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2 THE SHEPHERD • MARCH 2025 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO Dear Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings in the name of our Lord and Sav- ior, Jesus Christ! On February 2nd, I had the joy of joining fellow parishioners for the "Show the Love" FDF preview performance, hosted by our talented Dance and Choral ministry. This experience stirred many cherished memo- ries, including my time in 1976 when I sat in the bleachers of the same hall, attending the very first FDF organized by our Junior Parish Council (JPC). Although I wasn’t involved in the dance groups, I was actively engaged in Sunday School, Acolytes, GOYA, YAL, and Sons of Pericles. I look back fondly on the memories of GOYA Memorial Day weekend retreats at St. Sophia Camp, YAL conventions in Santa Clara and UCSD, as well as basketball tour- naments in Sacramento, Fullerton, and San Francisco. These activities helped me form lifelong friendships — including meeting my wife — but more importantly, they grounded me in my Greek Orthodox Christian faith. As time passed, I progressed through the stages of life, becoming a husband and a par- ent, guided by the sacraments of the Church and the Baptism of our daughter in our Sanctuary. It became my goal as a parent to ensure that my daughter would experience the same faith-filled opportunities. This led my wife and me to become more involved in our parish’s youth ministries, including Sunday School, GOYA, and the Dance and Choral School. Today, I am heartened to see a new gener- ation of parents stepping forward as volun- teers, eager to provide their children with the same enriching experiences. Their efforts strengthen the many vibrant ministries that are the foundation of our Ecclesia (Church) and the future of our parish. As stewards of our faith, it is our responsibil- ity to inspire and nurture the next generation in Christ’s love. As our Lord said, "Let the lit- tle children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:14). By investing in our youth ministries, we ensure that the flame of our faith continues to burn brightly in the hearts of our children, guiding them as they grow into devoted members of our Church and community. Let us continue to support and encourage them, for they are the future of our Church. I humbly ask for your continued prayers and support for all of our youth and the dedicat- ed ministry volunteers who make these op- portunities possible. In Christ’s Love and Service, Anthony Kyriakidis Parish Council President FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT WRITE IT ON YOUR HEART A LENTEN CHALLENGE Guard my commandments and you will live, and my words as the pupils of your eyes: And put them around your fingers, and write them upon the breadth of your heart. Proverbs 7:3-4 For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Hebrews 8:10 In the first weeks of 2025, our Bible study has centered on the daily Gospel and Epis- tle readings of the Church, and we have been strengthened and encouraged by sharing our insights on these passages with each other. Beginning in Great and Holy Lent, a change occurs, and the Church turns to the history, wisdom, and prophecy of the Old Testament for the weekday readings. We are blessed today to have the scriptures, hymns, and liturgical texts so available to us in written form. In the earliest days of the Church, there were no personal copies of the scriptures, and the Gospel and teachings of the Apostles were learned by heart as they were repeated for those with ears to hear. For over a thousand years, there was no printed Bible, and copies of the scripture were far more expensive than could be imagined, as they were written painstakingly by hand on calf skin, most often with no spaces between letters, no punctuation, and no verse num- bers to save room. It would take over 100 skins to create even one copy of a Gospel. Today we have every advantage to write words from God on our hearts by commit- ting them to memory from the many ways we encounter them. Therefore, during Great Lent, the Women of the Word, are challeng- ing ourselves to commit to memory a pas- sage of scripture, a hymn, a prayer, or other liturgical text in order that we might write God’s truth and beauty on our hearts. We would also like to invite anyone in the community who wishes to join us in com- mitting your choice of a scripture passage, a hymn, or a prayer to memory to keep as a gift of this holy time, essentially writing them on your hearts and tying them around your fin- gers. WOMEN WORD OF THE BOOKSTORE “At this time, we are entering the great spiritu- al arena of blessed Great Lent. Holy and Great Lent is a time of compunction, for repentance, for tears, for a change in ourselves, for a new stage in the spiritual life.” – Elder Ephraim of Arizona. Great Lent is upon us! The bookstore has a wonderful selection of resources for your Lenten journey. We are stocking a new Lent- en book: Pilgrimage to Pascha – A Daily De- votional for Great Lent by Archpriest Steven John Belonick. This book of meditations is based on Scripture, ancient hymns, and writings from the Church Fathers during the 40 day period of Lent. This new book is full of timely, practical, challenging, and soul-searching wisdom for the spiritual life. Another wonderful book we stock for the Lenten period is: The Road Back to Christ: Reflections on Lent, Holy week, and the Res- urrection by Fr. Stavros N. Akrontirianakis. It contains a reflection (2 to 3 pages) to be read daily from the Triodion through All Saints Day. Fr. Stavros’ style of writing is “common stuff for the common man.” It is practical inspiration written to be under- stood by the Orthodox Christian lay-people. Pick up a copy of either book, you won’t be disappointed. Please visit our display table in the bookstore and you will find: Great Lent- Journey to Pas- cha by Alexander Schmemann; The Lenten Spring by Fr. Thomas Hopko; Meditations for Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha by Vas- silios Papavassiliou; Great Week and Pascha In the Greek Orthodox Church by Alkiviadis Calivas; Fasting as a Family; Food Faith and Fasting; and When You Fast to name a few. Our traditional Greek Orthodox Holy Week Service book by Fr. George Papadeas is also stocked. We have a great selection of children’s books to add to those Pascha baskets too. Our staff joins in wishing our parishioners and friends a blessed Great Lent! Stephanie Mourafetis, Mary Mastorakos, Pat Tsopanoglou, and Francesca Captain