This Sunday's Memorials
Yacoub (Jack) Khoury - 40 days
Chris Greanias - 9 months
Gregory Star – 1 year
Services for the Celebration of Christ's Nativity - Sunday, December 25th
Friday, December 23rd - The Reading/Chanting of the Royal Hours of the Nativity at 11:00 am
Saturday, December 24th - The Festal Preparatory Vespers at 5:00 pm
Sunday, December 25th - The Orthros/Preparatory Service at 9:00 am with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy to follow.
Stewardship Reminder
Dear Faithful Steward of Saint Spyridon GOC,
The Stewardship Committee is writing to thank you and to remind you that your financial assistance helps to support the many and varied ministries of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church – Home of the Wonder Worker!
We know that life gets hectic and sometimes complicated, especially around the Christmas holiday and that’s why we are reaching out to encourage and remind you that there is still time for you to join hands with all the other financial stewards of the parish, and make a difference by offering your financial support to your beloved parish.
May the Lord continue to richly bless you and your family in all your honorable endeavors.
Again, thank you for your prayerful and thoughtful consideration!
Yours in Christ,
The Saint Spyridon Stewardship Committee:
John T. Kalas - Chairperson
2023 Epiphany Cross Dive Luncheon
Please join us on Sunday, January 8, 2023 for the 44th Annual Epiphany Cross Dive and Luncheon at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina.
The Leon Balaban Honorees are Jim and Stella Pappas. Tickets MUST be purchased by January 3rd. Adult tickets are $65 and kids under 12 are $35. Please mail/drop off your check and form to the Church office TODAY or see Bill Navrides or Christoforos Savvides on Sundays during fellowship/coffee hour.
See the attached form in the Inserts & Fliers section below.
Cases of Diples for Sale
E & J Continental Foods graciously donated cases of Diples to the church. They are available for purchase at $40 per case. Sales are first come first served.
GOYA Christmas Party - Tomorrow, December 17th
GOYA kids and families will get together this Saturday, December 17th at 5:00 pm at the Maude Family’s home to fellowship, have dinner, and have a gift exchange. Bring a $15 gift if you or your siblings would like to participate in the gift exchange. Please bring a card game to donate to the Angels Christmas Party! We will be stuffing stockings to bring Christmas joy to families in Kids 'N' Cancer.
See the attached flyer in the Inserts & Fliers section below.
Sunday School Christmas Pageant and Lunch – This Sunday, December 18th
Our Sunday School students will be performing the Christmas Pageant this Sunday and will bring the Blessed Nativity to life! We hope you will join us for this annual tradition in the Sanctuary immediately following Divine Services. Sunday School will be offering fellowship after the Christmas Pageant. Please join us!
Angels Christmas Party - This Monday, December 19th
Youth Ministries
Youth Ministries would like to wish you a very joyful Nativity. This school year has been full of so many blessings with our youth programs and families! We would love to have you join us in 2023. We have events and programs for kids of all ages - from birth through the end of high school. Looking to volunteer in the New Year? Youth Ministries wants you! Email Julie Dennis, youthministries@stspyridon.org
The red-covered Divine Liturgy books are available to you and located on the right side of the Narthex near the candles.
Agape Meals
Philoptochos provides meals to St. Spyridon community members in need following hospitalizations, the death of a family member, or the birth of a child. Please reach out to Marian Dougenis (619) 520-3660 if you or someone you know is in need.
Philoptochos Decorated Feast Day Icons
Philoptochos invites you and your family to commemorate a special Feast Day by offering a donation towards a beautifully decorated icon which will be displayed in the Narthex for all to venerate. To reserve your date, contact the office: (619) 297-4165, office@stspyridon.org.
A suggested donation of $75 (check or cash) payable to the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society is much appreciated.
Icons Available for the Month of January
January 1st - St. Basil The Great
January 6th - Holy Theophany/Epiphany
January 17th - St. Anthony The Great
January 18th - Sts. Athanasios and Cyril
January 20th - St. Euthymios
January 25th - St. Gregory The Theologian
January 30th - The Holy Three Hierarchs
Sunday Fellowship Sponsors are Needed
Several Sundays in January and February are available. Please consider sponsoring with your friends and family. Let's keep it simple by providing cookies or donuts, fruit, and juice. To reserve your date contact Anne Zouvas at (619) 248-6644. Thank you for supporting this long-standing tradition of our church!
Project Mexico Homebuilding Trip 2023
We wanted to let you know about a wonderful opportunity with Project Mexico & St. Innocent Orphanage in Mexico! As Father Nicholas Andruchow, executive director of Project Mexico & St. Innocent Orphanage explained to us last Sunday, Project Mexico is an amazing organization that coordinates groups of volunteers to come to Baja California, Mexico. The great news is that St. Spyridon Youth Ministries is planning a Homebuilding Trip with Project Mexico THIS coming summer! St. Spyridon will be going to Project Mexico July 20th - 26th, 2023. Yes, almost a whole week! But in that time, our group will build homes for people who would otherwise not have a home; in just a week! What's even better, is that we live so close to Mexico, that we can drive, and not spend money on airfare!
