Passionist Jubilee Synod in Toronto

When I landed in Toronto as an immigrant from Hong Kong in 1990, my brother brought me to St. Gabriel’s for my first Sunday mass.  He said this church is close to my home and it is a very beautiful church.  Since then, I attended mass there every Sunday and hopefully will continue to do so for the rest of my life. I was introduced to the Parish Council by my neighbour (the Council was still active around 1993).  My thought to join the Parish Council was to learn English.  Thanks to Fr. Paul and other Council members who bore with my broken English then.  By being a Council member, I had the privilege to post a photo at the entrance of the Church.  Because of my face and my last name,  many Chinese new immigrants from Hong Kong (who immigrated to Canada because of the political uncertainty in Hong Kong, which would be returned to China in 1997) called the office to contact me for information around the neighbourhood.  They asked about schools, family doctors, library, etc.  I became acq

A reflection on this Feast of St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin, Feb. 27, 2022, with a Grateful and full heart:  I have been involved with the Music Ministry at St. Gabriel’s since I was a teenager in the 1970’s.  Those were formative years for me personally, for St. Gabriel’s Community, the Passionists and our Universal Catholic Church, post Vatican II.  The 12:00 Sunday Mass, in the 1970’s and beyond, was a “Folk Mass” with guitars, harmonicas, percussion and young, talented, engaged and engaging youth.  The Passionist priests, dynamic preachers and visionaries, were involved and encouraging in the community emerging as St. Gabriel’s Parish.  I am so grateful the Passionists agreed to establish St. Gabriel’s, building the old church in a farmer’s field, along the then-dirt road of Sheppard Avenue, in 1953.  The Archdiocese was listening and attending to the needs of the people as Toronto’s boundaries spread.  The Passionists answered the Call to establish a Missionary Ministry in

Having grown up in St. Gabriel's Parish and later experiencing Holy Cross Centre at Port Burwell, I have much gratitude to the Passionist Community. This includes the many priests and many others who have given much by their example, However one person comes to mind right away. It is Fr. Paul. It is difficult to add anything new to the many tributes that were posted in his memory. However, I will add that he was also at many of our family functions, like so many others-a part of our family. I remember when he heard my dad had had a heart attack, he went right away to visit him at the hospital. There are many other examples, too numerous to mention. Thanks, fp. John Madden

Being a longtime parishioner of St. Gabriel’s, I have many things to be thankful for. One of them is opening up my mind to a greater sense of spirituality.  This started with discussion meetings that Mary Landry held that broke my conventional thinking that God is somewhere “up there” and we will only get to know “God” in the afterlife.   Reading scripture with new eyes can be quite exhilarating.   Mary also introduced us to different ways of prayer and one of them being Christian Meditation which was very very helpful to me.  My mind was also opened up through the wonderful sermons of the Passionist priests and also invited guest speakers.  So many insights on scripture and how to incorporate it in the “real world”.   I am so thankful to know about Thomas Berry and our connectedness to the Earth and again this is through St. Gabriel’s.   I believe that Thomas Berry is correct in saying that the Church needs a “new story” as the old one is no longer working.  I have also learned a bit

I have a long and gratitude filled relationship with the Passionists.  I first discovered them while taking theology courses at University of St. Michael’s College back in the 90’s.  As a part time student working in an architect’s office, I only had a chance to take the few evening offerings.  Fortunately for me, Father Stephen Dunn, CP was teaching an evening course on Ethics and the term after that, Environmental Ethics.  It was in the latter that he introduced us to the writings of fellow Passionist Thomas Berry.   As it happened, Thomas Berry was scheduled to be the main speaker at a CCA conference held at OISE as advertised on a poster displayed prominently on Father Steve’s faculty office door.  The decision to attend that conference was forever life changing and solidified my commitment to learning more about and attempting to understand and integrate Thomas Berry’s eco-theology.  I enrolled in the Elliott Allen Institute for Theology and Ecology, directed by Father Stephen Dun