Coffee & Writing

That is a saint. However, before he was a saint he was the Bishop of Myra. His came from a wealthy family and his parents died when he was young, God told him to sell everything and give it to the poor and he did just that.

“Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave. This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day, December 6th (December 19 if on the Julian Calendar).

“Through the centuries many stories and legends have been told of St. Nicholas’ life and deeds. These accounts help us understand his extraordinary character and why he is so beloved and revered as protector and helper of those in need.”

“One story tells of a poor man with three daughters. In those days a young woman’s father had to offer prospective husbands something of value—a dowry. The larger the dowry, the better the chance that a young woman would find a good husband. Without a dowry, a woman was unlikely to marry. This poor man’s daughters, without dowries, were therefore destined to be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, on three different occasions, a bag of gold appeared in their home-providing the needed dowries. The bags of gold, tossed through an open window, are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas. Sometimes the story is told with gold balls instead of bags of gold. That is why three gold balls, sometimes represented as oranges, are one of the symbols for St. Nicholas. And so St. Nicholas is a gift-giver.”

St. NIcholas is the patron saint of many things: Children, coopers, travelers, sailors, fishermen, merchants, toymakers, broadcasters, the falsely accused, repentant thieves, brewers, pharmacists, archers, pawnbrokers, unmarried people, Prilep, Aberdeen, Galway, Albania, Russia, Greece, Hellenic Navy, Liverpool, Bari, Čilipi, Siggiewi, Moscow, Amsterdam, Lorraine, Royal School of Church Music, and Duchy of Lorraine, students in various cities and countries around Europe, Russian Navy.

If you leave your shoes outside of your door, St. Nicholas will leave something in them on December 6, the day he crossed the rainbow bridge. I forgot to leave my shoes out, but I did notice something under my tree from St. Nicholas. I better go and check out what it is!

Sources:

https://www.stnicholascenter.org/who-is-st-nicholas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas

Miriam Kavanagh