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5 THE SHEPHERD • APRIL 2026 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO Sponsored Announcement CLEANINGS • MAINTENANCE PREVENTION • FAMILY CARE PEDIATRIC CARE • COSMETICS ORTHODONTICS • PRESERVATION DR. BARR INGTON FAMILY AND COSMETIC DENTISTRY STEPHAN BARRINGTON DDS 6398 DEL CERRO BLVD, SUITE 1 SAN DIEGO, CA 92120 619.286.1181 DRBARRINGTONSD.COM YOUTH MINISTRIES ing welcomed and connected. Ms. Heather said it is a joy to watch them discover God’s love! As the TK-1st graders have been progressing through Great Lent, they have been focusing on what it means to follow Jesus by learning about the Saints, prayer, fasting, and kindness. They are also practicing the Lord’s Prayer and learning the sign of the cross. Ms. Angie and Ms. Sophia say that their students bring joy and happiness to every class! The 2nd/3rd grade class continues to practice the Trisagion Prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Hymn of St Spyridon. The students have been preparing crafts and correspondence as a service project this semester. Ms. Erika and Ms. Hitomi will be distrib- uting these crafts and letters to our church’s homebound parishioners. The 4th/5th graders read the Gospel lesson specific to the Greek Ortho- dox liturgical calendar each week and discuss how the Gospel is ap- parent in their lives. The students are learning the Lord’s Prayer and Nicene Creed. If all the students re- cite both prayers from memory, Dr. Rhad will have an ice cream party to congratulate the students on their hard work! The 6th-8th graders thoroughly prepared for the Oratorical Festival that happened on March 22nd. The students worked on their speeches and display boards with their cho- sen topics. Ms. Anastasia is proud of their hard work! The High School students have been researching, writing and discussing Oratorical Festival speech topics ahead of the festival date including: imagery and meaning of light and dark in the Gospel of John, mar- tyrdom as a witness to Christ in persecution, and the Church’s un- derstanding of falling asleep and its relationship to eternal life. Mr. John and Dr. Marcella appreciate their dil- igent efforts! Thank you, Tina Perri, Sunday School Director Sophia Thiros, Assistant Sunday School Director GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth Association) GOYA had their Lenten retreat in March and created string art cross- es, shared a delicious potluck dinner, attended prayer service, and had deep discussions about the theme, “Who do you say that I am?” GOYA also participated in a service project: Pack and Paint and packed meals for Feeding San Diego and started a mural in the Youth Room. GOYA is excited to serve the Parish commu- nity at the Palm Sunday Luncheon this month! Meráki Young Orthodox Service Group In March, Meraki raced around the Education Building collecting bro- ken crayons to donate to the Crayon Initiative, which is an organization that melts down donated crayons to make new crayons for kids in hospi- tals. We also prepared fruit flautas for a yummy treat! We are looking forward to Pancakes and Palms on April 4th!