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1 THE SHEPHERD • AUGUST 2025 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO continues 8 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 5 1 • AU G U S T 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 DIVINE SERVICES, BIRTHS, ACOLYTES, HOLY SACRAMENTS, MEMORIALS, STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE .............................................. p. 3 YOUTH MINISTRIES ................................. p. 4 GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL ................ p. 6 PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS .......................... p. 7 YOUNG AT HEART SENIORS ................. p. 9 PARISH CALENDAR ................................. p. 10 CONTACT INFORMATION....................... p. 12 FROM THE DESK OF FATHER ANDREW My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I take this opportuni- ty to remind you once again that the Fifteen Days of August are upon us and the service of the Paraklesis to the Most Holy Theotokos for health and well-being awaits us. On Friday, August 1st at 6:00 pm we will once again be- gin our communal prayer to the Mother of our God . It is once again time to join in the fifteen-day fast as we prepare to mark the sea- son and significance of the Theotokos in the life of the Orthodox Church. This year, our communal fast and prayer will culminate on Friday morning, August 15th with the cele- bration of the Orthros/ Preparatory Service at 9:00 am with the Divine Liturgy to follow around 10:00 am. The Fifteen Days of August remind Ortho- dox Christians about the place and honor the Theotokos has in our theology and way of life as Christian Orthodox. As truly the Mother of God ( Theo [God] + tókos [birth]) through her intercessions, on our behalf, she can be our protectress and healer . As we ponder the awesomeness of the Incarnation of Christ, we cannot discredit or downplay the role the Virgin Mary was called upon to carry out as she gave birth to God the Word . Through her free will consent, she brought forth our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity. It is with this correct un- derstanding, therefore, that throughout the ages the Theotokos has been sought after and prayed through for protection and healing, blessings that have no doubt come by Him whom she brought forth, her beloved Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore, keeping with the Holy Tradition of the Church, in seeking divine help through the intercession of the Theotokos, we will once again gather for communal prayer as we lift up our voices to her for our health and well-being through the Paraklesis ser- vice. The Paraklesis services will be offered at 6:00 pm on Friday evening, August 1st and Friday evening, August 8th. The Parak- lesis service will also be offered at 10:00 am on Monday morning, August 4th and on Wednesday morning, August 13th. Please make every effort to be present to help pray for the sick, the suffering and for those held in captivity.