EVE – Tuesday, December 24th No 9:00 AM Mass 5:00 PM Family Mass – Carol Singing 8:00 PM Adult Choir – Carol Singing 12:00 AM Midnight Mass – Contemporary Group Office Open – 2:00 PM to 6:30 PM
CHRISTMAS DAY – Wednesday, December 25th 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM Office Open – 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM
BOXING DAY – Thursday, December 26th Office Closed No 9:00 AM Mass
REGULAR SUNDAY MASSES Saturday December 28th Vigil Mass – 4:30 PM Sunday, December 29th, Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM Office Open – 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM
NEW YEAR’S EVE – Tuesday, December 31st No 9:00 AM Mass Vigil for Feast of Mary the Holy Mother of God 5:00 PM Mass Office Open – 2:00 PM to 6:30 PM
NEW YEAR’S DAY – Wednesday, January 1st Feast of Mary the Holy Mother of God Mass at 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM Office Open – 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM
While parking at ground level is limited to 51 spaces, there is plenty of space in the underground parking lot. Please follow the instructions of the attendants. Do not park in front of the Church since this is a fire route and must be kept clear.
Additional parking is available on the east side of Elkhorn Public School and in the bus loop. Again, please follow the instructions of the attendant. The school requests that we do not park on the grass. Many thanks to Holly Richards, the Principal of Elkhorn Public School, for allowing us the use of the school property.
Rehearsal: Sunday, December 22nd from 2:00 to 4:00 PM
Each year, young people, Grade 3 and up, form a special choir for the Family Mass on Christmas Eve. Children must be at the Church by 4:00 PM. One rehearsal, which is mandatory, will be held on Sunday, December 22nd from 2:00 to 4:00 PM.
For more information, call Marilyn Calderone at 416-618-2041.
Pageant Rehearsal: Sunday, December 22nd from 4:00 to 6:00 PM
A Nativity pageant also takes place at the 5:00 PM Family Mass. Children from S.K. to Grade 5 are invited to participate in the pageant. The rehearsal will be held on Sunday, December 22nd from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM in the Church.
St. Gabriel Parish’s 3rd sponsored refugee family, The Bezgian’s, became Canadian citizens last month! Let us thank the Refugee Committee for facilitating the necessary documentation towards this event.
Wednesday, December 18th from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Gabriel Room
Volunteer milk bag weavers will be meeting Wednesday afternoon, December 18th from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM in the Gabriel Room to continue their great work, making sleep mats for third world countries All are welcome!
For further information about this project, please visit www.milkbagsunlimited.ca or contact Sharon Gusz at sharongusz@gmail.com.
Saturday, December 21st at 7:30 PM
St. Gabriel’s Church
The winter solstice marks a transition toward brighter times. Together, the Advent-Solstice reminds us of our profound connection with all of God’s creation and wakens us to the opportunity for a new beginning in that relationship. We will explore the surprising gifts that result when we make choices that foster such relationships.
Do you or does a loved one experience same-sex attraction? Courage & EnCourage provide spiritual support and pastoral guidance in full accordance with authentic Catholic teaching on homosexuality and chastity. For more information on our meetings and events, see contact info below:
EnCourage: Spiritual support for family and friends of those who experience same-sex attraction; faithful to Church teaching on chastity. Chaplain: Fr. Eric Rodrigues Phone: 416-928-5094; Email: encouragetoronto@yahoo.com
Courage: Spiritual support for adults who experience same-sex attraction and who desire to develop a life of interior chastity in union with Christ. Chaplain: Fr. Kevin Belgrave Phone: 416-928-5094; Email: couragetoronto@yahoo.ca
All inquiries are kept confidential.
Your offertory envelopes are now available in the Gathering Space. Please pick yours up as soon as possible.
Under the Canadian Income Tax laws, a donor is entitled to an income tax credit against income taxes payable based on a tax receipt from a registered Canadian charity like St. Gabriel’s parish. You should consider using offertory envelopes, enrolling in Pre-Authorized Giving (PAG) or Donate Now via Archdiocese of Toronto’s online giving for your offertory giving no matter the amount of your weekly donation.
