raven read

In a world where self-sacrifice often goes unnoticed, it is not surprising that the story of real St. Nicholas fades into the background. His feast day quickly became one of my favorites after I learned his story as a mother.

St. Nicholas lived in the 4th century in Myra, located in today’s Turkey. He was famous for his generosity to the poor.  A few stories of his generosity trickle down the centuries. For instance, St. Nicholas rescued three innocent men who were falsely accused of robbery and were to be executed and also saved the crew of a ship that was about to sink in a storm.

However, the most famous of his stories revolve around three unmarried girls. When the business of a widowed merchant went bankrupt, his three daughters had to sell all their belongings to survive. In those times, this led them to a financial situation where no man would ask the hands of these young women, because they would not be able to offer a dowry. The father worried about their future.

When St. Nicholas heard about the desperation of the three daughters, he walked to the merchant’s house after dark and tossed a bag of gold through the window so that the eldest daughter could have a respectable dowry. The next night, he threw another bag for the second daughter. When, he came again for the third daughter, the grateful family rushed outside to thank this generous man. This is why many children find chocolate coins in their shoes on December 6th.

St. Nicholas is also the patron saint of children, but the reason for that may be a little too gory for this friendly school blog. If you see me around the school, ask me and I will tell you.

This generous and formidable bishop of Myra participated in the Council of Nicea to fight one of the most divisive heresies of the Church history. So, when we ask for his prayers on December 6th as we munch of treats we find in our shoes, we should remember a man of God who was willing to give and love without self-thought. 

Oh, he also visited to our school in his amazing outfit: