August 2024 Monthly Shepherd Newsletter Deadline
This Monday, July 8th is the deadline for the August newsletter. Please email Soula at [email protected] to submit your content.
Vacation Church School - July 15th - 19th, 9am - 12pm (aftercare until 4pm available)
This year’s theme is Going For The Gold! The Feasts of the Triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ! Only 2 weeks away! Register today! July 15th - 19th, 9am - 12pm (aftercare until 4pm available). Children in Preschool - 5th grade will learn about how to become Spiritual Athletes! 6th - 12th grades can volunteer as Youth Leaders! Register on the St. Spyridon homepage (stspyridon.org). Email [email protected] or text Julie Dennis, 619-940-5167 for more information.
See the attached flyer in the Inserts & Flyers section.
Young at Heart Seniors
Our next fellowship is this Tuesday, July 9th with a casual pizza lunch. Please RSVP with Cynthia Samarkos (619-582-4109) by Sunday, July 7th if you are attending.
Vacation Church School - Call for Volunteers!
Volunteers needed on Sunday, July 14th to help set up after Divine Liturgy. Volunteers also needed throughout the VCS week, July 15-19th. Volunteer for the whole week, volunteer for just a day, volunteer for a few hours! All help is appreciated. We are also looking for a Music Leader who can teach and perform the theme song and hymns (music will be provided) to the VCS participants Monday-Friday, 9am-12pm. If you are interested, please text Julie Dennis at 619-618-5116.
Upcoming Memorials
July 14th - Kathryn Mellos Mahoney - 40 days
July 21st - Dimitrios (James) Vlachopoulos - 4 years
Summer Stewardship Reminder
The calendar indicates that summer is upon us. Indeed, the days seem and are lighter, longer, and warmer. The sounds of summer come through the windows, especially in the evening, as children play outside until sunset. Many of you have shared with me at the 2024 Festival the plans that you have as you seek to refresh through a break in your daily routine of work, school, and family responsibilities. My family also has some summer travel plans. What a delightful time of year for us all!
However, in talking with some of you, I am mindful of the many challenges we all personally face and the endless number of distractions we wrestle with every day, so many that I cannot remember them all. I am sure that you can each recount the countless ones – TV, sports, phones, emails, texts, social media.
Thus, through our communal Church life and its ministries, we find respite in the sanctuary and its calling to be a “good neighbor.” For me, it is the camaraderie of working with boys and teens in the holy altar; these boys give me hope for a brighter and better future, not only for our church but the larger society as well. This is just one ministry amongst many that deserve your support.
As chairperson of the Stewardship Committee, I ask you again today to be the “one,” the primary one, in assisting St. Spyridon parish, our church, and your church, to help “Build the Body of Christ” through your honorable and generous pledge toward the thirty-nine ministries of the church. Whether it is assisting altar servers, helping to bake (bread), or helping out in the narthex as a volunteer, all are worthy and important. We do this through the giving of our time, our talent, and our financial support.
We respectfully ask you to take a moment to refresh your commitment and to fulfill your honorable stewardship pledge to your beloved St. Spyridon parish. You may give online at www.stspyridon.org, pay through your bank, or call the office at 619-297-4165 for assistance.
Thank you and God bless you!
The Stewardship Committee:
John T. Kalas, Chairperson Father Andrew Scordalakis
Orthodox Christian Seeking a Temporary Room for Rent
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
I have traveled to San Diego from Medford, Oregon to be with and pray for my brother while he's in the process of passing from this world. I thought the time would be much shorter for his passing but learned it could be another 3 weeks before he finishes his earthly life.
Now, I am looking for a room to rent in a Christian home for 1-3 weeks. I can pay for room and board. I just need a place to sleep and cook simple meals for breakfast and dinner.
A place close to 3688 1st Avenue would be preferable. Please contact me directly 541-213-3318.
In Christ,
Porphyrios Jenkins
Prison Ministry Awareness Sunday - July 28th
As the national prison ministry of the Orthodox Church, Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM) supports prisoners’ unique spiritual needs through long-term case management and provides resources and training to parishes and clergy, enabling them to offer local solutions and fulfill Christ’s command to visit Him in prison. As a result, families are reunited, marriages are
healed, and thousands of incarcerated men and women have a new sense of peace and restored order in their lives. To donate or learn more visit www.theocpm.org or call 347-868-6957.