Envelopes are available at the Parish Office if you need one.
Please note: All donations for 2019 must be received in the Parish Office by Monday, December 30th, 2019 to be included in your 2019 Tax Receipt.
| Posted in Bulletin |
Last Sunday’s gospel John the Baptist was telling the religious leaders who, probably out of curiosity came to listen to him as he preached and baptized at the Jorden river, that they were nothing but a brood of vipers and that they had better change their ways or they would face a future wrath. John pictures the one who would come after him, Jesus, as a pretty rough judge who would gather good men and women into his granary but the wicked would be thrown into unquenchable fire.
Today we find John in prison. He was a person who called things for what they were. He confronts a king, a king living in sin and told him ‘what you are doing is a sin against God’.
Maybe John thought he had it all wrong. Jesus didn’t seem to be warning people, scolding them about the wrath that was to come if they didn’t change their ways. So we have John’s famous question,’ Are you he who is to come or should be look for another?’
Jesus lets John know he is doing the works of God; the blind see, the deaf hear, cripples walk, lepers are made clean and the poor are hearing the good news of God; they are important to God, loved by God. And blessed are they who take no offence, are not shocked by what I am doing. Remember how the Pharisees were shocked that Jesus ate and drank with sinners and that he cured a man on the Sabbath – they took offence at him.
There is a saying, ‘the more things change the more they remain the same.’ We are blessed to have a very human and a very understanding Pope, Francis. He comes from the very different culture of Latin America, where as his predecessors who come a European culture, John Paul from Poland, Benedict from Germany.
There are many in our Church, lay men and women, priests, bishops and cardinals who take offence at what he says and does as he tries to guide our Church into an unknown future. Pope Francis is accused of weakening the discipline of our Church, he lacks rigidity, he is too soft. His remark, ‘who am I to judge’ when asked about those struggling with their sexuality identity was a shocker. He does not prevent couples in second marriages from coming to Holy Communion as he reminds us that Holy Communion is not a reward for the righteous but a remedy for the weak.
Those responsible for our liturgy couldn’t believe it when Francis broke with tradition and the Pope washed the feet of women, one a Muslim, at a Holy Thursday celebration.
Pope Francis is imitating Jesus as he meets people where they are as Jesus met people where they were, be they tax collectors or prostitutes and walked with and led them on to the experience of God’s love and healing.
Could we imitate the example of Jesus and Pope Francis and accept family members and friends and patiently walk with them and support them as they grapple with their personal struggles, no matter what they may be. May we not be intimidated by those who take offence at our efforts to imitate Jesus and Pope Francis.
the God of all consolation, who comforts us in all our sorrows, so that we can offer others, in their sorrows, the consolation that we have received from God ourselves.
| Posted in Homily |
December 8th, 2019
Let’s think for a moment on the image Isaiah puts before us in our first reading. He uses the image of a stump of a once mighty tree representing the kingdom of Israel, a kingdom that had been cut down by defeat and exile. A dynasty left for dead.
And yet from that stump came new life, new growth, and a new future. From that stump came the promise of time of peace and justice – total opposites living in harmony; the wolf and lamb, the leopard and kid, the calf and the lion, the cow and the bear.
There can be times when we feel we’ve been cut down, we feel like that lifeless stump, we’re out of hope; we have nothing left. We feel that all our efforts to be good and loving people do not bear fruit. We struggle with our daily realty that the good we want to do, we do not do and the evil we would not do, we still do. We struggle every day to be loving and forgiving men and women. We try to be accepting of men and women who believe and live differently than we do. We try to be more aware of and sensitive to the needs of our neighbours. And when the sun goes down we know we haven’t lived and loved anyway near the image of harmony Isaiah offers in today’s scripture. We try to love others with the same generosity with which God has loved us but we know that is beyond us.
