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2 THE SHEPHERD • JUNE 2026 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO At the time I am writing this, we have just learned about the passing of our much-be- loved Deacon Michael. One of my favor- ite Sunday morning shows has a segment called a “Life Well Lived” which pays tribute to recently deceased individuals who made remarkable contributions to their communi- ties. The segment highlights ordinary people who lived lives defined by humility, service and passion. Deacon Michael is certainly such a person. Deacon Michael was a true servant; he vol- unteered every Sunday to come and serve our community. His passing is such a collec- tive loss, one I have not experienced before. While we have all lost loved ones, this is dif- ferent because Deacon Michael was such a part of each of our spiritual lives. He was a good, good man; so kind and considerate. We were out of town on the Sunday after his passing and tuned into the service via the live stream. As the service unfolded, I came to realize the truth on the words on the Live Stream Ministry page - “Our live streaming ministry is not a substitute for being pres- ent.” As Father Andrew started his memo- rial, we learned that Deacon Michael’s fa- vorite song was “O Holy Night.” Angel and I watched as the congregation left the Church as the Choir sang the song at the end of the Divine Liturgy. Soon, text messages were coming through from friends in attendance. By all accounts, it was a truly extraordinary and emotional experience and one I am truly sorry I missed. I am left with the lasting image of Deacon Michael giving his sermons following the Holy Gospel. Coming out with his prepared pages, tugging at the sash of his vestments, standing at the lectern, and talking to us. I loved his sermons which took the gospel les- sons and applied them to our contemporary lives. I once asked him how long it took him to prepare and he said, “Oh these things, the Church sends them to us.”That is what I came to love and will miss most, his dose of humor tied to deeply meaningful discussions. In closing, my thoughts and prayers turn to Tina and all of Deacon Michael’s fam- ily. I know our church families’ thoughts and prayers will continue to be with them throughout this difficult time. May his mem- ory be eternal and may his soul rest where there is “neither sickness, nor sorrow, nor sighing, but life everlasting.” Many blessings, Jim Gilpin, Parish Council President FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT Summer is upon us! The month of June is filled with memorable events: Holy Pente- cost, Father’s Day and Graduations. Visit the bookstore in search of unique gifting for these celebrations. Looking for some summer reading ideas? How about adding a book about our Ortho- dox Saints to your reading list? Introducing Friends of Christ, a new twelve volume hard- cover series of books for children, young readers, and adults. Each volume is beauti- fully illustrated and contains the lives of five Saints, which can take the reader on a jour- ney where real events of history inspire them to love the Lord and His wondrous deeds. The June volume contains the lives of: Vener- able Peter the Athonite, Fevronia the Vener- able Martyr, Venerable the Sampson the Inn- keeper, and Peter & Paul, the Holy Apostles. Discover more stories about Saints in 101 Orthodox Saints. Written for children and those with curiosity about our wonderful Saints. This book is like an encyclopedia. Each page is filled with great illustrations, icons, graphics, and facts about the martyrs who boldly lived out their Faith to the glory of God. Holy Cross Orthodox Press also published Orthodox Saints, for adults. It is a four-vol- ume comprehensive collection of the lives of the Saints, organized to follow the liturgical year. The books contain a page or two detail- ing the life of a Saint for each day in an easy to read style. As St. Nikolai Velimirovic reminds us, “the Saints of God are man’s greatest friends.” Come visit us at the Bookstore after Divine Liturgy on Sundays, or visit us at our Greek Festival booth, June 13 & 14. Happy Summer! Stephanie Mourafetis, Mary Mastorakos, Francesca Captain, Hitomi Shue, and Kaylin Marino BOOKSTORE DISCOVERERS AND DETECTIVES On May 9th, Women of the Word enjoyed our last meeting of this year’s study of our book, Seeing the Gospel: An Interpretive Guide to Orthodox Icons . We explored the icons of Ascension and Pentecost, our two Major Feast Days of May, preparing ourselves to ap- preciate their spiritual meaning more deeply by finding some surprising insights into the importance of those who appear in each icon and their relation to its teaching. Our discussion time wrapped up with each woman sharing a significant aspect of her learning and spiritual understanding over the course of the study. All of us were amazed at the rich depth of learning we found in the many icons associated with the Major Feast Days of the Church, illustrating the events of the Gospels as well as how much there is to learn about the traditions of our faith, whether we grew up in the Church or are newcomers. Our fellowship and friendships have grown as we shared our journey of faith and inspiration exploring the spiritual and artistic depth of these icons and becoming merry detectives when we encounter a new or old icon. We encourage everyone to con- sider reading this wonderful book and have asked the bookstore to keep a few in stock. A special blessing of the day came with a fas- cinating presentation by Anthony Kyriakides on the icon of the Mandylion and its history, along with the mystery and science that has connected this icon with the Shroud of Tu- rin. Thank you, Anthony! It was a great end- ing to a year of icon adventures. As summer unfolds, we are looking forward to something new—a monthly book club to keep us connected through the months be- fore we begin our study for the new liturgical year. Our first gathering will be on Saturday, June 27, at 10:30 in the Lower Education Building. Our book will be The Theology of the Ordinary: Finding God in the Turmoil of Everyday Life . The author, Mother Siluana Vlad, of blessed memory, is a gifted Ortho- dox psychotherapist with a delightful sense of humor and heart of love. The book is avail- able through the publisher, St. Goerge Press, or from Amazon. If you would like to partic- ipate, please send a text or email to Kay Har- kins at (619) 227-2622 or kayharkins@mac. com to be included in the summer mailing list. (In August we will start a new sign up for the fall study.) Wishing everyone a blessed and joyful sum- mer! WOMEN WORD OF