The work that is done by the volunteers is truly life-changing and we are excited to bring this opportunity to our community. We will organize fundraisers starting in January to help defray the cost for participants. But we need your help right now! If you and/or your children (ages 8 and up) are interested in getting more information about our trip, joining our group, or donating to our volunteers please complete this Interest Form https://forms.gle/idCfspYPH3ckkWrx9
Please complete the Interest Form to help us start planning.
Unsure if you should join us? Watch this video to get a glimpse of the good works and life-changing experience of Project Mexico: https://youtu.be/BnzXpcLdaHc
For more information, call 619-940-5167 or email our Youth Ministries Director, Julie Dennis, youthministries@stspyridon.org or visit the Project Mexico website: https://www.projectmexico.org/summer-homebuilding
The Metropolis of San Francisco Stewardship Ministry Continues the Series - “Equipping and Enriching Parish Life”
Please join us on Monday evening, December 19th at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, for a special presentation on “Revitalizing Parish Health & Achieving Operational Excellence: Examining Six Critical Areas of Parish Life.”
Over the past two years, our world has shifted. And while our Orthodox theology, worship, and ethos remain intact, many parishes have struggled to adopt – or define - the “new normal” for parish life and ministry involvement. To assist our parishes in their journeys, during this segment, our speakers will:
• Explore the new context and shifting landscape facing our parishes in the post-pandemic world (and “carry-over” opportunities that our parishes were already encountering).
• Identify the six most critical areas of parish life which are vital to revitalizing Parish Health and optimizing Operational Effectiveness.
• Share new tools and an emerging Orthodox ministry dedicated to helping parishes achieve transformational change.
For more information, please email metropolis@sanfran.goarch.org or call 415-753-3075.
See the attached flyer in the Inserts & Fliers section below.
Give Back 0.5% From the “Amazon Smile” Foundation
We remind you to please participate in the AmazonSmile program. When you shop on Amazon, the AmazonSmile Foundation will give back 0.5% of your purchase price to St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church. That’s right, for every eligible/registered purchase you or someone else makes at AmazonSmile 0.5% will be donated back to your parish!!!
It's quick and easy to register by visiting AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com) and selecting “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 opportunity.
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.
downstairs
2023 Stewardship Card
Online Stewardship Giving
Sunday, January 8th
Saturday, December 17th @ 5:00 PM
Monday, December 19th @ 6:00 PM
Monday, December 19th @ 5:00 PM, PDT
Ionian Village, the official international summer camping ministry of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, is accepting staff applications for summer 2023. Applications are open from December 17, 2022 through January 17, 2023 online at www.ionianvillage.org.
This week, find insights about the upcoming Gospel reading where we learn about Jesus’ genealogy and His incarnation. But how is Jesus, God and Man? And how can God have a genealogy if He has always existed?
Young adults ages 18 – 30’s are invited to register for 16th Annual Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco Young Adult Winter Retreat in Lake Tahoe, January 13-16, 2023.
The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco Stewardship Ministry continues the monthly series “Equipping and Enriching Parish Life”.
The Department of Stewardship, Outreach and Evangelism welcomes the new book from Fr. Evan Armatas entitled Reclaiming the Great Commission.
Fifth Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from Luke 24:13-35
At that time, [Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home wondering at what had happened. That very day] two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. And He said to them, "What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?" and they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" And He said to them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find His body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see." And He said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was not it necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into this glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, but they constrained Him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So He went in to stay with them. When He was at table with them, He took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished out of their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the scriptures?" And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, who said, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road and how He was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Prokeimenon. Fourth Mode. Daniel 3.26,27.
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers.
Verse: For you are just in all you have done.
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 11:9-10; 32-40.
BRETHREN, by faith Abraham sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundation, whose builder and maker is God.
And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets - who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated - of whom the world was not worthy - wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
Sunday before Nativity
The Reading is from Matthew 1:1-25
The book of the Genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa, and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.
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.
On the Sunday that occurs on or immediately after the eighteenth of this month, we celebrate all those who from ages past have been well-pleasing to God, beginning from Adam even unto Joseph the Betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos, according to genealogy, as the Evangelist Luke hath recorded historically (Luke 3:23-38); we also commemorate the Prophets and Prophetesses, and especially the Prophet Daniel and the Holy Three Children.
