St. Nicholas of Myra

Saint Nicholas was born in Lycia in Asia Minor in the late third century or early fourth century.  He is one of the most popular saints of the Church. As a young man he is said to have made a pilgrimage to Palestine and Egypt in order to study in the school of the Desert Fathers. On returning some years later he was almost immediately ordained Bishop of Myra, which is now Demre, on the coast of modern day turkey. He was imprisoned during the Diocletian persecution and only released when Constantine the Great came to power and made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. One of the most famous stories of the generosity of St. Nicholas says that he threw bags of gold through an open window in the house of a poor man to serve as dowry for the man’s daughters, who otherwise would have been sold into slavery. The gold is said to have landed in the family’s shoes, which were drying near the fire. This is why children leave their shoes out by the door, or hang their stockings by the fireplace in the hopes of receiving a gift on the eve of his feast.St. Nicholas is associated with Christmas because of the tradition that he had the custom of giving secret gifts to children. This is why he is associated with Santa Claus in some countries.He is also called Nicholas of Bari because his relics were taken to Bari by Italian merchants in 1087St Nicholas is the patron of children and of sailors. He died on December 6, 346.