We have yet to see accept the truth that God does not erase our struggles, he is with us within them.
Advent is trusting the truth that God’s grace can bring new life and transformation out of the stumps of our lives because with God all things are possible. We wait on and work with God’s grace. As one of the saints said,’ all shall be well and all shall be well and every manner of things shall be well.’
We wish the imagery of the gospel might be true in our lives, our crooked ways made straight, our rough ways smooth, our high opinions of ourselves brought low so that nothing in our daily living could hinder the coming of God’s kingdom into that part of our lives which has yet to be redeemed.
May we all have the faith to believe that the shoot of Jesse is sprouting in all our lives. God’s transforming grace is not finished with us yet, there are more possibilities for goodness, for forgiving past hurt, healing old wounds, there are more possibilities for us to be more open, more accepting of people of other faiths, other life styles, other racial backgrounds from ourselves.
Our stumps, our struggles are filled with the possibilities of new life; God is not finished with any of us.
December 7th, 2019
Friday, December 20th from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
On Friday, December 20th, we will all have the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Confessions will be heard from, 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
Come and celebrate together at our special Christmas Concert at St. Gabriel’s Church, Saturday, December 14th at 7:30 PM. The Seraphim and Cherubim Men’s & Women’s Choruses, led by our own Richard Foty will lift our spirits with their All You Need is Love concert. This is a wonderful Advent opportunity.
Ticket prices: Adults $20, Children $5.
For more information call Marilyn Calderone at 416-618-2041.
Pageant Rehearsal
Sunday, December 22nd from 4:00 to 6:00 PM
December 9th to December 15th
MONDAY – FOR THE INTENTIONS OF FRANCIS NG – Requested by the Parish Staff TUESDAY – FOR THE INTENTIONS OF USON JOHN KIM – Requested by Bona Oh WEDNESDAY – FOR THE INTENTIONS OF USON JOHN KIM – Requested by Bona Oh THURSDAY – FOR THE INTENTIONS OF USON JOHN KIM – Requested by Bona Oh FRIDAY – HARRY LEUNG – Requested by Mary Leung SATURDAY – EVA GULBINOWICZ – Requested by Kathleen Olden-Powell SUNDAY – 10:30 AM – ANTONIO ISONZO & DONATELLA LAGUARDIA – Requested by the Family SUNDAY – 12:30 PM – DELFIN LAZARO – Requested by the Lazaro Family
Available this weekend
As many of you know, Fatima Lee, who was formerly a member of our pastoral team, has served as a missionary in the Diocese of Mackenzie in the Northwest Territories for over a year now. The Diocese is home to many isolated indigenous communities.
This weekend, volunteers will be selling beautiful 2020 calendars from the Diocese of Mackenzie at the parish. The beautiful and unique calendar showcases photos of lovely landscape captured by Bishop Jon Hansen on his many missionary trips in the Diocese.
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 seven priests serving, many of the isolated communities will have Mass only three or four times a year. Except in the deep of winter, 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.
The members of the Social Justice and Integrity of Creation (SJIC) Committee would like to thank all of our parishioners – from the very young and to the young at heart – who signed the Solidarity Letters addressed to two threatened Amazonian communities in Brazil and advocating for Canada and Brazil to protect the rain forest and its people. It is heartwarming to see your faith in action! A heartfelt thank you to one and all.
Up to Sunday December 15th
We will be having a Christmas Toy Drive again this year for the Catholic Children’s Aid Society. You can help by dropping off an unwrapped new toy for a child, age newborn to 12 years old. Containers, which are set up in the Gathering Space and will remain there until Sunday, December 15th.
Up to Sunday, December 15th
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 gift or a gift card of about $25 for that child and return the unwrapped gift, with the tag attached, to the box provided in the Gathering Space. If you choose an older child, please buy a gift card. Return it with the tag to the Parish Office. If you are a knitter, there will be mitten tags. Please take one and return mitts to the box in the Gathering Space.
