September 16, 2012 – Asbury Park, NJ – The 65th Annual Blessing of the Waters took place last week along the shores of Asbury Park. About 500 people attended the church service held on the famed boardwalk.
As part of the tradition, four groups of boys and girls, ranging from 7th to 12th grade, were given the opportunity to retrieve the cross thrown into the Atlantic Ocean by Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey. Marissa Kostides of the host parish, St. George, spoke with us about the historic event and the tradition of distributing basil during the service.
This annual celebration unites Greek Orthodox communities from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
