St. Spyridon Parish News, Events, Activities and Announcements

This Sunday's Memorial

Panayiotis Limperis - 9 years

Sam Poulakidas - 25years

This Sunday's Acolyte Serving Team

St. John: Captain: Michael Angeles, Luke Billings, Luke Georggin, Theo Huntalas, Konstantino Mellos, Alexios Savvides, John Savvides, Nektarios Sissons

Stewardship Reminder

With the close of the 2019 year upon us the Stewardship Committee respectfully asks that you check your records to make sure you are on track to fulfill the pledge you made at the beginning of the 2019 calendar year. We also ask that you give prayerful consideration to your 2020 pledge.

The Stewardship Committee thanks you in advance.

Fall Acolyte Retreat - this Saturday, November 16th

Our Fall Acolyte Retreat is scheduled for this Saturday, November 16th from 12:00-2:30 p.m. The retreat will begin in our church temple with instruction/training reminders followed by a light lunch in the hall and will include a service project as well.

So that we may properly prepare for the day please respond to me at jgilpin@san.rr.com

Thank you,

Angel Gilpin,

Acolyte Coordinator

Fall General Assembly

Our Fall General Assembly will be held this Sunday, November 17th in our fellowship hall following this Sunday's divine services and coffee hour.

Parish Council Candidate UPR Seminar

The Parish Council Seminar required by the Unified Parish Regulations (UPR) of our Archdiocese has been scheduled for Thursday, December 5th at 7:00 pm in the church temple. All those candidates running for the 2020/2021 Parish Council must attend this seminar to run for the Parish Council.

Thank you for your dedication and concern.

Dance & Choral Presents See's Candies Holiday Fundraiser

Get your holiday shopping done early and help us raise funds for our Dance & Choral ministry at the same time.

Selling from Nov 4th to Dec 1st

For more information please contact Kathy Meck at spirnodiva@aol.com

Please see the "Insert and Fliers" section below for more information.

Light The Path

His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos and the Metropolis of San Francisco Philoptochos joyfully invite you to attend Light The Path. Saturday, November 23, 2019. St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church, Irvine, California.

Please see the "Insert and Fliers" section below for more information.

Philoptochos Christmas Luncheon

Come enjoy a festive afternoon on Sunday, December 8, at 12:30 pm, at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse. Make your reservations soon, using the form in the Shepherd Newsletter. Contact Stella Pappas at 619-850-8076 for more information.

Bookstore

The bookstore is stocking My Greek Home’s beautiful Icon bracelets. St. Spyridon bracelets are stocked along with a variety of others. Great Christmas gifts for the women in your family. Custom Saint bracelets are available too.

Save The Date!

Philoptochos Membership Luncheon Saturday, January 25 , 2020. Details to follow.

Philoptochos Table in the Cypress Room

Please come by our table to pick up latest information about Philoptochos. We also ask that you please do not remove the table but if you need to move it for an event, please return back as it was. Thank you!

Philoptochos and Fellowship

We hope you continue to enjoy the long standing tradition of gathering for fellowship in the hall following the Divine Liturgy throughout the year. Philoptochos is thankful for the continued support from all the families and organizations that offer every week. We kindly ask others to consider offering fellowship at least once per year, so think of name days, celebrations, memorials, fundraisers, etc. Offering fellowship should be kept simple (bagels, cream cheese, fruit and cookies) as it is a light snack to enjoy with family and friends following the Divine Liturgy. Therefore, the cost of fellowship should be approximately $100-$150. Lastly, the donations collected from the coffee hour support our many ministries so please consider this when offering your donation.

To see which dates are available and sign up online visit our SignUp Genius page. To sign up over the phone, by email, or in person, contact Christina Vassos at cmvassos@gmail.com or 619-818-6882. Thank you!

