The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany

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On the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, 6 January 2026, His Eminence Atanasie, the Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Great Britain and Ireland, celebrated the Hierarchical Liturgy at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and Victory-bearer George in Enfield, London, in the presence of a large number of faithful who had come to share in the joy of Theophany.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, His Eminence, together with a gathering of priests and deacons, officiated the Great Blessing of the Waters, one of the most solemn services of the Orthodox Church, through which the whole of creation is blessed and called to renewal. In the prayers of this service, the Church bears witness to the manifestation of the Most Holy Trinity at the Jordan and to the sanctification of the waters through the descent of the Holy Spirit.

According to a beautiful tradition, following the service of the Great Blessing of the Waters, a tributary of the River Thames, which flows near the Cathedral, was blessed. The Hierarch performed the rite of casting the Holy Cross into the water, invoking God’s blessing upon the waters, upon the city, and upon all those who dwell in this part of London. This liturgical gesture was received with reverence by the faithful, as a sign of the sanctification of creation and of the active presence of God’s grace in the world.

In his address to those present, His Eminence Atanasie spoke about the spiritual meaning of Theophany, emphasising that Christ descends into the waters of the Jordan in order to raise the whole of creation, and that the blessing of the waters is a call addressed to every believer to sanctify his or her life, to live in the light, and to bear witness to the faith in the midst of the world.

‘This foundational feast,’ HE continued, ‘ontologically united with the Nativity of the Lord, is also a new Book of Genesis – the primordial waters revealed in the beginning are today sanctified by Him Who has no beginning, so that the matter of the entire Universe may be re-created. From today, each of us is granted a birth unto salvation, this time of water and of the Spirit – that water which is life-giving and which brings salvation in the light of the Holy Spirit.’

The Hierarch concluded: ‘Our Baptism, the Baptism of us all, becomes a baptism into the death of the Lord; His Cross becomes our cross; His Resurrection becomes our resurrection. The grace of the Holy Spirit, Who rests upon Christ, comes today to find a dwelling place in all hearts that have followed Him. The coming out of the sanctified waters brings about this mysterious descent of the life-giving Spirit, resting not only upon the Son of God, revealed today to the world, but also upon all those who, thirsting for grace, have embraced their return through repentance.’

The feast unfolded in an atmosphere of prayer and profound communal joy, bringing together clergy and faithful of all ages, who received the Great Holy Water and the hierarchical blessing, carrying into their homes the grace of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

Read the full address of the Hierarch here.

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
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The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
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The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr and victory-bearer George in London – the blessing of the waters and the communal joy of Theophany

Photo credit: Dorinel Preoțescu

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