TSN1126

1 THE SHEPHERD • NOVEMBER 2026 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO 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 6 6 • NO V E MB E R 2 0 2 6 FROM THE DESK OF FATHER ANDREW My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Every year, the ecclesi- astical calendar of the Church marks the be- ginning of the Nativity Fast on November 15th. This year, the fifteenth of November falls on a Sunday. The Nativity Fast is one of the four major fast periods during the ecclesiastical year. It is joined with the Great (Lenten) Fast in early spring, the fast of the Holy Apostles, which follows sometime after the celebration of Pascha and the Fast in honor of the Falling Asleep of the Holy Theotokos in the summer months. It is evident that these major events in the Church (Pascha, the Holy Apostles, the earthly death of the Theotokos, and the Birth of our Lord and Savior) are spaced ac- cordingly and are preceded by a more strin- gent fasting period than others. It is so be- cause fasting helps us to stay focused upon and to then enjoy the celebration of these significant 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 effort to al- low more time for more prayer time, study, reflection and good works. Along with light- er and less consuming meals, a proper fast- ing time should include the slowing of our pace of life. A difficult task to accomplish, es- pecially if both spouses work and when our children are serious about their studies and may be involved in various extracurricular activities. This may be a difficult task but not impossible; one that may require some extra effort and easing into . It may or cannot hap- pen all at once but as Orthodox Christians (some kind of) fasting must 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 briefly share with you this important opportunity to do so in honor of the Birth of Our Lord and Savior. The 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 difficult and will no doubt require some effort from us; and that is part of the point: everything of worth requires something significant from us. When we take the first step or grow in our efforts, the outcome (our worship, our praise, our daily walk) is heightened and be- comes more meaningful. To be sure, here in America the observance of Thanksgiving presents us with a challenge. Do we observe the Nativity Fast with vigor or break the Fast on that particular Thursday? There 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 (December 12th). His feast day is so widely known and celebrated throughout the world that some do not be- gin the Fast until after his feast day celebra- tion . 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 to do so properly . My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, there are many and varied ways to Fast; and as men- tioned above, the idea is to Fast. Thus, at a very basic level, we begin fasting by abstain- ing from meat and/or meat by-products, in- tensifying our prayer lives and doing good works. God’s continued blessing, +A . IN THIS ISSUE FROM THE DESK OF FR. ANDREW ...... p. 1 PRESIDENT OF THE PARISH COUNCIL, WOMEN OF THE WORD, STEWARDSHIP CORNER, BOOKSTORE ............................ p. 2 DIVINE SERVICES, HOLY SACRAMENTS, NEWS FROM THE LOFT, DEATHS, MEMORIALS ............................................. p. 3 YOUTH MINISTRIES ................................. p. 4 DANCE & CHORAL .................................. p. 5 GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL ................ p. 6 LIGHT & LEGACY TEAM 100, MEN’S MINISTRY ...................................... p. 7 PHILOPTOCHOS ...................................... p. 8 PARISH CALENDAR ................................ p. 10 SENIORS...................................................... p. 11 CONTACT INFORMATION....................... p. 12 Thankful for you, Father Andrew, and for your 20 years of service with our St. Spyridon community! We are