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2 THE SHEPHERD • JULY 2021 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO While recently on vacation with my family, we visited Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church. It is located north of Santa Barba- ra in the hillsides overlooking the beautiful Paci c Ocean. We were able to venerate the relics of Saint Barbara. Outside in the gar- dens surrounding the Church is a large rock in which is inscribed “His branches shall spread, And his beauty shall be as the olive tree” (Hosea 14.6). On the rock are tiles with the names of departed members. At the base of the rock, the inscription reads “May eir Memory Be Eternal!” As I read the names, I saw blessed “Stamatia Scarvelis.” Suddenly I felt a connection to the others on the rock, not because I personally knew her but because I know her family. Isn’t that feeling the essence of being part of the Body of Christ? We are all on this walk to- gether. We are not personally connected to all of the members, but yet we are all connected through our Faith. rough the threads our connections go back to Christ. Mark your calendars, we have started plan- ning for a “Celebration of Life” in Septem- ber to celebrate and remember those we have lost. It will be a time for us all to gather in fellowship and share time that we missed during the pandemic. If you are interested in helping plan and prepare, let us know. To all those we’ve loved and lost, may their memo- ries be eternal. Many Blessings, Jim Gilpin Parish Council President Yes, the storage dungeon is fewweeknights and aweeken adjacent to the Kitchen. Reno anddisposalofallcabinetsand walls were prepped and RFP open, and brighter room via u lighting, aswell as heavy duty have a few finishing touches t nextcoupleofweeks. Special thanks for theirhardwo somewell-deserved breaks) fo JimLeventis,CoreyLeventis, a request forall topleasemakea cleanandorganized,whilealso that youmay“forget”behind. Πιστεύουμε ότι θα σας αρέσε στην Κουζίνα. Όλη η ομάδα π διατηρήσουμε και μελλοντικά καθαριότητα αυτού τού χώρο μας! Regards, Vlassiand theTeam FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT WOMEN WORD OF THE During this time of June and July, we celebrate the “Summer Saints” - prophets, apostles, mar- tyrs, both ancient and new, male and female, and from all walks of life. Some of these are: Sts. Peter and Paul, Sts. Cosmas & Damian, St. Olga Equal-to-the-Apostles, St. Paisios the New of Mt. Athos, Great Martyr Marina, Glorious Prophet Elias, St. Anna the Mother of the eotokos, St. Paraskeve the Righteous Martyr of Rome, and St. Panteleimon Great Healer & Martyr, among many others. So why do we remember and commemorate the saints? How are they important to us? What do we learn from them? How do they gure in our own personal lives? To begin with, they show us what a life in Christ looks like – the diversity in the singu- larity of that path. ey give us hope, provide us an example of how to become, as St. Paul says, “a temple of the Holy Spirit.” (1Cor 6:19) ey represent the constant striving and ef- fort to regain what we have lost in Paradise – that is, to become the image of God as we were originally created. Our remembering them is also a testimony of our Orthodox belief in a life a er death, that there are those who already live the joys of a Paradise regained and who already are tasting the “everlasting life” that Christ promised us. Also, we commemorate them because we recognize that they are exempla- ry models for us of those who have been and are true servants of God, thirsty for God’s truths, constant witnesses of Christ. And not least of all, they remind us of the potential for all of us, - that we are all called to holiness - “Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48); and even as we know how very, very far we may be from that end, that sanctity is universal for all men, women, and children. So, even though our Orthodox faith teaches us that sainthood is a true gi of the Holy Spirit given through God’s grace alone, we can still pray to the saints for their help and intercession in our own walk in Christ, that they can help create a change in our hearts so we can move forward towards our own sal- vation; always believing as St. Paul said that we are not alone, that the saints are with us: “surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) and that God is “not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) With Love in the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, + e Women of the Word Bible Study Group Marian Khoury Dougenis Beautycounter Consultant 619.520.3660 www.beautycounter.com/mariankhourydougenis GET 20% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER Conditions apply SUNDAY SCHOOL Sunday School Volunteers Needed!! Looking for a way to give back? Looking for a way to get involved at church? Enjoy working with kids? We have just the place for you! e Sunday School Team is looking for Sunday School class assistants (helping in a class), teachers (leading lessons), and substitutes ( lling in once per month) starting in Sep- tember! For just an hour a week, you can make such a di erence in the spiritual lives of the kids and teens in our church! We hope you will consider joining our Sunday School Ministry! If you are interested, please email sundayschool.stspyridon@gmail.com . A.H.E.P.A. On behalf of e San Diego Chapter of AHEPA, I would like to congratulate the fol- lowing recipients of this year’s scholarship awards. e recipients are: Justin Davis, Demetri Maude, Chrysanthe Frangos, and eo Couris. We hope that as they continue their journey through life they hold fast to the Hellenic ideals of education, philanthropy, civic re- sponsibility, family, and individual excel- lence. Congratulations to all! Costas Kotinopoulos President AHEPA Chapter #223