On Sunday, September 15, 2024, the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey held its Annual Holy Cross Celebration, a tradition that was established in 1947 by the then-Archbishop of America and later Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras.
The day began with Metropolitan Apostles of New Jersey celebrating the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the parish of St. George in Asbury Park (Ocean), NJ.
Following the Divine Liturgy all in attendance, as well as faithful parishioners from area parishes, traveled to the beach in Deal, NJ, where the Metropolitan offered the Agiasmos Service, blessing the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The Metropolitan then tossed the cross into the Ocean 4 times as a total of over 70 beloved GOYANs from throughout the state of New Jersey dove into the Ocean in order to retrieve the sacred Cross.
After the completion of the diving for the Cross, His Eminence invited everyone back to the parish of St. George for a celebratory luncheon in the community center, offered in honor of this auspicious occasion. There the Metropolitan recognized the 4 blessed GOYAns who retrieved the Cross, offering each of them a gold cross to wear around their necks, as well as a trophy to honor this achievement. Τηε Metropolitan also recognized and congratulated all of the wonderful young people who dove into the waters, offering each of them a small cross trophy as a reminder of their participation of this sacred event.
The GOYAns that retrieved the cross were:
Junior Girls – Evridiki Kontogiannis (St. Barbara in Toms River, NJ)
Junior Boys – Dimitri Petras (St. Barbara in Toms River, NJ)
Senior Girls – Anna Kalogiridis (St. George in Piscataway, NJ)
Senior Boys – Thomas Gantalis (St. Athanasios in Paramus, NJ).
Photo: Douglas John Photography
