Saint Nicholas in our Church

Saint Nicholas has always been especially beloved by the faithful in our Church, and especially by the children. So today in our column, we will tell you a little about his special veneration in our Church in America. According to tradition, Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra of Lycia, is the patron saint of travelers, sailors, warriors, and children. His episcopal ministry was very active, and he also participated in the First Council of Nicaea, the 1700th anniversary of which we will celebrate next year. 

- An interesting fact is that the first service in our rite, which was celebrated in the USA 140 years ago in Shenandoah, PA, was Vespers on Saint Nicholas Day, December 18 (Until 1900, the Julian calendar lagged behind the Gregorian by 12 days). Also, the parish brotherhood that was created there in 1885 also chose Saint Nicholas as its patron. 

- In our Archeparchy, we have seven parishes whose patron is Saint Nicholas: 

Glen Lyon, PA (1894), 

Wilmington, DE (1903), 

Minersville, PA (1906), 

St. Clair, PA (1906), 

Passaic, NJ (1910), 

Millville, NJ (1914), 

Great Meadows, NJ (1923), 

Philadelphia, PA (1943). 

- Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of our UGCC eparchy in Chicago, IL. The cathedral of this eparchy, which was built in 1915 in the neo-Byzantine style, also has this saint as its patron. 

In the United States, the tradition of gift-giving is primarily associated with Christmas. However, in many of our parishes, both children and adults celebrate December 6 by receiving gifts from Saint Nicholas. This beautiful custom has deep Christian roots, inspired by the saint's legendary generosity, as he often secretly helped those in need. 

To celebrate this cherished tradition, we are sharing photos of Saint Nicholas’ visits to our parishes from five and ten years ago, originally published in our newspaper, The Way.