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9 THE SHEPHERD • JUNE 2025 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO f rom ou r fam i ly t o you r s ! Happy Father’s Day Michael Maude DDS & Family Proudly serving and being a part of our community for over 25 years Fluent in Greek 2 Convenient Locations Complete Dental Care: Exams, Cleanings, Dentures, Implants, Fillings, Root Canals, Cosmetics, Extractions, Crowns, Bridges, Invisalign Orthodontics drmaude.com 619.463.9917 S u r r ou nd e d b y l ov e , l e d b y fa i t h Sponsored Announcement Sponsored Announcement Alexandra Mouzas DRE# 00969679 International President’s Circle & Diamond Society Celebrating 38 years Alex@AlexandraMouzas.Com • AlexandraMouzas.Com 619-518-2755 DANCE & CHORAL The official end of our school year is marked by our church’s grandest an- nual tradition: our annual St. Spyr- idon Greek Festival. What a won- derful way to cap off the year, with a glorious performance for hundreds of friends and neighbors! This year we were delighted to be asked to perform for two other springtime events, the Broadway Heights Com- munity Multicultural Festival and a wish-reveal event for the Make-A- Wish Foundation. It is wonderful to bring a little Greek culture to the world, but having the world come to our church reminds me of going to a relative’s house in Greece. Visiting a Greek’s home makes you feel like you’re walking down the red carpet. From the moment the door swings open, you are fawned over by rela- tives who are overjoyed at your ar- rival and can’t wait to show you a good time. The Greek festival is like a visit to your Thea’s house to the nth degree. And being able to perform feels like a part of that hospitality, the filoxenia we extend is through mu- sic and dance. I always tear up when I see the littlest kids performing at the festival. To watch that seed be- ing planted and replanted year after year with a new group of little ones is so moving. It is the only part of the festival where the very youngest can participate, and it brings me great joy to think that taking on the torch of our traditions starts with music and dance. Wherever the summer takes you, whether you stay near or go far, may your heart be filled with the spirited joy you see on the faces of the kids performing their first tsa- miko in front of a joyful crowd. Opa!