Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Real St. Nicholas still leaving imprint on Orthodox and Catholic Alaska

St. Nicholas, from whom the character of Santa Claus comes, looms large in Alaska where multiple Catholic and Orthodox churches bear the third-century saint's name.

His generosity and kindness to children is legendary, and veneration of the saint spans 1,700 years.

"St. Nicholas is next to the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist in devotion and veneration," said Father James Barrand, pastor of St. Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Catholic Church in Anchorage.

Like the Russian Orthodox, most Byzantine Catholic Churches contain icons of St. Nicholas.

Known in the West as the patron of children, St. Nicholas is seen in the East primarily as the patron of sailors, based on accounts of his calming the seas during his return from a pilgrimage in the Holy Land and his appearance to storm-tossed sailors off the coast of Lycia.

These miracles were related across the world, especially by missionaries to Russia. St. Nicholas is the patron of Russia and many cities and towns throughout the world.

Deacon Charles Rohrbacher, an iconographer at the Catholic Cathedral of the Nativity in downtown Juneau, said there are many icons and images of St. Nicholas on fishing boats and other sailing vessels in Alaska and elsewhere.

According to Father Michael Oleksa, an Orthodox priest who is rector of St. Alexis Church and chancellor of the Orthodox Diocese of Sitka, Anchorage and Alaska, more churches in the Orthodox tradition are named for St. Nicholas than for any other saint.

In Alaska, such churches can be found in Nikolski, Chignik, Tatitlik, Iliamna and Nondalton. The oldest of these is St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in Juneau, established in 1894.

According to its pastor, Father Simeon Johnson, the church received its name after a vision experienced by Tlingit elders. The son of a leader in the community had journeyed to San Francisco where he was to be baptized. While he was gone, several people had dreams of a bearded, balding, white-haired man.

When the young man returned, he brought an image of St. Nicholas. After the elders recognized it as the one from the dreams, the church received its name and more than 700 Tlingit people were baptized there.

St. Nicholas Catholic Church in North Pole, Alaska, received its name with help from the Catholic Church Extension Society, which helped build the church. The town which bears the name of the traditional home of Santa Claus attracts tourists, and many photograph the church and its statue of Santa kneeling and praying at the feet of the infant Jesus.

St. Nicholas of Myra was born to wealthy parents in the Greek colony of Patara in A.D. 270. His parents died while he was a child, leaving him a considerable fortune that he later used to support the needy, sick and suffering of Myra, part of modern-day Turkey. There, he was appointed bishop while still a young man.

He suffered persecution and imprisonment under the Roman Emperor Diocletian and is said to have attended the Council of Nicea in 325. St. Nicholas died in Myra in 346. In 1087, in advance of Muslim invaders, sailors spirited away the saint's remains to Bari, Italy, where they are today. For this reason, the saint is also known as Nicholas of Bari.

The historical facts of the life of St. Nicholas are both scanty and disputed, but the many legends and folk tales associated with him are numerous. The most widely known story has the good saint dropping bags of gold through an open window to an impoverished father of three daughters to pay for their dowries, thus preventing their being sold into a life of prostitution.

Variations have the money dropping into shoes or stockings drying near the fireplace, resulting in the characterization of Santa Claus as the quintessential gift-giver. Another legend tells of St. Nicholas restoring the lives of three children who had been butchered and pickled in brine during a famine.

Stories of the saint's aid to children and the close proximity of his feast day (Dec. 6) to Christmas links the man to the tradition of gift-giving. In many countries, Dec. 6 is traditionally one of exchanging presents. This custom was brought to the United States by Dutch Protestants of New Amsterdam who painted the saint as a Nordic magician -- Sinter Klaas.

In the present day, Orthodox churches honor the feast of St. Nicholas with various celebrations, including traditional songs and a visit from St. Nicholas to the children.

In Catholic circles, John Michalski, cantor and longtime parishioner at St. Nicholas of Myra in Anchorage, dressed as the sainted bishop on the evening of Dec. 11 and received children and their gifts to honor the generosity of their patron. The gifts were then given to Clare House shelter for homeless mothers and children.

As Deacon Rohrbacher said, the celebration of the life of St. Nicholas, whether on his feast day or in relation to Christmas, is "a real call to be advocates for those who are vulnerable." He is a saint both the East and West share, "a saint from an undivided church whose feast comes early in Advent."
 
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