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7 THE SHEPHERD • FEBRUARY 2026 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO Our year started beautifully as we honored St. Basil the Great with the “Cutting of the Vasilopita” on the first Sunday of 2026. Fol- lowing Divine Liturgy, Father Andrew cut and distributed the Vasilopita. Thanks to our community’s generosity, $1,900 was raised to benefit the efforts of St. Basil Academy locat- ed in Garrison, New York and our National Philoptochos Children’s and Young Adult Ministries. Thank you to the dedicated ladies who baked our Vasilopites, who continue to bless our community with their culinary tal- ents. Our Philoptochos Anthousa Chapter holds two ministries very close to our heart, Feed the Hungry, which is led by our 2026 Leon Balaban Volunteer Award Honorees, the Capetanakis Family, who prepare and de- liver over 200 meals per month to our San Diego homeless, and The Bishop Anthony Philoptochos Student Aid Endowment Fund benefiting our young Hellenic College & Holy Cross Seminarians and Students from our Metropolis. This fund provides financial assistance to young men and women who have answered the call to serve our Church and preserve our Greek Orthodox faith, its teachings and traditions. At our Epiphany luncheon, many parishioners participated in the Cakes For A Cause auction and gra- ciously opened their hearts to donate over $10,000 toward those two vital Philoptochos ministries. Thank you to all who donated so lovingly to keep the good works of Philopto- chos flourishing. FEED-THE-HUNGRY All community members are encouraged to join Andreas Capetanakis and his team to carry out our “Feeding the Hungry” minis- try. Please contact him at acapetanakis@ya- hoo.com if you would like to help or donate toward these efforts. AGAPE MEALS Offered to our community members during difficult times. If you know of a family in need or are interested in volunteering in providing meals, please reach out to Marian Dougenis at 619.520.3660 or mkdougenis@ prodigy.net. SUNDAY FELLOWSHIP Please consider sponsoring a Sunday Fellow- ship Hour with your friends and family by providing simple refreshments (donuts or bagels, fruit and juice). You can honor fam- ily members or celebrate special occasions. Contact Olympia Kyriakidis at 619.507.6521 or karpenisiotisa@gmail.com. ICON ADORNMENT Philoptochos invites every family to com- memorate a special Feast Day in honor of your someone special by offering a dona- tion to cover the cost of decorating the icon with beautiful fresh flowers for display in the Narthex. The liturgical year presents many opportunities to honor your family mem- bers and an important day in the life of the Church (suggested donation is $85). Please contact Soula at 619.297.4165 to reserve your date now. Our membership drive kicked off last month and we would like to thank all who have re- newed their membership or have signed up as a Philoptochos member for the first time! It is never too late to join! Please visit our table in the hall to sign up, send your reg- istration back to the church via US mail, or join at www.anthousa.net. Philoptochos has so much to offer and we’d love to have you join us! In Christ’s Sisterhood, Michelle Defelippi Anthousa Chapter President PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS March 7, 2026 8:30am-5:30pm St. Spyridon, San Diego Register now to ensure your spot! https://tinyurl.com/ticketsteenmentalhealth His Grace Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos, PhD Chief Secretary, Holy Eparchial Synod Director, Department of Religious Education (DRE) George Petros Papageorge, LMFT Director, Metropolis of San Francisco, Family Wellness Ministry Michelle Moujaes, MSW Founder & Executive Director, Faithtree Resources Estelle Stone Mental Health First Aid Trainer, Mental Health Advocate & Volunteer Icons in Progress Navigating Faith and Mental Wellness in the Modern World: An Orthodox Teen & Parent Mental Health Symposium $25 Registration Fee St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church How to respond to a friend in crisis Mind, Body, Soul Sessions Digital Balance & Boundaries Orthodox Coping Toolkit Self-esteem, worthiness, & shame Reconnect with your teen St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church Youth Ministries Presents: for Teens (ages 13-18) and their Parents **$5 discount for siblings** Julie Dennis, Youth Ministries Director, LMFT 619-940-5167, youthministries@stspyridon.org www.stspyridon.org https://tinyurl.com/teenmhsymposium 3655 Park Blvd. San Diego