With the blessings of His Grace Bishop Irinej of Eastern America, the Mission in Naples, Florida of the St. Petersburg Deanery, celebrated the Great Feast of Epiphany on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. 

Many of our faithful gathered for the first time at Naples Pier, with swimmers prepared to compete in retrieving the holy cross and bringing blessings to their families and their community. 

Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Uros Ocokoljich, priest-in-charge of our Naples Mission, and Presbyter Paul Girgis, head priest and pastor at St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church in Naples, concelebrated at the blessing of the waters.

After blessing the competitors with sanctified water, the decorated cross was taken out into the ocean waters by Danijela Sremac, and was victoriously retrieved by Dejan Mirkovic.

May this Epiphany serve as yet another of many more blessings to come for this nascent mission of the Eastern American Diocese.

Бог се јави! Indeed, God is revealed!