Pan-Arcadian Federation—Tegea Chapter Scholarship Fund
The completed application and all required documents must be postmarked by July 31, 2024. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. To be eligible for this scholarship, applicants must meet the following requirements as listed in the scholarship Bylaws:
1. Be active members of the Tegea Chapter of the Pan-Arcadian Federation OR have at least one member of their families or guardians (Mother/Father/ Grandfather/Grandmother/Brother/Sister) who is an active member of the Tegea Chapter and has been a member for at least one year prior to the scholarship application date.
2. Plan to continue their education at a four-year institution of higher learning leading to a Bachelor’s Degree, or at a junior college or trade school.
3. Provide evidence of matriculation at a four-year college/university, junior college, or trade school. This includes student ID and proof of enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year.
4. Be graduating seniors in the current school year from a San Diego City/County high school, or continuing students at an institution of higher learning, junior college or trade school.
5. Submit the following documents (including those of #3 above)
a. A letter from a school official
b. A letter from any other source of the applicant’s choice
c. An official transcript of the current school of attendance
See attached application in the Inserts & Flyers section.
Orthodox Young Professionals Conference
Philoptochos Decorated Icons
Commemorate a Feast Day by offering a decorated icon to be displayed in the Narthex for veneration. The suggested donation is $85 to: Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society. Call 619-297-4165 to reserve.
Icons available for decoration in the month of July:
7/20 - Elias the Prophet
7/25 - The Dormition of St. Anna
7/26 - St. Paraskevi the Righteous Martyr
7/27 - St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr
St. Sophia Annual Golf Tournament
Friday, September 13th at the California Country Club, 1509 Workman Mill Rd, Whittier, CA.
Brunch will be at Noon and Tee off will be at 1:30pm
Contact Stephanie Lubian at [email protected] for more information.
See attached flyer in the Inserts & Flyers section.
Construction Zone!
You may have noticed some things are changing around our church property. We kindly ask you to please watch your step and make sure that you and your children are safe while walking through the church campus. Thank you for your understanding.
Fellowship and Coffee Hour
The following Sundays are currently available:
July 14th
July 28th
August 4th
August 11th
See the attached flyer in the Inserts & Flyers Section.
...to whom much is given; from them much more is required (Luke 12:48).
Please remember to include your Saint Spyridon parish in your estate plan and bequest.
July 15th - July 19th
Deadline: July 31, 2024
July 25-28, 2024
Sign up to host
Friday, September 13th
Second Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from Mark 16:1-8
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus. And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?" And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back - it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, He is not here; see the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him, as He told you." And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Prokeimenon. Fourth Mode. Psalm 67.35,26.
God is wonderful among his saints.
Verse: Bless God in the congregations.
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 3:23-29; 4:1-5.
Brethren, before faith came, we were confined under the law, kept under restraint until faith should be revealed. So that the law was our custodian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian; for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no better than a slave, though he is the owner of all the estate; but he is under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. So with us; when we were children, we were slaves to the elemental spirits of the universe. But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
2nd Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 4:18-23
At that time, as Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left their boat and their father, and followed him. And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.
San Diego – In Christ we are One! The 47th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America concluded Thursday evening, July 4, 2024 with the Grand Banquet where more than 1300 people from across the country, including attendees from the Clergy-Laity Congress, National Philoptochos Convention and the Young Adult Conference (YAL), gathered as one body in Christ.
On July 4th, the final day of the Clergy-Laity Conference, Rev. Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews, DMFT, shared a presentation on clergy burnout, a topic on which he wrote his doctoral dissertation. Fr. Richard shared his own story in hopes that this would encourage the clergy present to feel more comfortable sharing their struggles with one another. Some of the topics covered included the difficulties inherent in ministering to a parish, which often lead to burnout: while persons in secular professions can limit the number of clients, clergy cannot do this.
