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As Orthodox Christians around the world celebrated the Epiphany on Monday, a horde of young men from Tarpon Springs took their places from their boats within the waters of the Spring Bayou, waiting for the Archbishop to throw the small wooden cross.
Once the cross was thrown, the men threw themselves into the water. After a short period, one teen managed to emerge from the bayou with the cross in his hands.
Lucas Boillot, 17, was hoisted into the air by his fellow divers and carried back to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral as this year's Epiphany Cross Retriever.
Reeling from the moment, Boillot shared that this was his second year of diving. While he said he was nowhere close to the cross last year, things turned out differently this time.
"It felt like a dream," the teen told 10 Tampa Bay. "It was truly an incredible experience."
Boillot's mother, Kathy, added how overwhelmed she was by her son's moment and said she "feels blessed" that her son got the cross.
"I'm ecstatic," Kathy said. "My father was the priest here for 30 years. I feel very blessed. We call him lucky Luc."
Luc and his mother both come from Plantation, Florida. Kathy shared that her brother retrieved the cross 40 years ago.
MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/lucas-boillot-epiphany-cross-tarpon-springs/67-a3c8116f-df17-4fdf-9ab1-8e9fd3976650