TSN0625

1 THE SHEPHERD • JUNE 2025 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO www.theshepherdnews.com The Shepherd Newsletter The official newsletter publication for the parish of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church of San Diego I S S U E 3 4 9 • J U N E 2 0 2 5 IN THIS ISSUE FROM THE DESK OF FR. ANDREW ...... p. 1 PRESIDENT OF THE PARISH COUNCIL, WOMEN OF THE WORD, BOOKSTORE .p. 2 NEWS FROM THE LOFT, DIVINE SERVICES, BIRTHS, MEMORIALS, STEWARDSHIP CORNER....................................................... p. 3 YOUTH MINISTRIES ................................. p. 4 PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS .......................... p. 6 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE .............................. p. 7 GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL, ORTHODOX PROFESSIONAL SPEAKERS SERIES...... p. 8 DANCE & CHORAL .................................. p. 9 PARISH CALENDAR ................................. p. 10 YOUNG AT HEART SENIORS ................. p. 11 CONTACT INFORMATION....................... p. 12 FROM THE DESK OF FATHER ANDREW I appeal to you brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable before God which is your spiritual worship. (Rom. 12:1) My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, With these words from the twelfth chapter of Romans Saint Paul reminds us that we are to present or offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. In other words, whatever we do, let it be done as an offering unto God. Throughout the Di- vine Liturgy, we are reminded over and over again to offer up glory, to offer up thanksgiv- ing, to offer up worship unto God. The English translation that is commonly used is to give up , which is not entirely wrong, but the Greek word αναπέμπομεν speaks directly to what St. Paul is writing about in Romans, offering up our whole life to God; or doing everything in our lives as an offering . The concept of offering is so ever-present in the Orthodox Church. We offer up our time unto God as we try to be present for the var- ied and many services and activities of the Church. We offer up our talents unto God as we share whatever our talent may be with the Church and with others. We offer up our trea- sure unto God as we assist with the financial soundness of our parish, our Metropolis, our Archdiocese and our Patriarchate. We offer up incense, candles, and prayers to God all the time. This offering up may come with some kind of “cost.” For example, to light our candle re- quires our time and treasure: we must get up on Sunday morning and make our way to the Church. The lighting of our candle must in- clude some kind of monetary offering from us. The candle we light and offer is our state- ment to God and to the Church that we are present and accounted for while in the tem- ple. The candle we light should not only be accompanied by a monetary offering but with a prayerful offering as well. This year, the Saturday right before Pentecost (Saturday, June 7th) is designated as (one of) the Saturdays of the Souls . It is on this day that we collectively remember our loved ones de- parted this world. Christianity is a religion of love and remembering our departed is an ex- pression of that love. Saturday of the Souls is a time that the Church offers up intercession for the souls of our loved ones. On those Sat- urdays, it is our Orthodox tradition to bring a list of names of our departed loved ones to the Church so that we all can pray for the restful repose of their souls. More importantly, it is also our Ortho- dox tradition to bring an offering of kóllyva (κόλλυβα – boiled wheat) along with those names. The wheat is symbolic of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. From the Gospel of St. John, we read … unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. As the grain of wheat is buried in the earth, and lat- er is regenerated into a new plant, similarly those who believe will be raised again from their corruptible state, from death to life. My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, this year the Church celebrates the Saturday of the Souls on Saturday, June 7th at 10:00 am. As you prepare to complete a list of names to be read on this important Saturday, I ask you to con- sider being present before the Lord . It is an in- correct practice to be absent while the names of your departed loved ones are being read. Also, besides offering your presence, offering continues 2 Greek Festi v aL san dieGo’s oriGinaL 2025 June 14 – 15 SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 3655 PARK BLVD., SAN DIEGO, CA 92103 THE W I N E L O U N G E sdgreekfestival.com Delicious Greek Food • Greek Beer & Wine • Delectable Pastries • Kids’ Fun Zone • Family Fun! • Live Greek Music Folk Dancers Church Tours Opportunity Drawing Free Parking & Shuttle