PAROHIA ORTODOXĂ ROMÂNĂ DÜSSELDORF

Theophany on the Banks of the Rhine

Published on 08 January 2018

Theophany on the Banks of the Rhine

On Sunday, 7 January 2018, the Feast of St. John the Baptist, the blessing of the waters of the Rhine took place in Düsseldorf, officiated by His Eminence Augustinos, Metropolitan of the Greek Orthodox Church in Germany and president of the Orthodox Bishops’ Conference in Germany.

His Eminence concelebrated with a group of priests that included Archimandrite Teofannis Lappas, Protopresbyter Ioannis Psarakis, Protopresbyter Iosif-Cristian Rădulescu, and Deacon Ovidiu Marius Cioară. At the end of the service, several brave young men jumped into the Rhine to retrieve the cross thrown into the water by Metropolitan Augustinos. The event, which reiterates an ancient Orthodox tradition, was attended by Thomas Geisel, mayor of the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, and Msgr. Ulrich Hennes, Catholic dean of Düsseldorf—both expressing joy that this tradition is present in the city.

Many Greek and Romanian Orthodox faithful took part, rejoicing to preserve the beautiful tradition of blessing the waters at Theophany.

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