WESTERN EUROPEAN DIOCESE: 21 January, 2025
Epiphany of the Lord celebrations at Exaltation of the Holy Cross Cathedral in Geneva

The Great Feast of the Theophany, the Baptism of Christ, was solemnly celebrated in the Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Cross during the first Archpastoral Visitation of His Grace Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe to Geneva in 2025.

The full cycle of Divine Services was celebrated from Friday to Sunday, culminating in the two Liturgies with the Great Blessing of the waters. On Sunday, this was done at the conclusion of the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with, as is custom in Geneva, the blessing taking place in the courtyard before the Cathedral itself.

Co-serving the Bishop were the Cathedral clergy: Archpriest Pavel Tsvetkoff, Archpriest Emilian Pocinok, Priest Antoine Barros and Archdeacon Dometian (Redko). They were joined by Priest Bogdan Babenko, who serves in the newly-formed Parish of St John the Wonderworker in Pau, France, and who arrived in Geneva on the occasion of the Feast, whereupon he received an antimins and chrism for the new parish, as well as various liturgical items gifted from the Cathedral.

The Sanctification of the Waters was followed by the blessing of the Cathedral with the holy water, as well as all the clergy and faithful present, who were both sprinkled with and drank of ‘the waters of the Jordan’ that had been blessed in their midst. In keeping with pious Orthodox custom, faithful brought bottles and filled them with the newly-blessed water, taking these to their homes where, over the coming weeks before the beginning of Great Lent, every Orthodox Christian has his home blessed each year by a Priest, who sprinkles it with the water brought there from this Feast.

In his homily at the end of the Divine Liturgy, Vladyka Irenei spoke of the Baptism of Christ as a moment of profound joy for all Christians, as it reveals the extent of God’s saving Grace for us. ‘In this Feast we begin to realise, if our spiritual eyes are open,’ he preached, ‘that we are veritably surrounded by the tools of our redemption: water sanctifies us, oil heals us, bread and wine mystically feed us, being transformed into the True Body and Precious Blood of the Saviour. The hands of a priest convey the forgiveness of sins. The love of our fellow Christians transforms the hardness of our hearts.’

’Let us, therefore, my fellow Christians, rightly mark this sacred festival,’ continued Vladyka. ‘Let us humbly bow down before God Who raises us up. Let us not flee the weakness of our created nature, but become ever more aware that even the basest elements of our nature can be sanctified by God, just as today the waters are sanctified. Let us rush with all our hearts towards this God, Who today reveals how He rushes towards us: He comes to us in flesh, He enters the waters, He wanders the deserts, He enters our cities, He teaches our young and our elders — and ultimately He culminates this life of extraordinary self-offering with a sacrificial death; for today we behold that love which surpasses all other love — the love that lays down its life. But this love shall rise, as Christ shall rise in eternal life, and the very creation He sanctifies today rises with Him, united with Him forever, unto eternity!’

As is customary during His Grace’s regular visits to the Geneva Cathedral, Bishop Irenei spent time during these days chairing meetings of the Parish Association, meeting with members of the Parish Council, conversing with clergy, and meeting with faithful about various matters.

orthodox-europe.org