Today, July 4, 2024, participants in the 2024 Clergy-Laity Congress had the opportunity to visit with the NMDP to join the bone marrow donor registry by simply getting their cheek swabbed. This outreach initiative is in partnership with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) to help bring hope to people diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases, that depend on a bone marrow or cord blood transplants.
Internet Ministries (IM), an Archdiocesan department, serves a resource for the national Church, the Metropolises, and individual parishes who seek it— and today, our favorite internet ministers took a break for their (otherwise nonstop) work behind the scenes to offer a workshop on engaging technological tools more effectively in our communities.
Today, July 4 2024, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America visited the 2024 YAL National Conference for a joint service project for the Diakonia Project with Philoptochos.
Today, July 4, 2024, Presvytera Kerry Pappas, led a workshop, entitled, “Establishing and Growing Marriage Ministry in Your Parish,” discussing how the Church can be more intentional in supporting the lived experience of marriage.
Today at Clergy-Laity Congress, the Metropolis of San Francisco’s Family Wellness Ministry offered a workshop entitled “Creating Vibrant Family Ministries.” Led by George Papageorge (M.A., LMFT.), Presvytera Pat Tsagalakis, Fr. Tom Tsagalakis (M.Div, MFT.), and Fr. Vasili Hillhouse (M.Div., M.A.), the session offered vision, strategy, and practical tools for those interested in establishing life-giving family ministries that are both needed and relevant in the local parish.
One of the Clergy-Laity Congress’s ministry panel, held on July 4, 2024, was entitled "Parish Leaders: Effective Succession Planning and Equipping Parish Council for Ministry.” The panel focused on the formation and development of strong parish leaders who serve the Church and its mission.
After a full few days of workshops, panels, and committee sessions, clergy and laity packed into the Pacific Ballroom for the first Plenary session of this year’s Clergy-Laity Congress. Patriarchal Representatives Their Eminences Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain and Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, members of the Holy Eparchial Synod, and the auxiliary bishops of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
The members of the Order of St. Andrew, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate marked their distinction as “Defenders of the Faith” with a reception on July 3, 2024 during the 47th Clergy-Laity Congress.
On July 3, 2024, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s Department of Religious Education (DRE) launched a unique initiative live at the Clergy-Laity Congress, “MIND. BODY. SOUL. sessions.” This workshop, described as “a cross between a masterclass and a spiritual retreat,” explored the interconnected ability of the mind, body, and soul to cultivate God’s presence within oneself.
San Diego, CA – July 2, 2024 -- The AGAPE Awards Breakfast hosted by the National Philoptochos Society this morning was exceptional. Attendees filled the event ballroom with lively conversations that bridged distances between parishes across the country, and fostered a vibrant atmosphere of fellowship, faith in action, and connection.
I so look forward to the Philoptochos AGAPE Breakfast, because it is unique opportunity to recognize your own Chapters, and to share in the joy of their ministries is truly a pleasure and a privilege. And I believe it is a necessary boost to the spirits of all...
When I think of you, the Retired Clergy of our Sacred Archdiocese, I think of the venerable pillars of our Church. You have upheld the parishes for so many decades, dedicating your lives to the spiritual growth and health of our Church in America. And many of you continue to serve in so many capacities, assisting the younger clergy and providing for them your wealth of experience and wisdom. You take care of each other, remembering those who have fallen into ill health, and remembering the Presvyteres whose husbands have passed on. You keep in touch with one another through this marvelous organization: the Greek Orthodox Retired Clergy Association, formed thirty-six years ago...
Delegates of the 47th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress, I greet you with a salutation of profound love in our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ...
The Hymn of Saint Spyridon
At the first of the Synods, you appeared as a champion, * and Wonderworker, our God-bearing Father Spyridon. * Wherefore, you addressed the dead one in the grave, * and a serpent you changed to gold. * And while chanting * in service your sacred prayers, * you joined the angels concelebrating, most holy one.* Glory to Christ who glorified you, * glory to Him who crowned you, * glory to the One who works through You, * healings for everyone.
