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7 THE SHEPHERD • OCTOBER 2026 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO 3 NEWS FROM THE LOFT comfort, and peace during this difficult time. May Marion’s memory be eternal. October birthday wishes go out to Orlando (Spiro) Lamce, Bill Demos, John Kiriazi, and Akrive Stathakis! May God grant you all many years filled with good health, hap- piness, love, and His abundant blessings. Chronia Polla! As we continue through this New Ecclesias- tical Year, let us remember that our music is more than just singing. It is prayer, it is wor- ship, and it is a gift we offer to God. Wheth- er we are singing in the choir loft or joining together as a congregation, each voice has a place in the life of our Church. As we prepare for the busy months ahead, may we always find time to slow down, give thanks for our blessings, and keep Christ at the center of our lives. A Prayer for Our Church Musicians Heavenly Father, bless all those who offer their voices and musical talents in service to Your Holy Church. Grant them strength, patience, and joy as they lead us in worship. May their music inspire our hearts, strengthen our faith, and bring us closer to You. Bless our young singers as they continue to grow in their love for You and our beautiful Orthodox tradi- tions. May we always remember that every note we sing is an offering of love and praise to Your Holy Name. Amen. Thank you, as always, for your continued love and support of our adult and youth choir ministries. We look forward to sharing another beautiful season of music and wor- ship with our parish family. Singing His Praises, Katherine Loukatos Meck Music Master triangular piece representing the Theotokos and places it on the left side of the Lamb . The last piece offered is a small square, which represents the nine orders of saints, martyrs, etc., and is placed on the right side of the Lamb . After the appropriate prayers are offered, the priest then offers prayers for both the liv- ing and for the dead. He prays for both the health and well-being of the living and for the peaceful repose of the servants of God “who have gone on before us.” All these piec- es are placed on the disk or paten and, along with the chalice filled with wine and water, are what the priest is holding during the Great Entrance. The priest then finishes the Service of Preparation by covering the gifts to be offered (the bread and the wine) with the Kallimata (the three-piece embroidered coverings/veils). As the Chanter offers the hymns of praise (The Exapostilaria and the Lauds) the Or- thros service is nearing its end. As the Dox- ology begins, standing at the front of the Holy Altar, he asks for God’s peace, strength and forgiveness as he begins the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I know that in some cases it’s all that we can do to make it on time for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am. We hardly have time to think about what may come before that celebration. However, much does come before it, and it is important that we are at least aware of it and what basically takes place during that time. The Orthros service allows us the time to fully prepare for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, instead of walking in “cold.” I pray that you consider joining us for this important time of prepa- ration, inspiration, and education, which for us begins at 9:00 am on Sunday mornings. +A. 1 FR. ANDREW