This Saint, who lived during the reign of Diocletian, was the servant of a certain Roman woman of senatorial rank named Aglais. Mistress and servant lived together in an unlawful union, and Boniface was moreover given to drunkenness and riotous living. Nevertheless, he was generous to the poor, hospitable to strangers, and compassionate to those in misfortune. At last, Aglais, moved at hearing the accounts of the Martyrs, and believing in the power of their intercessions to obtain the mercy of God, sent Boniface to Tarsus to obtain relics of holy Martyrs. Before he departed, he asked her in jest, "And what if they bring back my body as holy relics?" He then set out with some of his fellow slaves for Cilicia, where the Saints were contesting in martyrdom. As he went among the Martyrs and encouraged them in their pains he was arrested by the ruler and confessed Christ with boldness, and suffered death as a martyr in the year 290. Thus what he had said in jest to his mistress was fulfilled when he himself was brought back to her as sacred relics by his fellow servants. Saint Aglais devoted the remainder, of her life to prayer and works of virtue, and reposed in sanctity. Saint Boniface is especially invoked for help against the passion of drinking.
Saint Ignatius was a disciple of Saint John the Theologian, and a successor of the Apostles, and he became the second Bishop of Antioch, after Evodus. He wrote many epistles to the faithful, strengthening them in their confession, and preserving for us the teachings of the holy Apostles. Brought to Rome under Trajan, he was surrendered to lions to be eaten, and so finished the course of martyrdom about the year 107. The remnants of his bones were carefully gathered by the faithful and brought to Antioch. He is called God-bearer, as one who bare God within himself and was aflame in heart with love for Him. Therefore, in his Epistle to the Romans (ch. 4), imploring their love not to attempt to deliver him from his longed-for martyrdom, he said, "I am the wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found to be the pure bread of God."
Our holy and wonderworking Father Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow, was born in Volhynia, tonsured a monk at twelve years of age, and later ordained a priest. He lived in solitude for a time in a desert place north of Lvov and founded the Holy Transfiguration Monastery; afterwards he was sent to Constantinople, where the holy Patriarch Athanasius consecrated him Metropolitan of Kiev in 1308, and he returned to Vladimir, where the Metropolitans of Kiev had their residence at that time (see Saint Jonas on June 15). In 1325, he moved to Moscow, where he founded the Dormition Cathedral, and after his repose in December 21, 1326, was buried there. He was also an iconographer, and two of his icons, the Dormition and the Petrovskaya, are found in the Dormition Cathedral (see also Oct. 5 and Aug. 24).
This Saint, who was from Rome, was a most comely, wealthy, and virtuous maiden, the daughter of Praepextatus and Fausta. It was her mother who instructed her in the Faith of Christ. The Saint was joined to a man named Publius Patricius, who was prodigal in life and impious in disposition, but she was widowed after a short time. Henceforth, she went about secretly to the dwellings of the poor and the prisons where the Martyrs of Christ were, and brought them whatever was needed for their daily subsistence. She washed their wounds and loosed them from their fetters, and consoled them in their anguish. Also, because the Saint, through her intercessions, has healed many from the ill effects of spells, potions, poisons, and other harmful substances, she has received the name "Deliverer from Potions." Since the fame of her deeds had spread about, she was arrested by Diocletian's minions, and after enduring many torments she was put to death by fire in the year 290.
These Saints, who were all from Crete, contested for piety's sake during the reign of Decius, in the year 250. Theodulus, Saturninus, Euporus, Gelasius, and Eunician were from Gortynia, the capital; Zoticus was from Knossos; Agathopus, from the port city of Panormus; Basilides, from Cydonia; Evarestus and Pompey, from Heraklion. Haled before the Governor as Christians, they were subjected to torments for thirty days, being scourged, racked, dragged upon the ground through dung heaps, stoned, spit upon. They were questioned again, but their costancy roused the Governor to greater fury. After subjecting them to torments more bitter still, he had them beheaded.
This Martyr was the daughter of most distinguished and noble parents named Philip and Claudia. Philip, a Prefect of Rome, moved to Alexandria with his family. In Alexandria, Eugenia had the occasion to learn the Christian Faith, in particular when she encountered the Epistles of Saint Paul, the reading of which filled her with compunction and showed her clearly the vanity of the world. Secretly taking two of her servants, Protas and Hyacinth, she departed from Alexandria by night. Disguised as a man, she called herself Eugene while pretending to be a eunuch, and departed with her servants and took up the monastic life in a monastery of men. Her parents mourned for her, but could not find her. After Saint Eugenia had laboured for some time in the monastic life, a certain woman named Melanthia, thinking Eugenia to be a monk, conceived lust and constrained Eugenia to comply with her desire; when Eugenia refused, Melanthia slandered Eugenia to the Prefect as having done insult to her honour. Eugenia was brought before the Prefect, her own father Philip, and revealed to him both that she was innocent of the accusations, and that she was his own daughter. Through this, Philip became a Christian; he was afterwards beheaded at Alexandria. Eugenia was taken back to Rome with Protas and Hyacinth. All three of them ended their life in martyrdom in the years of Commodus, who reigned from 180 to 192.