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6 THE SHEPHERD • APRIL 2023 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO Our Anthousa Chapter seeks to find ways to help those in our own local communi- ty. While we cannot provide shelter, we can provide comfort and essentials to those with very little and who have the most desperate of needs. A very special thank you to Jenny Capetanakis, Andreas Capetanakis, Irene Veca, and their team for working close- ly with FOCUS (Fellowship of Orthodox Christians Untiled to Serve) to prepare more than 150 meals each month for homeless in San Diego. The mission of FOCUS is to serve the poor by bringing together Orthodox Christian churches and community partners to provide Food, Occupation, Clothing & Shelter. We continue to support the efforts of FOCUS on the second Wednesday of each month from 3pm to 6pm. Members and Non-Members: Looking for ways to help? Please contact Jenny Capetanakis at (619) 395-3315. We accept all willing volunteers to assist with these noble endeavors. This year we ask: What more can we do? It gives me great joy to announce Anthousa’s partnership with our St. Spyridon youth under the direction of Julie Dennis to bring back our Blessing Bag project which was first instituted by our chapter in 2015. We have aligned our project with the National Philop- tochos Feeding the Hungry program by en- gaging in more hands-on philanthropy and engaging all members of our community. You may be asking…What is a “Bless- ing Bag”? These are backpacks filled with personal essential necessities that will be distributed to the homeless community through FOCUS, three times from April to November of this year. The bags will be filled by our youth, Philoptochos and community members. How can you help?? Please con- sider making a small donation or providing essential items – toothbrushes, water bottles, hand sanitizers, baby wipes, etc. This year’s goal of our Chapter is to make a small but meaningful and impactful difference in the lives of our local homeless. Blessing Bags are our way of offering hope, love, and spiritual faith to those who struggle every day. Please reach out to Kelly Samouris at nyckelly@cox. net to learn more or to make a donation. PASCHA BAKE SALE: It’s not too late to or- der your Tsourekia and Koulourakia for Pas- cha! Made by the loving hands of our Ladies of Philoptochos, these delicious breads and cookies will be available for pickup on Palm Sunday, April 9th. Please visit greekbake.org to order online. Proceeds support our many ministries. SUNDAY FELLOWSHIP: Please consider sponsoring a Sunday Fellowship Hour with your friends and family by providing simple refreshments (donuts or bagels, fruit and juice). You can honor family members or cel- ebrate special occasions. To sign up, please contact Christina Frangos at christinafran- gos1@gmail.com . COLLEGE CONNECTION: Do you have a college-aged student in your family? Our chapter keeps your child connected with their faith and home church. Please send contact information (student’s name, college name and address, and year of graduation) to Bill Navrides Bill.Navrides@sharp.com. MEMBERSHIP: We invite you to join Philoptochos! We welcome all – ladies and gentlemen – to help us make a difference in the lives of many. To join, please visit anthousa.org and click the Membership tab. The National and Metropolis Philoptochos treasuries each receive $15 of every mem- bership donation; so any amount over $30 remains in our chapter’s treasury. Please con- tact Melanie Anastopulos at melanieanas- topulos@gmail.com or Kalliopi Samouris at nyckelly@cox.net with questions. BOARD ELECTIONS: We will be holding elections for our chapter’s Board of Directors on Sunday, May 21st . We have board open- ings and would appreciate your openness and willingness to join our Anthousa board. Please let Marian Dougenis, or any of our board members, know if you are interested. We are happy to answer questions and share our experiences with you. Please consider joining the board as we do the goodwill of our Orthodox faith. May the blessings of this Pascha season bring you and your families the love and the light of Jesus Christ. Sofia Samouris Anthousa Chapter President 619.518.4537 ssamouris22@gmail.com PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice! Christ is risen, and life reigns! Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb! – From the Pas- chal homily of St. John Chrysostom We have begun our journey to the Resurrec- tion. The bookstore has a great selection of resources to complete your Lenten journey. For example, Archimandrite Papavassiliou’s Meditation for Great Lent is a gem of a book to inspire you for the Fast and to give you encouragement as you pursue your Lenten journey. Another example is The Road Back to Christ: Reflections on Lent, Holy week, and the Resurrection by Fr. Stavros N. Ak- rontirianakis. It contains a reflection to be read daily from the beginning of Triodion through All Saints Day. During Great Lent, the daily reflections are all on Gospel lessons from Holy Week. 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, you won’t be disappointed. In need of other Pascha basket gifts, we have a wonderful selection of children’s books, Or- thodox coloring books, resurrection icons, diptych icons, wooden budded wall crosses, prayer rope bracelets, My Greek Home icon bracelets, Akathist Hymn books, and pock- et prayer books. Or how about a new home censor and incense? There are beautiful scents to choose from so your home smells heavenly. Lastly, our traditional Greek Orthodox Holy Week Service book by Fr. George Papadeas is stocked too. We thank each of you for supporting our St. Spyridon bookstore. We all join in wishing our parishioners and friends a blessed Pas- cha season! Καλή Ανάσταση και Καλό Πάσχα! Stephanie Mourafetis, Mary Mastorakos, Pat Tsopanoglou, Collette Pepelis, and Fran- cesca Captain BOOKSTORE ACollectionofFavoriteRecipes From theSaintSpyridonGreekOrthodoxChurchCommunity SanDiego,California GreekOrthodox LadiesPhiloptochosSociety LEMONS , onceprized for their healingproperties,were introduced to theMediterranean area around the 11th century. As their fragrant and tart juice was found to perfectly complement the rich-flavored olive oils of that time, lemons were adopted into the culinary arts toprovide acidity toboth sweet and savorydishes. LOAVES , symbolic of a bountiful harvest and the sustenance of life, are ever-present for theOrthodox Christian. From the HolyArtoklasia and Prosforon to the beautiful seasonal celebrationsof the Tsoureki at Pascha and Vasilopita onNewYear’sDay to thebreakingof breadaround theSundaydinner table, loavesgraceour lives throughouteachyear. HONEY , theonly food known tohave an infinite shelf life, is emblematicof the sweetness of life.Nature’snectar isused as a sweetenerof food anddrink from tea to saladdressings todelectablepastries. A n t h o u s A C h A p t e r ofCharity,Benevolence,andPhilanthropy SanDiego,California Published by our Anthousa Philoptcohos chapter, the Lemons, Loaves & Honey cookbook is a wonderful keepsake, perfect gift for holidays, birthdays and any occasion! Only $28. Available at: www.anthousa.org , the Church Office, and the Bookstore.