Oblate Program at Belmont Abbey, NC

Tag: Nicholas

West Bank town takes pride in links to St. Nicholas, celebrates Dec. 19

BEIT JALLA, West Bank (CNS) — Bethlehem might have the Church of the Nativity, but residents of this largely Christian town adjacent to Bethlehem say they have St. Nicholas. “People believe he is the protector of the city,” said Father Faysal Hijazen, parish priest of the Church of the Annunciation. “In all of the Christian… Read More ›

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A different story about St. Nicholas

The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still… Read More ›

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Sealed Under Turkish Mud, a Well-Preserved Byzantine Chapel

DEMRE, Turkey — In the fourth century A.D., a bishop named Nicholas transformed the city of Myra, on the Mediterranean coast of what is now Turkey, into a Christian capital.  Nicholas was later canonized, becoming the St. Nicholas of Christmas fame. Myra had a much unhappier fate. After some 800 years as an important pilgrimage… Read More ›

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