College Connection

If your son or daughter will be attending college in the fall (including community college, undergraduate or graduate school), we would like to reach out to them with some love from their St. Spyridon Philoptochos family. Please send their postal mailing address, email address while they are in college, cell phone, as well as the name of the school they are attending to Michelle Defelippi at mdefelippi@san.rr.com. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact Michelle at the above email or (858) 695-9772.

Agape Meals

Philoptochos has an outreach program where people can cook or deliver (or both) a meal to one of their fellow parishioners who may facing a difficult or stressful time in their life (illness, new baby, etc). If you would like more information on how you can participate, or know of someone in our community who could use a meal or two, please contact Stella Weil at (858)694-0570 or 4weils@sbcglobal.net. Please join us as we come together as a community to help one another. Thank you.

Decorated Feast Day Icons

Philoptochos invites you and your family to commemorate a special Feast Day by offering a donation towards the cost of a beautifully decorated icon which will be displayed in the church Narthex for all to venerate. This is a perfect way to honor both your family member(s) as well as an important day in the life of the Church. A suggested donation of $75 is much appreciated.

Please contact Stella Weil at 4weils@sbcglobal.net or (858) 694-0570 to reserve your icon/date or if you have any questions. Thank you.

The following Saints and Feast Days will be celebrated during November, December and January and have icons that can be displayed:

11/21 - Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple

11/25 - St. Katherine the Great

11/30 - St. Andrew the First Called Apostle

12/4 - St. Barbara the Great Martyr

12/6 - St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

12/12 - St. Spyridon the Wonderworker

12/25 - Holy Nativity/Birth of the Lord

1/1 - St. Basil The Great

1/6 - Holy Theophany / Epiphany

1/17 - St. Anthony The Great

1/18 - Sts. Athanasios (And Cyril)

1/20 - St. Euthymios the Great

1/25 - St. Gregory The Theologian

1/30 - Three Hierarchs

Your Legacy and Your Church

...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.

Receive Back 0.5% From “Amazon Smile” Foundation

We are pleased to announce that St. Spyridon GOCnow participates in AmazonSmile. When you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church. That’s right, every eligible purchase you or someone else makes at AmazonSmile 0.5% will be donated back to our parish!!!

Register by visiting AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com) and select “St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church” before you make your first purchase (be sure to select St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church - San Diego, California).

For more information about AmazonSmile, go to http://smile.amazon.com/about

We hope you’ll consider this easy way to support your beloved parish. Everyone is eligible to participate so tell your friends and relatives and spread the word about this wonderful program.

Live Stream Broadcast

If you know someone who may be in the hospital or home bound or for whatever reason just cannot get to church, don’t forget about the Live Stream Broadcast of our Divine Services. You can watch our Live Broadcast by going to our parish website and clicking on the “Live Broadcast” tab on the top tool bar. Remember, our Live Stream Broadcast is for those who absolutely cannot physically make the divine services of the church and is not a substitute for being present. Also, please be aware that conversations, crying babies, etc. can be heard on the broadcast. We have a wonderful cry room facility, which is located off the Narthex behind the candle stand, and is comfortable and provided for your convenience.

The Live Stream divine services of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church of San Diego, CA may not be recorded, retransmitted or reproduced without the express written consent of the Parish Council of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church of San Diego, CA. Thank you for your consideration.

Donations toward the digital ministries of the parish are warmly welcomed. If you would like to help support the ministries of Saint Spyridon please contact the church office. Again, thank you.

Inserts and Fliers

Dance & Choral Presents See's Candies Holiday Fundraiser

Dance & Choral Presents See's Candies Holiday Fundraiser Get your holiday shopping done early and help us raise funds for our Dance & Choral ministry at the same time. Selling from Nov 4th to Dec 1st For more information please contact Kathy Meck at spirnodiva@aol.com

Light The Path

Light The Path Saturday, November 23, 2019 St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church Irvine, California

Parish Pay Is Now WeShare

WeShare Online Giving

Wisdom of the Fathers

So by his true and praise-worthy repentance the Lord showed us that even after long negligence He accepts those who desire to amend. The remembrance of death and sins precedes weeping and mourning ... The remembrance of death is a daily death ...

