Archbishop Elpidophoros of America: Celebration of 120 years in Tarpon Springs is an apex for the Greek Diaspora

The Archbishop of America, together with Metropolitan Sebastian of Atlanta and Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzus, celebrated the 120th blessing of the waters in Tarpon Springs, Florida, where there is a strong Greek community. In fact, the Archbishop of America noted that “no one knows wine waters better than the Greeks, since they have been Armenianizing them for millennia.”

Archbishop Elpidophoros noted that “the community of Tarpon Springs, founded in the late 19th century. with its economy based on Greek immigrants who brought their seamanship from the Aegean Sea and advanced diving techniques to the region, it is an integral part of the identity of the Greek Diaspora and a characteristic example of what it means to be Greek Orthodox in the USA”.

As he emphasized, “the Greek Diaspora in the city of sponge divers preserve the traditions that define us as a people, experiencing in particular the tradition of the Church in their everyday lives. This is why, after all, we bless every year all these sponge and fishing boats, which essentially symbolize the countless means that transported the Greek immigrants to their new homeland, to this blessed land”.

For his part, the city's mayor, John Koulianos, described the day as the most important of the year for Tarpon Springs, while speaking of "a precious tradition for the most visible and crowded event that the area hosts. After all, the celebration of Epiphany in the sponge fishing ports is among the largest in the world, attracting tens of thousands of believers and visitors every year.

The 120 years of continuous celebration of Epiphany and observance of the custom is a remarkable achievement, a bond from yesterday to today that makes this moment even more profound and meaningful," the mayor emphasized.

The cross was retrieved from the waters of Spring Bayou in Tarpon Springs by 18-year-old Greek-American student Athos Karystinos, who was one of 74 swimmers who dived to catch the symbol of our faith.

The great winner, in fact, expressed gratitude to God for giving him this great opportunity in his life, in a blessed country, where, as Archbishop Elpidophoros emphasized, "Hellenism lives and reigns, Orthodoxy triumphs and the communities of the Greek diaspora, united and successful, look to the future with optimism."