The Metropolis of New Jersey performed the 73rd ceremony of diving for the Holy Cross and Sanctification of the Waters at Asbury Park, New Jersey, as well as the annual memorial service of the former Archbishop of America, Athinagoras, as reported by anamniseis.net.
The events began with the hierarchical Divine Liturgy and the annual memorial service that took place in the Church of St. Georgios in Ocean, presided over by Bishop Apostolos of Medea and accompanied by the Protosyncellus, Fr. Christophoros Economidis, Proistamenos, Fr. Andreas Evgenis, and Deacon Philotheos.
Immediately afterwards, the priests and the faithful went to the beach of Asbury Park where the Bishop of Medea performed the Trisagion service performed by the Bishop of Medea and the faithful attended the laying of wreaths at the bust of Athenagoras.
Teenagers, boys and girls wearing white T-shirts with the emblem of the Metropolis, dived into the icy waters of the ocean to retrieve the Cross, but luck smiled upon Petros Kafoulis and Nikos Karavakas from the Community of Saint Georgios in Ocean, Christina from the Community of SaintAthanasios in Paramus, New Jersey, and Katerina Karagiannopoulou from the Community of Holy Trinity in Westfield, New Jersey.
Bishop Apostolos of Medea distributed the holy crosses to all his swimmers and wished them much success for the new school year.