St. John Climacus

Ladder of Divine Ascent. Step 6: On Remembrance of Death, 6th Century

The thought of death is the most necessary of all works ... He who hourly yields himself to it is a saint- insensibility of heart dulls the mind, and abundance of food dries the fountains of tears ...

St. John Climacus

Ladder of Divine Ascent. Step 6: On Remembrance of Death, 6th Century

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese News

Archbishop Elpidophoros Keynote Speaker at the Ecumenical Symposium: “Truth Does Not Fear Dialogue”

11/14/2019

NEW YORK – On November 13, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros offered the keynote address at an Ecumenical Symposium titled “Truth does not fear dialogue,” hosted by...

https://www.goarch.org/-/archbishop-elpidophoros-keynote-ecumenical-symposium-truth-does-not-fear-dialogue

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Matins Gospel Reading

Eleventh Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from John 21:14-25

At that time, Jesus revealed himself to his disciples after he was raised from the dead, and he said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go." (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, "Follow me."

Peter turned and saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved, who had lain close to his breast at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?" When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!" So, the word went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die; but Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?" This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Plagal First Mode. Psalm 11.7,1.
You, O Lord, shall keep us and preserve us.
Verse: Save me, O Lord, for the godly man has failed.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 6:11-18.

Brethren, see with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that would compel you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who receive circumcision do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh. But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God. Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.

Gospel Reading

9th Sunday of Luke
The Reading is from Luke 12:16-21

The Lord said this parable: "The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." As he said these things, he cried out: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Plagal First Mode

Let us, the faithful, give praise and worship to the Word, coeternal with the Father and the Spirit and born of the Virgin for our salvation. Of his own will he mounted the cross in the flesh, suffered death, and raised the dead by his glorious resurrecti

Apolytikion for Gregory the Wonderworker in the Plagal Fourth Mode

By vigilance in prayer, and continuance in the working of wonders, thou didst acquire thine achievements as a surname; wherefore, intercede with Christ our God, O Father Gregory, to enlighten our souls, lest we sleep in sin unto death.

Apolytikion for the Church in the First Mode

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.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Fourth Mode

Today, the most pure temple of the Savior, the precious bridal chamber and Virgin, the sacred treasure of God, enters the house of the Lord, bringing the grace of the Divine Spirit. The Angels of God praise her. She is the heavenly tabernacle.

Saints and Feasts

November 17

Gregory the Wonderworker & Bishop of Neo-Caesarea

Saint Gregory was born in Neocaesarea of Pontus to parents who were not Christians. He studied in Athens, in Alexandria, in Beirut, and finally for five years in Caesarea of Palestine under Origen, by whom he was also instructed in the Faith of Christ. Then, in the year 240, he became bishop of his own city, wherein he found only seventeen Christians. By the time the Saint reposed about the year 265, there were only seventeen unbelievers left there. Virtually the whole duration of his episcopacy was a time of continual, marvellous wonders worked by him. Because of this, he received the surname "Wonderworker"; even the enemies of the truth called him a second Moses (see Saint Basil the Great's On the Holy Spirit, ch. 29).

November 18

Plato the Great Martyr of Ancyra

Saint Plato contested in martyrdom in 266, when Agrippinus was proconsul. He was from the city of Ancyra in the province of Galatia.

November 19

Obadiah the Prophet

The Divine Scriptures do not tell us with any certainty when the Prophet Obadiah lived nor what was his homeland. Thus, some say that he is that Obadiah who was Ahab's steward, who, because of Jezebel's wrath, hid one hundred prophets in a cave and fed them with bread and water (III Kings 18:4), and that he later became a disciple of Elias the Prophet about 903 B.C. But others surmise from the words of the same prophetical book that he is somewhat later than Joel (celebrated on Oct. 19). He is also called Obdiu, or Abdiu, or Obadiah; his name means "servant of God." His book of prophecy, which consists of only one chapter, is ranked fourth among the minor Prophets.

