About Saint Nicholas -
Courtesy of the Saint Nicholas Center
Another story tells of three theological students, traveling on their
way to study in Athens
wicked innkeeper robbed and murdered them, hiding their remains in a
large pickling tub.
It
so happened that Bishop Nicholas, traveling along the same route,
stopped at this very inn.
In the night he dreamed of the crime, got up,
and summoned the innkeeper. As Nicholas
prayed earnestly to God the
three boys were restored to life and wholeness. In France the
story is
told of three small children, wandering in their play until lost, lured,
and captured by
an evil butcher. St. Nicholas appears and appeals to God
to return them to life and to their families. And so St. Nicholas is the
patron and protector of children.
Several stories tell of Nicholas and the sea. When he
was young, Nicholas sought the holy
by making a pilgrimage to the Holy
Land. There as he walked where Jesus walked, he
sought to more deeply
experience Jesus' life, passion, and resurrection.
Returning by sea,
a
mighty storm threatened to wreck the ship. Nicholas calmly prayed. The
terrified sailors
were amazed when the wind and waves suddenly calmed,
sparing them all. And so
St. Nicholas is the patron of sailors and
voyagers.
---more---
