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2 THE SHEPHERD • JUNE 2025 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO Dear Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Per the Uniform Parish Regulations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, each parish is required to send a delegation to the annual Metropolis Clergy-Laity Con- ference, as well as the biennial National Cler- gy-Laity Congress. These regulations stipu- late that each delegation include the Parish Priest, the Parish Council President, and two additional delegates who are nominated and approved at a General Assembly meeting. I was honored to serve as one of the delegates representing our parish at this year’s Metrop- olis Clergy-Laity Conference, held May 5–6 at the St. Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Cen- ter, located in Dunlap, California—about 40 minutes east of Fresno. I attended alongside Father Andrew, Christoforos Savvides, and Nick Mellos. My connection to the Ranch goes back near- ly 40 years, to 1985, when I first visited as part of a young adult retreat. I was pleased to recognize some of the original facilities, including the barn that once served as the sanctuary for worship services. Over the past four decades, the Ranch has grown signifi- cantly, most notably with the addition of the beautiful Monastery of the Theotokos, the Life-Giving Spring, nestled on a hill over- looking the retreat center in a truly pictur- esque setting. We were deeply honored by the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros, His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos, and His Grace Bishop Ioannis. Our entire delega- tion agreed that both the Vespers service on Monday evening and the Orthros and Divine Liturgy on Tuesday morning were spiritually uplifting and profoundly moving. The theme of this year’s Conference was “Our Faith Can Move Mountains.” We were espe- cially inspired by a presentation from Father Martin Ritsi of the Orthodox Christian Mis- sion Center (OCMC), who shared powerful and thought-provoking experiences from his missionary work in Albania and Africa. In addition to the spiritual enrichment, we attended to the business of the Metropolis, including the approval of the annual bud- get and receiving reports and presentations from various ministries of both the Metrop- olis and the Archdiocese. For many of us, the Ranch is most often asso- ciated with the beloved summer camp pro- grams, but it also hosts a variety of retreats and programs year-round. I highly encour- age anyone to visit this peaceful and sacred place (just don’t expect cell phone service!). In Christ’s Love and Service, Anthony Kyriakidis Parish Council President FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT BEHOLD THE BLESSED SUMMER! “Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.” Song of Songs 2:12 Our Saint Spyridon Women of the Word send you summer greetings and prayers for a blessed Pentecost and a joyful, successful Greek Festival for our parish! Although we are on summer break, we will be having a summer garden gathering on Saturday, June 21st , at 10:00 a.m. at the home of Anne Zouvas in Point Loma. Cof- fee and light summer refreshments will be served. Please come for a lively discussion to “think outside the box” about possibili- ties to allow our in-person Bible study to be accessible to more women for the upcoming ecclesiastical new year (which will be here before we know it!) All women of the church are cordially invited to attend. Please e-mail Kay Harkins at kay- harkins@mac.com by Wednesday, June 18, to let us know you would like to join us, and she will send the address and directions to you. WOMEN WORD OF THE BOOKSTORE Summer is here! Looking for some summer reading? The bookstore has 2 great books in stock written by The Louhs. Who are The Louhs? Rev. Dr. Nicholas Louh is a priest, and his wife Dr. Roxanne Louh is a clinical psy- chologist. In their lives they are a marriage of two different worlds of fields of study. Their work unites the seemingly opposing fields of faith and psychology that leads to inward re- flection and transformation. In a world that keeps getting louder with meaningless chat- ter, their voices inspire us, move us and point us to God. In their latest publication 6 Hours, 7 Lessons: How Christ’s Light Transcends Our Darkness they focus on Jesus’ darkest moments on the Cross where He uttered sev- en statements that offer us tremendous wis- dom in our own dark seasons. In their first book, Renewing You: A Priest, a Psycholo- gist, and a Plan, they focus on the key ele- ments to unlock areas of our lives that hold us back from fully experiencing the renewal and transformation God has in mind for us. This book draws deeply from Scripture and the wisdom of the ancient Church to inspire us to grow to become our best selves, for our time on earth, and for the greater benefit of the Kingdom of God. These books did a wonderful job utilizing faith, Scripture, and psychology to guide the reader on how to live a better life. Or as St. John Chrysostom writes: “Nothing is so agreeable to God as a grateful and thankful soul.” Pick up a copy today! Happy Summer! Stephanie Mourafetis, Mary Mastorakos, Pat Tsopanoglou, Francesca Captain, and Hitomi Shue a tray or bowl of kóllyva to accompany your list of names is the correct Orthodox practice. I hope that you will make every effort to ac- company your list of names and bowl of kól- lyva for the Divine Liturgy on the Saturday of Souls to present yourself as an acceptable sac- rifice…as your spiritual offering before God as an expression of your love for your departed loved ones, amen. +A 1 FR. ANDREW