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3 THE SHEPHERD • SEPTEMBER 2025 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO DIVINE SERVICES SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7: Sunday Before Holy Cross Orthros 9:00 AM ✟ Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM Epistle : Galatians 6:11-18 ✟ Gospel : John 3:13-17 MONDAY, SEPT. 8: The Nativity of the Holy Theotokos Orthros 9:00 AM ✟ Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM Epistle : Philippians 2:5-11 ✟ Gospel : Luke 10:38-42, 11:27-28 SUNDAY, SEPT. 14: The Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross Orthros 9:00 AM ✟ Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM Epistle : I Corinthians 1:18-24 Gospel : John 19:6-11, 13-20, 25-28, 30 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21: Sunday after Holy Cross Orthros 9:00 AM ✟ Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM Epistle : Galatians 2:16-20 ✟ Gospel : Mark 8:34-38; 9:1 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28: 1st Sunday of Luke Orthros 9:00 AM ✟ Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM Epistle : II Corinthians 6:1-10 ✟ Gospel : Luke 5:1-11 MEMORIALS AUG 31: Steven (Isidoros) Scarvelis – 40 days BAPTISMS JUL 29: Gabriel Jiseok Low Godmother: Carolyn Hesse-Low AUG 16: George Alexander Mazis Godparents: Phillip & Kristi Arnold 40-DAY BLESSINGS AUG 1: Zoe Daughter of Diamantis & Stavroula Petkanas DEATHS JUL 22: Steven (Isidoros) Scarvelis – 101 years old Greetings Friends of the Choir, As summer comes to a close and we step into the beauty of fall, we wel- come the Ecclesiastical New Year and all the blessings it brings to our parish life. We hope you’ve all had time for rest, travel, and renewal, and are ready for a new season of worship and song. Youth Choir rehearsals will begin soon! Be on the lookout for an email with dates and times—we look for- ward to hearing our young voices fill the church once again. We are also thrilled to announce the return of our Annual Christmas Concert this year! It has been far too long—our last one was before COVID—and we are overjoyed to bring this beloved tradition back to our parish. Concert date is TBD, but please mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details. Let’s also take a moment to cele- brate birthdays—Happy September Birthday to Mark Arapostathis! And a very belated Happy Birthday to our dear Ellie Mae , who celebrat- ed in August. May the year ahead bring you both joy, blessings, and of course, music. With love and harmony, Katherine Loukatos Meck Choir Master NEWS LOFT FROM THE WEDDINGS AUG 23: Julia Friedman & Peter Saridakis Koumbaros: George Saridakis BLESSING OF THE GRAPES The tradition of bringing grapes and other fruits to be blessed in church on the Feast of the Transfiguration has deep roots. The people of Israel had a harvest celebration called the Festival of the Booths, a reminder of their time spent wandering in the desert. As they made their way to the Promised Land, they lived in tents like the ones Peter wanted to put up on Tabor. The festival lat- er became linked to the anticipated future, when God would dwell with His people. The Church, the New Israel, celebrates the Transfiguration as the ful- fillment of this blessed state. Jesus, now revealed as both divine and human, unites us with God in a way Israel could never have imagined. The Trans- figuration also calls us to look forward to Christ’s Second Coming, when all of nature’s original beauty will be restored. Believers bring grapes to church to be blessed and shared as a sign of this final transfiguration of everything. Grapes are a perfect symbol, growing and changing colors as they ripen in the light. Also, in a beautiful series of gift exchanges between God and His people, certain grapes are turned into wine and offered to Him; then this wine, along with the altar bread, is turned into His Body and Blood and offered back to us. In the Eucharist, the fruits of nature have become God. The Gospel proclaims that this kind of transfiguration is our destiny as well: “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43). THE EASTERN ORTHODOX COMMITTEE ON SCOUTING The Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting supports our youth through an extensive Religious Award Program. We have designed the Religious Awards Program around a scout’s spiritual life. It gives the scout a chance to work closely with their spir- itual Father to earn their award. The unique bond formed at this age is a stepping stone for the rest of their spiritual life.