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1 THE SHEPHERD • JULY 2020 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO The Shepherd I S S U E 2 9 0 • J U LY 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, DEATHS, NEWS FROM THE LOFT, RETURN TO OUR SANCTUARY . . . . . . p. 3 GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL, GREEK DANCE & CHORAL, A.H.E.P.A. . . . . . . . p. 4 PANARCADIANS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 5 PARISH CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 6 CONTACT INFORMATION. . . . . . . . . . . p. 8 My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Rejoice in the Lord always, again, I say rejoice (Phil. 4:4). It has been a very long time since we last celebrated the divine ser- vices for a Sunday all together and in person. It is now time for a slow and measured Re- turn to our Sanctuary. As you can imagine a lot has changed since that time and as we know change can be a little di cult but most necessary for the health and safety of you the faithful. As we slowly begin our Return, below are the basic guidelines, directives, recommenda- tions we must all follow to safely Return to our Sanctuary. ey are provided by our civ- ic and ecclesiastical authorities put in place out of an abundance of caution and love. As we slowly move forward we must follow the best advice from the medical and scienti c communities as we continue to do our part within our faith community and our greater communities as well. us, we ask for your patience, understand- ing, encouragement and love as we outline the protocol and process below needed for you to be present and “in person” for the cel- ebration of the divine services of the Church. More information will follow from our dedi- cated Parish Council and our “Return to the Sanctuary” Committee, but for now: • We anticipate the capacity of our Sanctu- ary to be around 35-60 faithful. is is so because we must be able to ac- commodate the six foot of distance rule for immediate household units living under the same roof and/or individuals. us, we will be using a Reservation Plan / System to safely reserve your area / pew space for yourself and/or your family (those living in the same household). • All those on the parish property for Sun- day services MUST wear a mask. is is not optional andwe ask that youbring your mask fromhome with you. Remember, as an expression of love, I wear my mask for your safety and you wear your mask for my safety. us, by keeping our droplets to our- selves we protect one another. • Hand Sanitizing Stations Please use the hand sanitizers before en- tering the Narthex and whenever needed. • e kissing of icons, etc. or hugging one another is still not permitted! – Please greet others with a traditional bow, NOT a traditional kiss, hug or handshake. – Please venerate icons, religious objects, etc. without kissing them. My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, please support the decisions and protocol as out- lined above (and that which has been sent to your email address and your postal address as well) for they have been made with much debate, re ection and out of an abundance of caution and love, +A