With spiritual joy and reverence, a large number of Orthodox faithful gathered at Princes Pier in Melbourne for the Service of the Blessing of the Waters and the Diving of the Holy Cross, held for the 43rd consecutive year as part of the great Feast of Theophany.
The blessing of retrieving the Holy Cross from the waters of Port Phillip Bay was granted to 28-year-old Steve Kikyris, a member of the Parish of the Dormition of the Theotokos in North Altona. As he emerged from the sea holding the Cross, he was warmly applauded by the gathered faithful.
Earlier, the Service of the Great Blessing of the Waters was celebrated under the presidency of Bishop Kyriakos of Melbourne, with Bishop Eumenios of Chora present in prayerful participation. Clergy from the Holy Episcopal Districts of Melbourne and Chora also took part in the service.
During the ceremony, Bishop Kyriakos conveyed the paternal wishes and blessing of Archbishop Makarios of Australia and read his Encyclical for the Feast of Holy Theophany. In his message, the Archbishop called the faithful to spiritual renewal, repentance, and an unwavering witness of faith. He emphasized that the casting of the Cross into the waters is not a merely ceremonial or symbolic act, but a confession of divine Truth: that there is no place in the world where Christ does not desire to be present.
Christ, the message underlined, enters every aspect of life and creation in order to heal, sanctify, and renew both the human person and the world itself.
