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2 THE SHEPHERD • APRIL 2022 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO Sometimes our faith is about reconnecting. Angel and I recently ventured out for break- fast on a Saturday. She wanted to go to one of her favorite spots which I silently groaned, thinking it would be crowded. When we ar- rived the place was beyond packed with a 45 minute wait, so we le and went to a second spot only to be greeted by an hour wait. As a last e ort, we wandered to a third spot, luck- ily getting a table immediately and order- ing. When the masked server brought our food, Angel looked at her and said “are you Greek?” e young woman responded “yes!” en Angel said “I know you, you were a student when I taught Sunday school!” Mind you that was over 40 years ago and I had no idea how Angel recognized her but the two immediately embraced, tears owed, and they “reconnected!” As they talked about their lives, I saw the mo- ment was meant to happen; we weren’t there to eat breakfast but for two souls to recon- nect. I sensed hope in the young woman as she reconnected with a familiar stranger and joy in my wife as she reunited with someone she had touched in the faith so long ago. It also reminded me that sometimes we don’t always get what we want but how we o en nd what He wants us to see. I recently read that the goal of the Lenten journey each year is “for us to remember that we are ‘prodigal sons and daughters’ and to make our way back to God, the Father.” And so I pray that each of us will all nd our way back as we walk towards the Resurrec- tion. Our GOYA youth will again be hosting the Palm Sunday luncheon on April 17th . Please contact GOYA President Zoe Maude or Mr. Bill Navrides for more information. We will celebrate the Agape Service at Admi- ral Baker Park Sunday, April 24th , followed by our traditional Pascha Picnic. I hope you will plan to join us as we celebrate the Resur- rection of Christ in fellowship, please contact Christoforos Savvides for information. e theme at the recent Clergy Laity was “EQUIPPED: Building Up the Body of Christ.” I encourage you to check out the pre- sentation by Steven Christoforou, who talks about reconnecting with our youth. You can watch the presentation on the Metropolis YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube . com/watch?v=FzDhBgyHlx0. And last but not least in reconnecting, the annual Greek Festival has been scheduled for June 18th and 19th . ere is a lot of ex- citement to return (a er two long years) to music, dancing and delicious food! Many helping hands are needed. Please contact Soula De La Riva in the Church O ce for more information and to volunteer. Many Blessings, Jim Gilpin, Parish Council President Yes, the storage dungeon is fewweeknights and aweeken adjacent to the Kitchen. Reno anddisposalofallcabinetsand walls were prepped and RFP open, and brighter room via u lighting, aswell as heavy duty have a few finishing touches t nextcoupleofweeks. Special thanks for theirhardwo somewell-deserved breaks) fo JimLeventis,CoreyLeventis, a request forall topleasemakea cleanandorganized,whilealso that youmay“forget”behind. Πιστεύουμε ότι θα σας αρέσε στην Κουζίνα. Όλη η ομάδα π διατηρήσουμε και μελλοντικά καθαριότητα αυτού τού χώρο μας! Regards, Vlassiand theTeam WOMEN WORD OF THE We are almost at the end of our study of e Holy Angels by Mother Alexandra. We spent several weeks looking at the writings of the Early Christian Fathers (AD 100-325) and also the later Church Fathers during the “Age of Orthodox eology” (AD 300-750). Although some of these theological writings were quite challenging, the author of our book o ered, “We can (only) choose what we can best understand, seeking to follow the golden thread of the angels through the maze of theological literature.” Also, during a Ques- tion & Answer session with our group in March, Fr. Andrew reminded us that “we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1) and that the Church Fathers did not just make things up about the existence of the angels and the invisible world, but fol- lowed a long tradition from the Old Testa- ment through the patriarchs, prophets, tem- ple practices, and experiences of the apostles and saints. So even though we are talking about a part of God’s creation that is invisible, still we have a responsibility to be aware of and in- teract with this realm, in particular, with our guardian angel who is given to each of us at baptism where it says in the service, “Yoke unto his/her life a radiant Angel, who shall deliver him/her from every snare of the adver- sary” (Hapgood, Service Book, p.273). We can develop a real relationship with our angel through both our personal and com- munal prayer life. In every Orthodox prayer book, there is a speci c prayer that not only helps us stay in touch with our angel but also provides the words that can teach us what this relationship is about: “O Angel of Christ, holy guardian and protector of my soul and body, forgive me everything wherein I have o ended you every day of my life, and pro- tect me from all in uence and temptation of the evil one. May I nevermore anger God by any sin. Pray for me to the Lord, that He may make me worthy of the grace of the All-Ho- ly Trinity, and of the Most Blessed eotokos, and of all the saints. Amen.” Our angel can protect us, guide us, help us, pray for us, and illumine us on our path to salvation. e work of the angels is also present in our communal worship during the Divine Litur- gy. In the Petitions a er the Great Entrance, we pray “for an angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies.” May this be so for all of us. FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT continues 3 passport to pascha Date: 4/22/22 • Time: 9:30am - 2:30pm Cost: Donation $5 per student Place: Saint Spyridon G.O.C. Youth TK - 5th grade: Travelers 6th grade -12th Grade: Travel Guides! Youth will use their Passports to mark their journey to Pascha! Games, Activities, Crafts, Stories, as we travel with Christ to Pascha! Email your registration now to sundayschool.stspyridon@gmail.com