November 20

Gregory the Righteous of Decapolis

Saint Gregory who was from Irenopolis of the Decapolis of Asia Minor, was the son of Sergius and Mary. He became a monk as a young man, and after struggling for many years in virtue and prayer under obedience to a wise spiritual father, he was informed by revelation that it was the will of God for him to live, like the Patriarch Abraham, with no certain dwelling, moving from place to place. His journeyings took him to Ephesus, Constantinople, Corinth, Rome, Sicily, Thessalonica, and again to Constantinople, where, after many labours in defence of Orthodoxy against Iconoclasm, he reposed in peace in the first half of the ninth century. He had two disciples, one of whom was Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (see Apr. 3), who wrote the Menaion service for Saint Gregory, his father in Christ.

November 21

The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple

According to the tradition of the Church, the Theotokos was brought to the Temple at three years of age, where she was consecrated to God and spent her days until she was fourteen or fifteen years old; and then, as a mature maiden, by the common counsel of the priests (since her parents had reposed some three years before), she was betrothed to Joseph.

November 22

Archippus the Apostle, Philemon the Apostle & his wife, Apphia, Onesimos the Disciple of Paul

Philemon, who was from Colossae, a city of Phrygia, was a man both wealthy and noble; Apphia was his wife. Archippus became Bishop of the Church in Colossae. All three were disciples of the Apostle Paul. Onesimus, who was formerly an unbeliever and slave of Philemon, stole certain of his vessels and fled to Rome. However, on finding him there, the Apostle Paul guided him onto the path of virtue and the knowledge of the truth, and sent him back to his master Philemon, to whom he wrote an epistle (this is one of the fourteen epistles of Saint Paul). In this epistle, Paul commended Onesimus to his master and reconciled the two. Onesimus was later made a bishop; in Greece he is honoured as the patron Saint of the imprisoned. All these Saints received their end by martyrdom, when they were stoned to death by the idolaters. Saint Onesimus is also commemorated on February 15.

November 23

Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium

Saint Amphilochius, who was born in Cappadocia, shone forth in asceticism and divine knowledge even from his youth. He was consecrated Bishop of Iconium in 341, he struggled courageously against the blasphemies of Eunomius, Macedonius the enemy of the Holy Spirit, and the followers of Arius. He was present at the Second Ecumenical Council of the 150 Fathers, which took place in Constantinople, convoked during the reign of Theodosius the Great in the year 381. In 383 Amphilochius wished to persuade the Emperor Theodosius to forbid the Arians from gathering in Constantinople and to commit the churches to the Orthodox, but the Emperor was reluctant to do such a thing. The next time that Amphilochius entered the palace, he addressed Theodosius with proper honour, but slighted his young son Arcadius in his presence. Theodosius was indignant, and said the dishonour shown to his son was equally an insult to himself. To this Saint Amphilochius answered that as he would not suffer an insult to his son, so he ought to believe that God is wroth with those who blaspheme His Only-begotten. Saint Theodosius understood and admired Amphilochius' ingenious device, and he issued the desired edict in September of the same year. Saint Amphilochius, having reached deep old age, reposed in peace about the year 395. Saint Basil the Great wrote many letters to Saint Amphilochius, his friend and Fellow champion of the Faith, and at his request wrote his treatise On the Holy Spirit, which besides demonstrating the divinity of the Holy Spirit and His equality with the Father and the Son, defends the Church's unwritten ancient traditions, such as making the sign of the Cross, turning towards the East in prayer, no kneeling on Sunday, and so forth.

General Information

Contact Information

Services Schedule

Sunday Services

Orthros/Matins: 8:30am

Divine Liturgy: 10:00am

Past Bulletins