In Eastern rite churches it is the custom, on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, to bless the waters, remembering Christ in the waters of the Jordan River. (We'll be celebrating that feast this coming Sunday, January 13.)
The photo above is from St. Elias Parish in Brampton, Ontario. You can see that they have cut a cruciform hole in the ice on the river and the priest is kneeling down to bless the flowing waters. If you ask me, the pastor is precariously close to being rebaptized himself!
St. Elias Church is an Eastern rite church in communion with Rome and worships in the Byzantine Rite. To learn more about this parish and for a short course in the differences between Eastern and Roman Rite churches, go the St. Elias website and explore! Once there, be sure to click on Music and then on Christmas to hear how they sing at this time of the year.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia Elias is another spelling of Elijah. I can't think of any old testament saints in the in the western church. Think a little harder?
ReplyDeleteThe Elias after whom this parish is named is a late 5th/early6th century Christian saint. Google "Saint Elias" and you'll find his interesting story.
ReplyDeleteThat is not St. Elias Church in Brampton, Ontario. Also, that's a bishop, not a priest. The pictures are from a Russian Orthodox church in Ishim (?), Russia.
ReplyDeletedanchyk: thank you for the correction! I believe I found the photo on the Brampton site and erroneously concluded that St. Elias was the place in the photo.
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