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1 THE SHEPHERD • JUNE 2020 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO The Shepherd I S S U E 2 8 9 • J U N E 2 0 2 0 The official newsletter publication for the parish of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church of San Diego FROM THE DESK OF FATHER ANDREW www.theshepherdnews.com The Shepherd Newsletter IN THIS ISSUE FR. ANDREW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 1 PRESIDENT OF THE PARISH COUNCIL, G.O.Y.A., WOMEN OF THE WORD . . . . p. 2 DIVINE SERVICES, MEMORIALS, NEWS FROM THE LOFT, STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE . . . . . . . . p. 3 GRADUATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 4 REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE . . . . . . . . . p. 5 PARISH CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 6 PHOTOS FROM LAST YEAR’S GREEK FESTIVAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 7 CONTACT INFORMATION. . . . . . . . . . . p. 8 My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, By the time you receive this Newsletter we would have celebrated the feast day of the Ascension of our Lord ( ursday, May 28th). As we en- ter the month of June we will complete our “Paschal season” with the celebration of Pen- tecost (Sunday, June 7th). On that Sunday we will o er the Vespers of Kneeling, which will reintroduce kneeling back into the Divine Liturgy. As you are aware, on ursday evening, March 19th Governor Gavin Newsom put into place the “Stay at Home” order for the State of California because of the Corona Vi- rus. e goal of the Stay at Home order was to “ atten/bend the curve” of the virus so as to slow the spread before it became more and more dangerous, especially for those more vulnerable: our seniors and those with compromised health issues. A er more than eleven weeks we, collectively, as Californians, San Diegans, Americans, and as Greek Or- thodox Christians, have bent / attened that curve as asked. It has been trying at times but we all did our part to help with containing the spread of the Corona virus so as to not “overwhelm our health care systems.” As the directive was issued inMarch, the Par- ish Council reacted immediately in securing our parish campus for the long haul. Under the steady and stable leadership of Jim Gil- pin (our Parish Council President) our Par- ish Council moved quickly to communicate well any updates, etc. and how we would pro- ceed as a faith community. ey understood the importance of our LiveStream ministry and moved quickly to enhance and bol- ster our broadcasting equipment. A special thank you goes out to Nektarios Tradas for all his e orts with regard to the audio por- tion of our update and to Spero Tzathas for his e orts with regard to the video portion of our LiveStream ministry. We have used our “down time” to also repair and replace the interior lighting of our Sanctuary, and we are in discussion with regard to other small projects as well. As you can see we used our “down time” wisely. e time to “o cially” return to our Sanc- tuary, at least partially, seems to be upon us. is return to the Sanctuary will be slow and cautious with safety being our main concern because the virus is still with us. However, we do have a better understanding of the virus and the best weapons to ght against it: when we venture away from home it is required to keep at least six feet of social distance, the use of facial coverings is recommended, as is frequent hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer. I mention this because these are the weapons that will still be in place and that we will be using as we prepare to (partially) return to the Sanctuary. My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, in the days andweeks ahead the ParishCouncil and I will be sending you all the information you will need to know to slowly return to the Sanctu- ary for communal prayer, thanksgiving and worship. Once again, the virus is still with us so safety is of the utmost concern and we will be following the strict recommendations of our federal, state and local authorities as well as from our Metropolis and Archdiocese. I know that it has been di cult to be away from one other for so long but please know that our full return will take even longer. us, we will need your continued prayers and total support and encouragement as we anticipate a partial return hopefully soon. When that time comes much attention from you will be required so please pay close at- tention to what will be asked from you. continues 3