The parish of St. Vladimir in Halifax was blessed to have his Eminence Archbishop Irenee visit on the eve of Theophany.

His Eminence presided at the Divine Liturgy and the service of the Great Blessing of Water in church.

On Sunday, after the Divine Liturgy, the clergy and faithful of the parish went to the Atlantic ocean, and blessed the waters there.  

The blessing of the ocean is particularly relevant to our small parish as we have parishioners who earn their living at sea, including catechumens in the Royal Navy. 

Le dimanche 12 janvier, après la Divine Liturgie, le prêtre Matthew Francis a conduit les fidèles de l'église orthodoxe des Saints-Apôtres de Chilliwack, en Colombie-Britannique, à célébrer la grande bénédiction de l'eau de la Théophanie sur le fleuve Fraser. Bénéficiant d'un après-midi lumineux et ensoleillé, le clergé et les fidèles se sont aventurés au parc Island 22, sur les rives du puissant fleuve Fraser, où la grande bénédiction de l'eau a été servie. La journée s'est terminée par un « pique-nique hivernal » festif, autour du pavillon au bord du fleuve.

On January 12th His Eminence Archbishop Irénée visited Saints Peter and Paul Sobor in Montréal.

Vladyka led the Divine Liturgy during celebrations of Nativity of Christ and visited the Christmas 'Yolka', with thematic performances prepared by pupils of the parish school.

Photos: Vsevolod Tsyplenkov, Sergiu Musteata

On January 12th in the afternoon, six hardy bundled up members of St. Mark headed off to Good Spirit Lake, to sanctify God's creation with a lake blessing. They gathered together at a parishoner's cabin. Together they  braved the cold weather and headed off to the lake. The temperature was a pleasant -23C but with the strong wind that day, the wind chill made it feel like -34C. The lake was blessed and the faithful gathered afterwards for snacks and hot beverages and a cabin blessing. Glory be to God for his mercies.