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MARQUETTE — St. Jacob of Alaska Orthodox Christian Mission celebrated the Great Blessing of the Waters at Mattson Lower Harbor Park, a few hundred yards from the iconic ore dock and historic downtown Marquette, on Saturday, Jan. 22, as Marquette residents looked on and took photographs.

According to a press release, the Orthodox Church celebrates Theophany, or the Baptism of Christ, in January. Blessing bodies of water during the Theophany period is an ancient Christian tradition still celebrated by Orthodox Christian communities around the world.

“To our knowledge, this is the first time the Great Blessing of the Water has taken place at Marquette Lower Harbor,” the release states.

Priest Micah Chisholm of St. Sebastian Orthodox Christian Mission Church in Traverse City celebrated the Great Blessing of the Waters after Divine Liturgy at NMU, assisted by Deacon Jesse Rimshas, who serves as Mission Coordinator of St. Jacob’s, and by the faithful of St. Jacob’s.

St. Jacob of Alaska Orthodox Christian Mission is a five-month-old community of Archbishop Peter of Chicago, a hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. St. Jacob’s is named for St. Jacob Netsvetov, the first Orthodox Christian priest born in North America. St. Jacob’s is currently holding services every other week at Northern Michigan University’s Northern Center until a more permanent location can be found.

For more information about St. Jacob’s, visit www.marquetteorthodox.org or call or text 906-275-4122.