Established 1982

Old-Fashioned Restoration

M6P 1Z7

Restore • Buy • Sell

Fine Antique Furniture

Emanuel Calleja 416-767-6989

CATHOLIC CEMETERIES - ARCHDIOCESE OF TORONTO

ASSUMPTION CATHOLIC CEMETERY

6933 Tomken Road, Mississauga (905) 670-8801

Visit our website at www.catholic-cemeteries.com

Angelo Portelli Free Estimate

CALL THE SPECIALISTS

1 ST. JOHN RD. MAIN FLOOR

TORONTO, ON M6P 4C7

AMANTINE

SECURITY

SYSTEM

24 hour Monitoring

Marc Govè (905) 454-4855

3299, Dundas Street West, Toronto

(One block east of Runnymede)

www.lynettfuneralhome.ca

Compliments of

Melita S.C. Inc.

Tel: 416- 763-5317

MALTA BAKE SHOP

3256 DUNDAS STREET WEST Tel: (416) 769-2174

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

Frozen Pastizzi are available at:

Messina Bakery, Solero Bakery, Molisana Bakery; Atlantic Bakery; Malta Band Club; Lisboa Bakery;

Coppa’s Fine Foods; Highland Farms; Mama Malta Pastizzi; Cedar Nights; Bolton’s Convenience;

Maryland Variety; Connor’s Cones & Café; various No Frills;

and more than other 30 locations close by

Contact us for more information

- Always ready to help you -

MALTA BAND CLUB 5745 Coopers Avenue

Mississauga, ON L4Z 1R9

Hall for Rent

Weddings - Baptisms -

Showers - Private Functions

Tel: (905) 890-8507

Compliments of the

Festa San Gorg

Committee

www.festasangorg.ca

Festa San Gorg Association

Meadowbrook A fully integrated Multi-Trade Constructor

Steve Buhagiar

5579, McAdam Rd., Mississauga, ON L4Z 1N4

Contact: 905 507 9507

http://www.meadowbrookconstruction.ca

Residential / Commercial / Industrial

Blocked drains & sewers

Boilers / Snow Melt / In-floor heating

Backflow installation & testing

Government Rebates

Attard Plumbing Ltd

416-881-PIPE (7473) Serving the GTA over 30 years

At a time of need, or when planning ahead,

rely on the trusted specialists.

Call 416 767-1176

Tony Saliba - Bonded & Insured

24 Hour Service - Complete Janitorial Service

Roofing, Paving/Concrete, Line marking,

Carpet Cleaning - Window Cleaning

Power Sweeping & Power Washing

General Contracting.

Bus: 416-762-6302 Fax: 416-766-4000

MELITA

MAINTENANCE

Please Support Our Sponsors.

These ads help in the everyday running of

the Parish

416-571-3944

lehenmalti@hotmail.com

ST. PAUL’S HALL

The Lower hall of our Parish can be hired for occasions such as Baby Showers, Funeral Wakes, Baptisms, Weddings and other activities. The income supports the daily expenses of the running of our parish.

Special, reduced prices for our Parishioners!!!

For information and bookings contact Paul on

416-231-9710

Compliments of the

Festa San Gorg

Committee

www.festasangorg.ca

Festa San Gorg Association

Proudly Helping Clients Buy and Sell Real Estate in West Toronto, Etobicoke

and Mississauga

RYAN FENECH Sales Representative

For A Free Evaluation Call 416-618-9459

Sutton Group Old Mill Realty Inc., Brokerage 4237, Dundas St W. Toronto ON M8X 1Y3

St. Paul the Apostle Church

Maltese-Canadian

Community Parish 3224 Dundas Street West, Toronto, Ontario M6P 2A3

416-767-7054

Pastor: Fr. Mario Micallef MSSP

Associate Pastor: Fr. Ivano Burdian MSSP

Parish Secretary: Mrs. Rita Apalit

OFFICE HOURS Tuesday & Friday: 10:00 am to 5:30 pm

Emails and phone calls are still being attended to.

MASS SCHEDULE and Other Activities Daily morning Mass

Monday, Wednesday & Friday—9:15 am (Maltese)

Tuesday & Thursday—9:15 am (English)

First Friday of the Month:

Mass in Maltese at 9.15 am, followed by Adoration &

Benediction

Weekend Masses;

Saturday 5:30 pm (English)

Sunday: 9:00 am (English)

10:30 am (Maltese)

12:00 noon (English)

All other activities are temporarily cancelled

SACRAMENTS Baptism: Please contact the Rectory. Baptisms are generally held on the second and fourth Sundays of the month.

Marriages: Contact the priest at least one year in advance of the wedding. A marriage preparation course is required.

Sacrament of Reconciliation: Any day, by appointment; call the office

Anointing of the Sick: Contact the priests. Parishioners are reminded that this is not a sacrament that should be left for the last possible minute. It is a

Sacrament for the sick, not just for the dying.

September 6th, 2020

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - A

email: stpaulmssp@gmail.com Website: www.saint-paul-maltese.com

Mission Statement

We, the community of St Paul the Apostle, are a Maltese-

Canadian personal Parish, founded on September 8, 1930,

and administered by the Missionary Society of St Paul. We

are a faith community reflecting the gospel values of

Christ according to the teaching and tradition of the

Roman Catholic Church. We serve the Maltese community,

welcoming also other people from other nationalities. Our

mission is to follow Christ by sharing our gifts of time,

talent and treasure: by imitating Christ; and by giving

witness to our faith through our everyday lives..