Τής Συνόδου τής πρώτης ανεδείχθης υπέρμαχος, * καί Θαυματουργός Θεοφόρε Σπυρίδων πατήρ ημών. * διό νεκρά σύ έν τάφω προσφωνείς, * καί όφιν είς χρυσούν μετέβαλες. * καί έν τώ μέλπειν τάς αγίας σου ευχάς, * Αγγέλους έσχες συλλειτουργούντας σοι Ιερώτατε, * Δόξα τώ σέ δοξάσαντι Χριστώ * δόξα τώ σέ στεφανώσαντι. * δόξα τώ ενεργόυντι, διά σου πάσιν ιάματα.
Saint Kyriake was the daughter of Christian parents, Dorotheus and Eusebia. She was given her name because she was born on Sunday, the day of the Lord (in Greek, Kyriake). She contested in Nicomedia during the reign of Diocletian, in the year 300. After many bitter torments she was condemned to suffer beheading, but being granted time to pray first, she made her prayer and gave up her holy soul in peace.
The holy Martyr Procopius was born of a pious father named Christopher, but his mother Theodosia was an idolater. After Christopher's death, she presented Neanias - for this was the Saint's name before - to Diocletian, who was at Antioch in Syria. Diocletian made him Duke of Alexandria, and sent him there to punish the Christians. On the way to Alexandria, our Lord spoke to Neanias as once He had to Saul, and turned this new persecutor to faith in Him. Neanias turned back to Scythopolis, and preached Christ. He was betrayed by his own mother, and was arrested and tormented in Caesarea of Palestine. While he was in prison, the Lord appeared to him again and gave him the new name of Procopius (which is derived from the Greek word meaning "progress, advancement"). He was brought out of prison and taken to worship the idols, but at his prayer, the idols fell; many then believed in Christ and suffered martyrdom, among them certain soldiers, twelve women of senatorial rank, and the Saint's own mother, Theodosia. Saint Procopius, after further torments and imprisonment, was beheaded about the year 290.
This Saint, who was a contemporary of the Apostles, had Antioch as his homeland, where he was guided to the Faith of Christ by Peter, the Chief of the Apostles. Later, he came to Sicily, where he brought many to the Faith, and was finally put to death by the pagans.
Saint Anthony, who was born in the province of Chernigov, was tonsured in the Monastery of Esphigmenou on the Holy Mountain, Athos, from whence he was sent by his abbot to Kiev to plant the monastic life in 1013, two years before the death of Saint Vladimir, Great Prince of Kiev. Dwelling at first as a hermit, the Saint gradually drew to himself others wishing to emulate his way of life. When the number of the brethren grew, a wooden church in honour of the Dormition of the Theotokos was built, thus laying the foundation of what was to become the renowned Kiev Caves Lavra. Refusing the abbotship, Saint Anthony entrusted this to his disciples, first to the blessed Barlaam, then to Saint Theodosius (See May 3), and his whole life struggled as a cave-dwelling hermit. He reposed in peace in 1073 at the age of ninety.
In 451, during the reign of the Sovereigns Marcian and Pulcheria, the Fourth Ecumenical Council was convoked in Chalcedon against Eutyches and those of like mind with him. After much debate, the Fathers who were the defenders of Orthodoxy, being 630 in number, agreed among themselves and with those who were of contrary mind, to write their respective definitions of faith in separate books, and to ask God to confirm the truth in this matter. When they had prepared these texts, they placed the two tomes in the case that held Saint Euphemia's relics, sealed it, and departed. After three days of night-long supplications, they opened the reliquary in the presence of the Emperor, and found the tome of the heretics under the feet of the Martyr, and that of the Orthodox in her right hand. (For her life, see Sept. 16.)
These Martyrs contested in Ancyra in 106, during the reign of the Emperor Trajan. Saint Proclus was seized as a Christian and, confessing his faith, was burned on his sides and belly, was hung upon a beam with heavy stones tied to his feet, and finally was taken away to be shot with arrows. As he was being led forth, his nephew Hilary encountered him and greeted him, and was himself seized. After his uncle had been slain with arrows, Hilary, because he would not deny Christ, was tormented, then beheaded.
It is believed that the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel was transferred to this day from March 26 so that it could be celebrated more festively than in the period of the Great Fast; and, in fact, all the miracles of the Archangel are celebrated on this feast day, which has been listed here in the church books since the ninth century.