St. Mary’s Rev. Blesses Monongahela River

Morgantown Dominion Post
9 January 2017
By Katherine Hensley

STAR CITY — The Rev. Matthew Stagon, of St. Mary’s Orthodox Church, blessed the Monongahela River on Jan. 8 at the boat ramp at the Edith Barill Riverfront Park in Star City. The blessing is performed at this time of the year because the church remembers the baptism of Jesus on Jan. 6, according to Stagon.

“The water is the very foundation of life and, when we bless the water, it is a blessing on all of life and everything in this world,” Stagon said. “There is a lot of ugliness and darkness in the world today and we need to see things that are more filled with light and things that are more filled with grace.”