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 4 years. Unwrapped Items with the original stocking tag attached can be left in the box provided near the “mitten” tree no later than Sunday, December 15th. 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.
Each month the food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall and the Good Shepherd Centre.
For further information about this project please visit www.milkbagsunlimited.ca or contact Sharon Gusz at sharongusz@gmail.com.
This is a wonderful time of year to collect stamps from your Christmas cards and letters to give to Effect Hope, the Leprosy Mission of Canada. If you wish to help, your stamps may be left in the basket on the counter outside of the office.
Weekend of December 14th /15th
Fair trade organic coffees will be on sale after all the Masses next weekend. Regular ground coffee: $5.50 Decaffeinated: $6.00 Whole Beans: $5.50 Chocolate Bars: $4.50 Hot Chocolate and Cocoa: $6.00 Teas: $4.25
Thank you to all who supported our youth group’s fundraiser this past weekend. More than $800 was raised in support of our attendance at the 2020 Steubenville Conference. All Christmas ornaments were sold and the highest bids for the Statue and Nativity Figurine were $45 and $300, respectively. A special thank you to Edwin Li for generously donating the religious articles. We are so grateful for the support of our parish community!
We welcome new members of our Parish who joined and registered for the month of October.
Elias Corro & Otiana Monagreda & family; Michael Laureola & family; Klodiana & Alban Kasa & family; Sheila Marie Corpuz & Dexter Galano; Brian & Roana Canasa & family; Saoirse Kelleher & family; Sabreena Florez & family; Simeon Charles; Alma & Mauro Quizon
We encourage you to participate in any of the various ministries of our parish community.
Under the Canadian Income Tax laws, a donor is entitled to an income tax credit against income taxes payable based on a tax receipt from a registered Canadian charity like St. Gabriel’s parish. You should consider using envelopes for your offertory giving, no matter the amount of your weekly donation. Envelopes are available at the Parish Office if you need one.
December 1st, 2019
There are times when reading the scriptures of the day and preparing a sermon there might be a phrase that sparks an idea on what one might speak about.
Today such a phrase was in Paul’s letter to the Romans when he calls them to wake from sleep. He might have been speaking of their sleep, their avoidance of the challenge he’s put before them that they ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ.’ He challenges them to lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. These are symbolic words but words that can still make us think about our own struggles to ‘put on Christ’, our struggles to be a Christ-like person.
Dare we ask ourselves, what is our sleep, our drowsiness from which Paul shakes us to wake up to the teachings and example of Jesus? What is our drowsiness that lulls us into a dullness of indifference, insensitivity to the wants and sufferings of those closest to us, our family members and friends? Paul calls us, shakes us to wake up to the wants and sufferings of men, women and children we don’t even know. Faithful to the teachings of Christ Paul challenges us to wake up to the reality that these needy but neglected men women and children are our brothers and sisters in our human family, that they are our brothers and sisters in the family of the church.
Recently world scientists told the leaders of the world they are failing to live up to their commitment to face the reality, the dangers of climate change. In other words; ’wake up’, time is running out.
We all know that our lives as Christian men and women is a life of tension. The good that we would, we do not. The evil that we would not do, that we do. The grace and presence of Jesus Christ will see us through if we are open to Christ’s presence in our lives. Christ will shake us, wake us to lay aside the works of darkness, our deep sleep of indifference and help us put on the light, the light that shows us our obligation to the needs and the sufferings of neglected seniors, the sick and suffering, the working poor, the homeless street people living and struggling in our own city.
At this Mass we ask for the grace of courage and concern to wake up from our sleep of indifference and put on our Lord Jesus Christ and be attentive to the good people who need our love and our help be they family, friends or total strangers.
May we put on the Lord Jesus Christ and learn to love as he loved, learn to forgive as he forgave and learn to heal hurts as he healed. As often as we are there for family, friends, or strangers we are there for Christ. May we be blesses to be awake to all the possibilities of doing good that come our way today
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
