NEW JERSEY – On September 15, 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 His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos 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 at Deal, NJ, where His Eminence offered the Agiasmos Service, blessing the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. His Eminence then tossed the cross into the ocean four 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 diving for the Cross, Metropolitan Apostolos 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, His Eminence recognized the four 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. Metropolitan Apostolos 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 in this sacred event.

The Goyans who retrieved the cross were: Junior Girls – Evridiki Kontogiannis of St. Barbara in Toms River, NJ; Junior Boys – Dimitri Petras of St. Barbara in Toms River, NJ; Senior Girls – Anna Kalogirids of St. George in Piscataway, NJ; and Senior Boys – Thomas Gantalis of St. Athanasios in Paramus, NJ.