SACRED HEART CHURCH NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUTSt Nicholas
The Feast of St. Nicholas, The Wonder Worker
Since the 1968 revision of the Roman Catholic calendar, some ask if he is still really regarded as a Saint.
The Roman Catholic calendar revision did remove forty saints, but not Nicholas. This reformation of the calendar did not remove St. Nicholas from the roster of saints, it only removed his feast from the Roman Liturgical calendar. This means the Feast of St. Nicholas is not obligatory Feast according to Roman Catholic law.
The Papal Court states that "Saints who lost their places or whose feast days were demoted from universal to optional (e.g. Nicholas) in the new edition of the liturgical calendar are still to be venerated as they were before the calendar's updating."
Saint Nicholas is properly called a saint and it is right to celebrate his Feast Day
St. Nicholas is the Saint whom the American's "Santa Claus" was modelled after. In real life, though, St. Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra (Turkey). He was born in Asia Minor in A.D. 260. He had three daughters and had lost all his money and couldn't provide a dowry to marry the oldest off. St. Nicholas came through, tossing a bag of coins through the man's window at night. He did the same for the other two daughters, but the man caught him doing it with the last one. This is why he is represented with 3 gold coins or a bag of coins.
Today is a the day for gift-giving. Some do this on Christmas, some on the Feast of the Epiphany, remembering the gifts the Three Kings gave to Baby Jesus.
Especially, in the Eastern Catholic churches, "St. Nicholas," dressed as a Bishop, hands out presents to the children. Children also put their shoes in front of the fireplace to be filled with candy and presents by morning. This is where the Christmas stockings may have originated from.
posted by Ginny @ 9:24 PM
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Official Mascot of The League of Warm & Fuzzy Traditionalists
1 Comments:
I was wrote a small piece on St. Nicholas as well. I only wish more people will venerate the real St. Nicholas instead of the fictional santa claus.
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