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8 THE SHEPHERD • JULY 2025 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO With great joy His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, The HCHC Board of Trustees, along with the SF Metropolis proudly presented the following students and seminarians representing the Metropolis of San Francisco. The Class of 2025 Hellenic College: Athena Bourdaniotis Joseph Schafer w/highest distinction Zoe Schafer w/highest distinction The Class of 2025 Holy Cross: Rev. Dn. Justin Bosl w/highest distinction Alexander Karcher w/high distinction Lukas Breen w/highest distinction Joshua Rognstad w/distinction As one might expect, there was plenty of the usual pomp and circumstance at the commencement ceremony. Yet, there was a particularly sweet and unexpected moment when Faile Karcher, the valedictorian of Hel- lenic College, made her walk across the stage not just as a recent mother and wife of fellow graduate Alexander Karcher, but with her newborn swaddled against her body. During the ceremony, His Eminence Elpidophoros, smiling broadly, made a full stop to offer a special blessing for the precious baby. It was a moment of grace and warmth that stood out amid the formalities. Kicking off the weekend’s proceedings, His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos tradi- tionally hosts a reception in honor of under- grad students, seminarians, graduates, and their families. The year 2025 marked a mile- stone for the Metropolis of San Francisco, with a record 42 students and seminarians enrolled through its signature ministries— The Bishop Anthony Student Endowment Fund, Light the Path, and Adopt a Student. These programs provide essential financial and emotional support throughout the stu- dents’ years of study at the seminary. Each year, Philoptochos sisters travel to Boston to support the graduates. Their first order of business is a visit to the seminary’s financial office to present a check. This year, the Metropolis of San Francisco proud- ly contributed $180,000 toward paying off graduate student debt. The goal of these ministries is to foster strong relationships with the Church, future priests, presbyteras, and administrators—and to en- sure that they begin their lives of service free from debt. With your support, our Anthousa chapter of Philoptochos is part of this “Army of Love” that generously supports the Light the Path initiative. In addition to our con- tributions, we have adopted two students, offering them encouragement and support throughout their years at HCHC. We are proud to recognize our own Stefan Kleinhenz and Cameron Hoover, who is ac- tive military, and soon both will be HCHC graduates. We look forward to celebrating their achievements as they complete this im- portant chapter of their journey. Let us take this moment to wish all our stu- dents and seminarians continued success, strength in their studies, and abundant bless- ings in the years to come. Axioi! With His Grace, Alexandra Mouzas SF Metropolis Adopt-A-Student Ministry The 83rd Commencement of Hellenic College Holy Cross Orthodox School of Theology ~ Saturday, May 17, 2025 ~