Epiphany 2018 – Blessing of the Holy Water
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Purported site for the baptism of Jesus on the Jordan River
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During Epiphany, people traditionally attend a prayer service where the priest blesses regular water into holy water – a “Blessing of the Water” ceremony. Years ago, it was customary to go to the nearest river (symbolic of the Jordan river) where a priest would bless the entire body of water. The ceremony often took place outdoors on a river or lake during the first week of January, so an ice cross was usually constructed for the event.
Since the entire school body was assembled in the gym for the “Blessing of the Water” prayer service, Mr. Picklyk used this opportunity to introduce the school’s new interim caretaker, Mr. Rostylav Trokhanovskyy. Mr. Trokhanovskyy (or “Ross” as he likes to be called) is filling in for Mr. Fil for the rest of the school year as Mr. Fil recovers from his illness.
On Friday, January 19, 2018, the staff and students of IHMS celebrated Epiphany with a “Blessing of the Water” ceremony. Part of the ceremony took place in the school gym while the actual blessing of the water took place outdoors. The ceremony was conducted by the school’s chaplain, Father Isadore Dziadyk, OSBM and his new assistant, Father Emilian Ntchak OSBM. The outdoor portion of the service took place next to a specially constructed ice cross that was set up in the playground.
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In order to bless the water, Father Isadore invoked the Holy Spirit to come upon the water, and then did four triple blessings over the water. The first blessing involved the use of 3 triple candlesticks called Trikirion.
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At this point, the blessing of the water ceremony was over, and the students were dismissed back to their classrooms. Father Isadore and Father Emilian soon followed, walking around the school with a small group of students and blessed each room with a sprinkle of the newly blessed holy water. The students, lead by Mrs. Stanowych, sang a hymn throughout this process.
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Father Isadore and Father Emilian started in the gym, and proceeded to bless every room in the school with holy water |
The holy water that was left over from the ceremony is kept in the front foyer near the trophy case for anyone interested in taking some home with them. It can be used for blessing your home or car, and can even be used for drinking. Please bring a container of your choice to school and help yourself.
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A unique view of the “Blessing of the Water” prayer service from on top of the school |