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2 THE SHEPHERD • MAY 2026 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO “Christos Anesti!” Is there any more exhila- rating moment than when the Light appears in the darkness of the packed Church and we are called to “Come, receive the Light, the unyielding gift of Light, from the Light that is never overtaken by night.” As the Light passes amongst us, we rejoice in the Resurrection of Christ, we process out of the Church together, return together for the An- astasi service, and then we go home, only to awake to a new day. Like the Disciples on the road home to Em- maus, we find ourselves reflecting on our 40- day journey and facing the challenges of the world and not recognizing the Christ is with us. Perhaps like Thomas, we doubt. Perhaps like the Disciples, we are afraid and worried. Perhaps we hide in our houses and don’t re- turn to the Church for another year. But the message from the Bright Week, is clear, He is always with us. On Thomas Sunday, we hear the reading from John 20: 19-31, which has always been one of my favorites. During the lesson, Christ offers us the gift of peace. He comes and stands amongst his Disciples who are hiding in fear. He says to them, “Peace be with you.” He showed them His hands and His side and the Disciples are glad to see Him. He said to them again, “Peace be with you!” I have always found solace in His four words — “Peace be with you.” In the faith of my youth, exchanging the peace was a weekly offering amongst the congregation before taking Communion. I have only experienced the exchange of the peace in a couple of Or- thodox Churches. As we experience in our services, every Sunday during Divine Litur- gy, Father Andrew blesses us with the words “Peace be with you all.” In doing this, he of- fers both a blessing and a prayer that we will have the peace of God. We are supposed to offer in response “And with your spirit.” Our response shows our blessing to Father Andrew. Like forgiveness, peace is something that must be given to be received. Like kindness, peace is a fruit to be shared. It seems that in this time of turmoil and uncertainty in the World, we need the peace Christ offers us more than ever. Im- portantly, we need to offer the peace to one another. As Father Andrew said at the recent Divine Liturgy, I hope this finds you still basking in the Light of Pascha. I pray that His peace is with you and that His Light will continue to shine leading us to Him. I also hope we will each keep Deacon Michael and Tina in our prayers. Many blessings, Jim Gilpin, Parish Council President FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT ANNUAL PLEDGE COMMITMENT Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! The Stewardship Committee would like to thank all of you for your support of the many services and activities offered to our parish- ioners and their families. We are truly bless- ed to enjoy a vibrant and ever- growing com- munity that regularly communes to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Christ. As we move towards the upcoming summer season, we humbly ask that you submit your annual pledge card if you have not already done so and affirm your commitment to our parish community. Your pledge card assists our church leadership in planning for the financial needs of our parish in the coming year and helps to better understand its mem- bership. The information provided supports the processing of church sacraments, it iden- tifies parishioners authorized to vote in our General Assemblies, and it helps the church to stay better connected to our families in the many ways that we communicate with you. Last year, we came together as a community and exceeded our Stewardship goal, and it is our hope that you will help again with the gift of your first fruits. The Stewardship Committee: Ben De La Riva, Jim Gilpin, Bill Navrides, Timmy Paraskevopoulos, Stephen Thiros, Nektarios Tradas, and Spero Tzathas STEWARDSHIP CORNER ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! We pray everyone enjoyed a blessed Pascha. We paused our regular meeting date on Holy Saturday and will gather again on Saturday, May 9th , to complete our study of Seeing the Gospel. Please join us in the lower Education Building room at 10:30 AM for our study discussion, a special presentation, and a pre- view of our summer book club. All women of the parish and their friends are welcome! WOMEN WORD OF The preservation effort for the sanctuary’s 18 stained-glass windows, approved at the Fall 2025 General Assembly, was complet- ed with work executed from February 23, 2026 through March 20, 2026. The existing covers were removed, and the windows were cleaned, straightened, braced and repainted. New acrylic covers were installed. This effort was funded by the Nikki Moises Trust. Stained Glass Restoration Before In Process Complete