On
January
9, 2011 (the Sunday after Theophany) the faithful of the
Orthodox Christian Churches of Greater Harrisburg
gathered at City Island Park to participate in the service of the Great
Blessing of the Waters. This is the third year since this ancient
Christian tradition has been renewed amongst our Orthodox faithful in the greater Harrisburg area. We
were especially blessed by the archpastoral presence of His Grace Bishop TIKHON of Philadelphia
and Eastern Pennsylvania, who led 8 clergy and over 100 faithful in
the blessing this year.
The following local parishes participated in this years event:
- Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church in Harrisburg (OCA)
- Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church in Steelton (MAC)
- Holy Apostles Orthodox Mission in Mechanicsburg (OCA)
- Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Lebanon (SER)
- Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral in Camp Hill (GOA)
- St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Oberlin (SER)
We pray that God will continue to allow us to participate in His
awesome acts of sanctification, and that we might be faithful witnesses
of His power and grace to our local communities.
Following the services, we gathered for fellowship and a "Tastefully Simple" event at Holy Trinity Cathedral.
Photos courtesy of Kirill Burnett, John Constantine, and Grisha Ressetar