There was a baptism celebration Saturday morning alongside Hickory Creek in New Lenox, but nobody got wet.
Members of St. John Orthodox Church marched out of their sanctuary Saturday morning and into the frigid cold to the waterway across the street.
They stood as the Rev. Andrew Harrison blessed the water to mark the Epiphany, or the 12th day of Christmas on the Orthodox calendar.
Although below freezing on the last day of a prolonged cold snap, the natural winter setting provided a serene picture as Hickory Creek’s edges were covered in ice and snow.
About two dozen Canada geese found refuge in a still flowing middle portion of the creek in the distance as Harrison carefully made his way down the bank to a spot along the water’s edge, avoiding several leafless branches.
“This is beautiful,” Harrison said of the winter scene. “This is so Russian.”
Orthodox Christianity is prevalent in Russia.
Harrison carried with him a wooden cross he had brought on a recent pilgrimage to the Middle East.
There he had dipped the cross in the River Jordan at the spot where Jesus Christ was purported to have been baptized in biblical times.
In New Lenox, Harrison tossed the cross into Hickory Creek three times after saying a prayer to sanctify and purify the water.
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“The idea behind this is to celebrate Christ’s baptism,” he said.
Harrison said a similar, much larger Orthodox ceremony is held in Tarpon Springs, Florida, in which children dive in to retrieve the thrown cross.
But diving into icy Hickory Creek was not practical, so instead he tied a string to the cross so he could fish it out.
Harrison said the ceremony is ancient in Orthodox Christianity and is usually connected to Christmas.
Blessing public waterways is somewhat common among religious organizations.
A nondenominational blessing of the waters event is held annually in Blue Island where politicians also speak about the importance of protecting water and the environment.
Although the St. John event was more religious than civic, Harrison said Orthodox Christians believe it is important to take care of the environment.
“It’s an extension of what we do here,” he said. “We acknowledge the importance of water for life. It should be cared for and not polluted.”
Frank Vaisvilas is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.