TSN1122

1 THE SHEPHERD • NOVEMBER 2022 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO FROM THE DESK OF FATHER ANDREW www.theshepherdnews.com The Shepherd Newsletter My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Every year on the eccle- siastical calendar of the Church the eenth of November marks the beginning of the Nativity Fast . e Nativi- ty Fast is one of the four major fast periods during the ecclesiastical year. It is joined with the Great (Lenten) Fast in the early spring, the Fast of the Holy Apostles, which follows sometime a er Pascha and the fast in honor of the Falling Asleep of the Holy eotokos in the summer months. It is evident that these major events in the Church (Pascha, the Holy Apostles, the earthly death the e- otokos and the Birth of our Lord and Savior) are spaced accordingly and are preceded by a focused fasting period. It is so because fast- ing helps the faithful to stay focus upon and to then enjoy the celebration of these signi - cant events at a much deeper level. During these fasting periods our meals should become lighter, using less time for preparation, clean up, etc. in an e ort to al- low more time for more prayer, study, re ec- tion and good works. Along with lighter and less consuming meals, a proper fasting time should include the slowing of the pace of our lives. A di cult task to accomplish especially if both spouses work and when our children are serious about their studies and may be involved in various extracurricular activities. is may be a di cult task but not impossi- ble; one that may require some extra e ort and easing into . It may not happen all at once but as Orthodox Christians (some kind of) fasting should become part of who and what we are as Christ followers. Much can and has been written about fast- ing and its importance in our lives but this is not that article. I just wanted to brie y share with you this important opportunity to do so in honor of the Birth of Our Lord and Savior. e rules of fasting are easy to iden- tify (think about the church calendars sent to your homes every year) but putting those rules into practice may be a bit more di cult and will no doubt require some e ort from us; and that is part of the point: everything of real worth and value requires something signi cant from us. When we take the rst step or grow in our e orts, the outcome (our worship, our praise, our daily walk) is height- ened and becomes more meaningful. To be sure, here in America the observance of anksgiving presents us with a challenge. Do we observe the Nativity Fast with vigor or break the Fast on that particular ursday? ere is an unwritten tradition/custom that allows the faithful to begin the Fast follow- ing the celebration of our very own patron saint – Saint Spyridon. His feast day is so widely known and celebrated throughout the world and it makes little sense to begin the Fast until a er his feast day celebration . So, you can see there may be variations, per se on the timing of our Fast in honor of the Nativity, etc. but the idea is to indeed fast in preparation. My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, there are many and varied ways to fast but the idea/ principle is to fast. us, at a very basic level we begin our physical fasting with abstaining frommeat and/or meat by-products; intensi- fying our prayer lives and doing good works. If you have questions or concerns about fast- ing you know that you can contact me in my o ce at your convenience. God’s continued blessing, +A IN THIS ISSUE FR. ANDREW ............................................. p. 1 PRESIDENT OF THE PARISH COUNCIL, WOMEN OF THE WORD ......................... p. 2 NEWS FROM THE LOFT, DIVINE SERVICES, HOLY SACRAMENTS, DEATHS, MEMORIALS ..............................................p. 3 YOUTH MINISTRIES ................................ p. 4 GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL, BOOKSTORE ............................................. p. 5 SENIORS...................................................... p. 6 PHILOPTOCHOS ..................................... p. 7 PANARCADIANS....................................... p. 9 PARISH CALENDAR.................................. p. 10 PARISH COUNCIL NOMINATION APPLICATION FORM .............................. p. 11 CONTACT INFORMATION ...................... p.12 The Shepherd The official newsletter publication for the parish of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church of San Diego I S S U E 3 1 8 • NO V E MB E R 2 0 2 2 fall back! SUNDAY, NOV. 6 Daylight Savings Time Ends (clocks back 1 hour)