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3 THE SHEPHERD • FEBRUARY 2025 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO Greetings Friends of Choir! Welcome to February! February brings the Presentation of the Lord to the Temple in Jerusalem. The story of the Presentation is told in Luke 2:22-29. Mary and Joseph were faithful Jews and observed their reli- gious customs. An important custom was for the couple to take their first- born son to the Temple. When Jesus was forty days old, Mary and Joseph took Him to the Temple in Jerusalem to be dedicated toGod. As they arrived at the Temple, Mary and Joseph were met by a very old man named Sime- on. He was a holy man and was noted as a very intelligent scholar. Simeon spent much time studying about the prophets of Israel. It was during his studies that he learned of the coming of the Messiah. The Jewish people were waiting for the Messiah to come and deliver Israel from their conquer- ors. From that time on, Simeon spent his time praying for the Messiah to come. He spent many years in prayer. Finally, while Simeon was praying he heard the voice of God. God promised Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. When Simeon saw Jesus, he took the baby in his arms and blessed the Lord and said: "Lord, now let Your servant go in peace ac- cording to Your promise, because my eyes have seen Your salvation which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory to your people Israel." Such a beautiful story! The Folk Dance and Choral Festival is fast approaching and our youth choir is preparing for competition. Please attend their preview after Divine Lit- urgy on February 2nd. We hope you like our presentation of a “village wed- ding.” Birthday wishes go out to Elaine Ara- postathis, our organist Bill, Perry Ga- dinas, and our Fr. Andrew! May God continue to grant you many years. We also extend a Happy Belated Birthday to our Eleni Spencer. We hope you enjoyed your day. Birthdays are spe- cial and we give our thanks to God for another year around the sun. The choir must also say many blessings to our Marina Pegas for celebrating an- other beautiful year. We miss you and love you. Katherine Loukatos Meck Choir Master DIVINE SERVICES SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2: The Presentation of the Lord Orthros 9:00 AM ✟ Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM Epistle : Hebrews 7:7-17 ✟ Gospel : Luke 2:22-40 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9: Sunday of the Publican & Pharisee ( Triodion Begins) Orthros 9:00 AM ✟ Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM Epistle : II Timothy 3:10-15 ✟ Gospel : Luke 18:10-14 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY16: Sunday of the Prodigal Son Orthros 9:00 AM ✟ Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM Epistle : I Corinthians 6:12-20 ✟ Gospel : Luke 15:11-32 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22: Saturday of Souls Orthros 9:00 AM ✟ Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM Epistle : I Thessalonians 4:13-17 Gospel : Luke 21:8-9, 25-27, 33-36 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23: Judgment Sunday ( Meatfare) Orthros 9:00 AM ✟ Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM Epistle : I Corinthians 8:8-13; 9:1-2 Gospel : Matthew 25:31-46 BOOKSTORE Blessed New Year to our St Spyridon community! Come check out some of our new children’s books. O is for Orthodox is a wonderful board book with thick, cut-out shapes for every letter of the alphabet. Parents and their children will be introduced to 26 words re- lated to the Orthodox faith as they learn their ABC’s together. Noah, the Ark, and Me is an extremely creative book with beautiful illustra- tions placing your child on the ark, traveling the seas with Noah, and having all the animals of the earth as fellow passengers. Want to learn more about the apostle Paul, who spread the message of Christianity to the far reaches of the Greco-Ro- man empire, making it the princi- pal religion all over the world. Paul: Apostle to the Nations is for children ages 12 and older. In order to fulfill the sacred mission that God entrust- ed to him, Saint Paul experienced many trials and suffered greatly. He passed through these trials to share the Good News of Christ with the world. Learn more about this won- drous saint and his incredible trav- els. The Friends of Christ, twelve vol- ume series continues to the month of February. The February volume con- tains the lives of: Saint Nikiphoros, Saint Haralambros the Hieromartyr, Saint Theodora the Empress, the MEMORIALS JAN 5: Bill Diamond – 40 days JAN 19: Mary Pappas – 20 years John Pappas – 45 years Lucas Michas – 48 days JAN 19: Jim (Demetri) Mellos – 40 days Robert Dennis – 5 years Katherine Scordalakis – 8 years Christos Tsopanoglou – 12 years Nitsa Crosby – 21 years Ray Crosby – 48 years FEB 9: Mary Bablenis – 39 years Haralambos Bablenis – 5 years DEATHS DEC 17: Jim (Demetri) Mellos 93 years old FOR SALE: Last remaining side-by-side grave plots at scenic Greenwood Mortuary in the Anastasis area. Located to the left of the Glavas grave plot. $48,000 for both. Call or email for more info: 858.504.1222 – kevin@sdthreshold.com Sponsored Announcement NEWS FROM THE LOFT Venerable ascetic Philothei, and the Great Martyr Photini – the Samaritan woman. This series is great for children, young adults, and adults. Stop by after Sunday Divine Liturgy and take a look! Many blessings, Stephanie Mourafetis, Mary Mastorakos, Pat Tsopanoglou, and Francesca Captain