Monongahela River blessed during Orthodox ceremony

By Matt Petras

For the MV Independent

Joined by more than 30 people Saturday, Rev. John Parker held a cross made of frozen holy water and tossed it into the Monongahela River to dissolve. 

This act constituted a blessing of the river at the Noble J. Dick Aquatorium in Monongahela hosted by St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Donora. The event is part of Christian Orthodox tradition. 

“It’s traditional in the Orthodox Church to bless natural bodies of water as an outreach of our feast of Christ’s baptism,” Parker said. “And having done that where I came from, I spoke to a few other clergy, sent out information and said this may be a good spot on this day to do it.” 

People from St. Nicholas wanted to get others from around the Mon Valley to come together for this unique religious ceremony. The event attracted representatives from churches such as St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Canonsburg and the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church in Monongahela. 

To read the rest of this story, please see a copy of Monday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at https://e.monvalleyindependent.com.