MA

SS

IN

TE

NT

IO

NS

Saturday, September 5

• Joseph & Carmen Theuma

• Nina Schembri

• Lora Grixti

Sunday, September 6

9:00am

• Charlie & Christina Cini,

& Rita Camilleri

• Ricardo Solis & Faustro Orellano

10.30am

• Benjamin Paul Haber

• Mary-Rose Olech

12:00 noon

• Frank Cini

Monday, September 7

• Francesco Xerri

• Anthony Sultana

Tuesday, September 8

• Charlie Cini

Wednesday, September 9

• Our Lady of the Immigrant Perpetual Mass

• Karmela & Pawlu Grech

Thursday, September 10

• Larry Attard

• Eugenio Sturino

Friday, September 11

• Tereza & Manweli Debono

There is a beautiful episode in the gospel (not today’s reading) where Jesus tells his followers: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?” Here Jesus was telling his people to be careful not to judge others. But he was also making them, and us, aware that no one is perfect. We all have our defects, our difficulties, our strange, sometimes unhealthy, idiosyncrasies. What’s more important is the fact that, while we find it easy to see the defects or mistakes of others, we often find it difficult to see our own.

This is why today’s gospel is so important for us. Being a follower of Christ means that I am on a journey. I am not perfect yet. Nobody is! We have seen the example

of Pope Peter during these last two Sundays. He had been declared Blessed and Rock by Jesus, and yet he falters … more than once. But Peter was mature enough to listen to Jesus’ rebuke, whom he loved with unparalleled love, and allow that moment to become an experience of growth in his relationship with his master.

In today’s gospel Jesus tells us, “If your brother or sister sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone”. There is so much to think about here. First of all Jesus is referring to the other person as my brother or sister. It is not the enemy, but someone who is doing the same journey with me. Both of us have a common Father who loves us so much that he gave us each other as gifts! Given that often I am not able to see my own mistake, I need someone else to help me in that area. Being helped by another to see my own mistake is, therefore, nothing more than an act of love. Jesus also indicates the way how to do it: quietly, when we are alone. Let’s face it: this is so different to what we usually do. Sometimes it seems that we are experts in noticing the sins of others, and then tell them to everybody else except to the person concerned! How often does it happen that the person concerned is the last one to know what is being said about him or her! This is not Christian. It is, definitely, not an act of love! Keeping in mind what Jesus had told us about the plank in our own eye should help us approach our brother or sister with humility. I do not correct someone because I am better than him or her. Far from it.

Sometimes it happens, unfortunately, that the other person would not listen. Here Jesus highlights the importance of community, when he tells us to take someone else with us to help that person. “Saving” the other person, helping them to get back on the right track, is such an important act in Jesus’ mind. In extreme cases, such a person should even be left alone, away from the community, hopefully to help him realize his mistake. All this is very important because, when someone is in sin, he is not in communion with the rest of the community. Remember that I can never be a Christian on my own. That's why the Eucharist, the sacrament of “communion” as we call it, is so central to our lives. Because in it we celebrate what we really are: one body, the body of Christ. Ultimately, this is what makes our prayer effective, then. Jesus concludes this gospel by emphasizing the importance of our communion with each other: agreeing in what we ask and remembering that when we are together in his name, he is present with us.

The image used by the prophet Ezekiel in the first reading is very beautiful. “I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel” is his vocation. The watchman is always alert and on the lookout to make sure nothing bad befalls his people. As prophets, we too are called to watch over our brothers and sisters to help them from falling into dangerous situations.

Fr Mario

2

Pastor’s thoughts ...

OFFICE HOURS

The Parish Office is now open twice a week:

Tuesday and Friday, 10:00 am to 5:30 pm.

Please call our office before visiting. When you come to the office you must be wearing a mask according to the instruction of the City of Toronto.Wednesday and Thursday the Parish Secretary is working from home,

answering phones and attending to emails.

REST IN PEACE

During this past week we had the burials of: Emanuel Bonnici (d. August 26) and Charlie Cristina (d. August 28).

While asking the God of Mercy to grant them eternal rest with Him in heaven.

We also pray for their families and loved ones during this time of loss.

We congratulate Adam Allen Paluch,

as he receives the Sacrament

of Confirmation this Sunday

during the 12 noon Mass.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.

“IL-VITORJA”

September 8 is the feast of the Nativity of Our Lady. In Malta it is affectionately known as il-Bambina, and, more commonly, il-Vitorja - Our Lady of Victories.

It was on this day, in 1565, that the Knights of the Order of Saint John in Malta along with the Maltese fighters won against the Ottoman Empire, after a siege that lasted more than 3 months. More than just a

political or military victory, it was an event that safeguarded the Christian faith in the Mediterranean.

We pray, through the intercession of Our Lady, that we will continue to treasure and live the faith handed down to us by our forefathers.

LONG WEEKEND

While wishing everybody a happy “Labor Day” long-weekend, we cannot but remember all those workers who are going through hardship during this time of Covid-19 - people who have lost work, are working reduced hours, or are facing an uncertain future. Our prayers are with you and for you.

SHARE LIFE

Due to the closure of our churches during the pandemic, we have not yet had any Share Life collections for this year. We shall, therefore, have the first collection next weekend. The needs are great … actually, precisely because of the pandemic, they will be even greater this year than in more normal years!

“The needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ are greater than ever before. In order for ShareLife agencies to continue their vital work, it is crucial we meet our parish campaign goal. As you contemplate the blessings God has entrusted to you, please join me in giving to ShareLife to the best of your ability.” – Cardinal Thomas Collins

God will bless your generosity!

- ORDER, PLEASE! -

We appreciate your patience and cooperation with our ushers/greeters while you enter into the church and are led to your seats. It is important not to relax and let down our guard. We are still in time of pandemic!

Please keep using masks, keep the required distance, and follow the instructions of those who are in charge. They are only doing a service to all of us!