For the first time in its history, the fishing village of Wallaroo in South Australia celebrated the Feast of Epiphany with a unique Blessing of the Waters ceremony on Thursday, January 9.
The Divine Liturgy was celebrated earlier at the local Greek Orthodox Parish of St Nicholas, which operates regularly with the blessings of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia and under the guidance of His Grace Bishop Silouan of Adelaide.
The service saw a significant turnout of young people and families from Adelaide, many of whom were holidaying in the area.
Father Michael Psaromatis, the parish priest, later invited the congregation to the beach at Wallaroo for the Blessing of the Waters ceremony.
During the ceremony, nine young men and boys entered the sea to retrieve the Holy Cross. The Cross was successfully retrieved by Dionysis Stamatelopoulos from the Parish of Saint George in Thebarton, Adelaide.
Following the ceremony, the congregation enjoyed a festive meal prepared by members of the parish committee.
