ORLANDO, Fla. — Sunday was a special day at for the Saint George Orthodox Church in Downtown Orlando.

It wasn't just because of the long line for blessings, but for the celebration of what the church calls the Theophany.

What You Need To Know

  • St. George Orthodox Church celebrates their 52nd Annual Epiphany with the 'Dive for the Cross'

  • The dive for the cross relives the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptism

  • Four volunteers from St. George Orthodox Church participated in the dive in what the church is calling the Theophany or manifestation of God

  • The church says that the person that raises the cross receives extra blessings for the year

Dozens traveled from the church to Lake Eola to make a splash at Lake Eola Sunday after celebrating their 52nd annual Epiphany with the Dive For The Cross.

“Today we’re celebrating the theophany because the word epiphany means the manifestation,” said Saint George Orthodox Church Preist, Father John Hamatie. “The word Theophany is the manifestation of God that when the voice came from her says my beloved son, that’s the manifestation that Jesus Christ is god.”

Father Hamatie has been the priest at Saint George for more than 50 years and says the Theophany is meant to relive the baptism of Jesus by John The Baptist. 

A cross is thrown into Lake Eola and four volunteers from the church jumped in to retrieve it to showcase their faith.

“All the people that dove for the cross are very, very dedicated. They didn’t just go jump in the lake to go show off or something like that, they really mean it,” Father Hamtie said. “That’s meaningful, because we live in a society where so much stuff is not real anymore. It’s just plastic, or it’s shallow and this is not shallow.”

All four volunteers are said to be blessed, but Father Hamatie says the person that lifts the cross out of the water receives extra blessings for the year, as the action represents how John The Baptist lifted Jesus out of the water.

And for Julian Apolinario, it’s a moment he says he will never forget.

“It felt great. I mean, at first, I was hoping it wasn’t just a piece of trash because you know, unfortunately, people will litter,” Apolinario shared. “But the moment I felt the distinction of the cross, it felt warm. I felt warmth. So, the coldness and the whole fact that I was in Lake Eola just went away.”

Apolinario was recently converted and baptized into the Orthodox Church and got to share Sunday’s experience with his fiancé and he even got to celebrate with 2024’s victor, Rebecca Moore, the first woman at the church to ever retrieve the cross.

The celebration created a moment that they feel is bigger than them.

“I’m honestly going to remember the feeling of the cold water but mostly just celebrating with everyone supporting us doing this event and for the theophany and being able to do the dive,” said Apolinario.