Beloved St. Nicholas, Patron of Children and Puncher of Heretics!

Rosie was at the soccer field one day talking with one of her playmates about her letter to Santa. Of course, she wanted to ask Santa for toys and a pretty dress. But she also wanted to make cookies with her sister to set out for the jolly saint, and she wanted to tell him all about that in her letter. She knew he was going to get a lot of cookies that night and she wanted to make something a little different just for him.

But her friend wasn’t having it. She declared, “There’s no such thing as Santa Clause!” To prove her point, the little friend dragged Rosie over to her dad who also took it upon himself to tell my child that Santa didn’t exist.

Luckily, Rosie knew that he does exist, just like all of the other saints that we read and talk about exist. Since she knew his back story, she did her best to relay that information to her friend and her friend’s dad!

St. Nicholas is a historical figure!

The story of Nicholas’s conception is bible-like. His parents, Theophanes and Noona prayed for many years to have a baby. Finally, in despair, Noona poured out her heart to the Lord, just as Hannah did in the Old Testament. Her prayers were answered and little Nicholas was born in the year 280 AD in the village of Patara (in Turkey). 

Legend has it that even as a baby he could do miraculous things. It is said that he once stood up in his baby bath and raised his little chubby arms in prayer! His parents were wealthy and raised their son as a Christian.

When Nicholas was a young man, his parents succumbed to an epidemic (possibly small pox or an influenza). He was subsequently raised and educated by his uncle, who was the bishop of  Patara. He used his inheritance to take care of the sick and poor.

It is probably during this time that one of the most famous stories about the saint happened. A poor family in the village did not have enough money to provide dowries for the three daughters. In those days, a woman could not marry unless she had a dowry to bring to her husband’s family. Nicholas took pity on this poor family.

Some say that he anonymously threw bags of gold up through the chimney of their house which landed in the daughter’s shoes. Others say that he broke into the house on three consecutive nights to leave gold for the girls. Whichever way it happened, Nicholas left quickly but was pursued by the father of the house. Nicholas begged for his anonymity, but of course, such great generosity did not remain a secret for very long. This is why Nicholas is the patron saint of unmarried women!

Travel adventures

Nicholas’s uncle, the bishop, educated his nephew well in the faith and trained him as an acolyte and eventually as a priest. When the bishop went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he left the care of his flock to young Nicholas, who had an innate knack for it.

Later, Nicholas went on his own pilgrimage, but while on his journey, had a strange feeling that he should cut his trip short and return to Patara. He quickly booked passage on a ship and set sail on the Mediterranean.

Again, in an event that mirrored many stories in the bible, a great storm came up and endangered the ship. Nicholas prayed fervently for the storm to stop! When it did, they discovered that the ship was without a rudder. Unable to steer the ship they were left stranded in the Mediterranean for a while until they finally saw land. When they came ashore, Nicholas happily discovered that he was right back in Patara! This is why Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors.

The man who just happened to become a bishop!

It’s clear that Nicholas was a courageous and loving bishop.

But the way he became bishop was extraordinary!

The bishop of Myra died. It was the custom there for all of the surrounding bishops to gather and pick a new man to succeed as bishop. But as these things go, the bishops couldn’t come to a consensus on who the new bishop should be! One of the oldest bishops in attendance had a dream. In that dream, a young man named Nicholas came through the doors and became the bishop. The old man told his colleagues, “Let’s wait until morning. Then the first man who comes in through the doors named Nicholas, should be our new bishop. That is what I have seen in my dream!”

As it happens, Nicholas was in town to pay his respects to the late bishop. When he walked in the door that morning, the old bishop asked what his name was. “Nicholas,” he replied. And the rest of the conclave proclaimed him to be the new bishop, much to the young priest’s surprise!

Nicholas was a brave and decent bishop. His people loved him. A staunch defender of the faith, he is well known for having punched a heretic in the face. He also spent a decade in prison under the regime of emperor Diocletian. Here he continued his priestly vocation of caring for and inspiring his fellow prisoners.

Here is a not-so-well-known story about the saint:

Puncher of Heretics

The story goes that Bishop Nicholas, got in the face of a public heretic and punched or slapped him in the face. Some kinda doubt the story, but I think it’s refreshing to think that a bishop would actually stand up for the faith in such a physical way. It’s certainly not something we see a lot of today.

I like to think there is a kernel of truth to the story in that Nicholas did spend some time in jail for what was essentially assault, but divine intervention got him out and even restored him to the rank of bishop.

Death of a Saint

St. Nicholas died in Myra in the year 343 at the age of 74. News of his generosity and holiness, even after death, made him famous.

It is said that his tomb had a sweet smell to it and excreted a sweet oil or water, known as holy manna. and that it continues to give this substance which is bottled with https://www.stnicholascenter.org/who-is-st-nicholas/saint-in-bari/manna holy water every May 9.

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Some books and movies

I really like to give my children a truer look at the lives of the saints and The Legend of Saint Nicholas doesn’t sugarcoat it!

This beautiful book by Ann Tompert tells the story succinctly and is beautifully illustrated.

Younger children or people who are just learning the story of St. Nicholas will enjoy this animated film. 

There are lots of great books to share with children and adults alike about St. Nicholas.  Bill Bennett has one that has become a holiday favorite.  (He is the author of the books of virtue).The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas

Some things to share

I have somewhat of a collection of St. Nicholas things that I have saved over the years.  This is a beautiful throw that I purchased at a tag sale at a great price, and it adorns our couch in the living room during the Advent and Christmas Season.



Be sure to visit the St. Nicholas Center today.
Also the Bounty of St. Nicholas Fair
My links for St. Nicholas on Diigo


A few years ago we made a  St. Nicholas Spoon Saint!

He turned out like this:

Spoon saint- St. Nicholas

TRADITIONS!

It is our tradition to have the kids put their shoes out on the eve of the Feast of St. Nicholas.  One year we did NOT fill shoes with candy on the eve of the feast. Mr. Pete worked very late and was working all the next day although the kids put their shoes out, they are not getting filled until the night of the feast. I write this as a way of saying it’s okay to live the liturgical life, but with family and work responsibilities, it’s also okay to be flexible in our celebrations from day to day and from year to year!

Our assorted St. Nicholas statues come out today. A few of these were bought at craft shows, one was a gift, but most came from yard and estate sales. I also put out photos of my kids with Santa. 

This is my newest addition. I got it at an estate sale for $5. It’s also a music box!

And a Santa unique to Akron – the Blue Santa. You can read more about that here.