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[Catholic Caucus] “Innumerable miracles”, reduced to none: Saint Nicholas in the Traditional and Modern Roman Missals Today is the feast day of Saint Nicholas, and his collect in the traditional Roman Missal alludes to his Greek title of "wonderworker", and the "innumerable miracles" he worked during his life: Deus, qui beátum Nicoláum Pontíficem,innúmeris decorásti miráculis:tríbue, quǽsumus;ut eius méritis et précibusa gehénnæ incéndiis liberémur. (CO 1463)O God, who made the holy Bishop Nicholasrenowned for innumerable miracles,grant, we beseech you,that by his merits and prayerswe may be saved from the fires of hell.The Corpus orationum (CO) tells us that this collect—along with...

Saint Nicholas was born in the third century, to an affluent family in Patara, a Greek city in the Roman province of Lycia, in modern-day Turkey. Nicholas was a priest during the reign of Diocletian (reigned 286-305), an emperor who embarked upon a vigorous persecution of Christians in 305. Diocletian was succeeded in the eastern half of the Empire by Galerius (r. 305-311), who continued the persecution, although he issued an edict of toleration before he died. It was in this era that Nicholas became bishop of Myra. His name, Nikolaos, is Greek for “Victor of the People,” apt for...

Lovely Scene From Austria VIDEOS AT LINK............. Muslim migrants try to disrupt the Austrian parade of St. Nicholas. They was met with force from patriots. They forgot Krampus (horned-devil type creature) are in attendance and aren’t taking any of their [crap] this year. Hat tip to Katie Hopkins… Bloody marvellous. Migrants try to disrupt the parade of St Nicklaus in Austria Only to forget the #Krampus (horned-devil type creature) are in attendance and aren’t taking any of their sh*t this year. pic.twitter.com/4Dnvs5IrSS — Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins) December 9, 2019

An ancient merchant had three lovely daughters. But due to a tragic turn of events, he had lost all hope that his daughters would be able to marry and live a happy life. It was the third century, and this businessman had lost his fortune when pirates pillaged his ship. His beautiful daughters were of marrying age, and without money he could give them no dowry.In those days, young women without a dowry had few options for survival. Many were forced into slavery or prostitution.The father prayed around the clock that somehow God would grant a miracle for his...

Having just turned five years old, I was a little young (at least back then) to question the “holiday” law-of-the-land. Of course five-year-olds believed in Santa Claus! But it was back in the day when several ages of neighborhood kids used to hang around together, and I was running with some seven- and eight-year-olds who were feeding me some pretty good reasons not to believe in that benign big man. Most of you are at least vaguely familiar with the various Protestant Reformation (and later secular) traditions that transformed Saint Nicholas into Santa Claus, so it is not necessary to...

About 700 years ago, a bronze ring depicting St. Nicholas — the saint who inspired the modern-day figure of Santa Claus — slipped off the finger of its owner, likely either a crusader or a pilgrim traveling to the Holy Land. The ring lay buried in the dirt for hundreds of years, until a gardener in Israel found it last week while weeding in Lower Galilee. The gardener, Dekel Ben-Shitrit, 26, turned the unusual ring over to Israel's National Treasures Department, where archaeologists dated the metal artifact to between the 12th and 15th centuries, during the Middle Ages. [The Holy...

A pelvis bone said to belong to the fourth-century saint who inspired the story of Father Christmas could indeed be from the legend himself, scientists have said. Researchers at the University of Oxford radiocarbon tested the the bone said to be from St Nicholas, and found it dates from the correct historical period. While they cannot categorically prove they are from the Christian saint, the team said the results pinpoint the relic's age to the fourth century AD. This is the period widely believed to have been when St Nicholas died, around 343 AD.

The Real St. Nicholas – How Did a Cantankerous but Holy Bishop Become Jolly Ole St. Nick?By: Msgr. Charles Pope  Today is the Feast of St. Nicholas. The real St. Nicholas was nothing close to the St. Nick  (Santa Claus) of the modern age. He was a thin curmudgeonly man with a zeal for the Lord that caused flairs of anger. Compromise was unknown to him. The slow transformation of him into “Jolly ole’ Saint Nicholas is a remarkable recasting of him centuries in the making. Some years ago the Washington Post featured an article entitled Poles Apart: Nicholas...

Today (Dec 6) is the Feast of St. Nicholas. The real St. Nicholas was nothing close to the St. Nick (Santa Claus) of the modern age. He was a thin curmudgeonly man with a zeal for the Lord that caused flairs of anger. Compromise was unknown to him. The slow transformation of him into “Jolly ole’ Saint Nicholas is a remarkable recasting of him centuries in the making. Some years ago the Washington Post featured an article entitled Poles Apart: Nicholas of Myra; How a 4th-Century Bishop Achieved Fame 1,500 Years Later, With a Whole New Attitude.On this feast of...

• Racism controversy dampens Holland's Sinterklaas tradition Children across Europe eagerly await the arrival of St. Nicholas on December 6. But in Holland, the tradition has racist implications that the Dutch aren't quite willing to give up. For the Dutch, Sinterklaasavond (St. Nicholas Eve) on December 5 is the biggest celebration of the year - bigger than Christmas. That evening, families gather and exchange presents, and children leave out their shoes in the hopes that Sinterklaas will have fill them with candy by the next morning. What seems like a harmless holiday devoted to gifts, candy, and children, has a...

No Christmas passes by without depictions of Santa Claus, and yet we know little about St. Nicholas, the real man behind the red-suited, white-bearded legend. A U.S. scholar, who discovered the truth about him, offers insights on what the "original" Santa was known for. While the vast majority of saint stories that circulated in the early church involved extraordinary miracles and healings or dramatic martyrdoms and confessions of Christ, the story of Nicholas was about a regular family facing a familiar crisis to which ordinary people could relate, writes Adam C. English, author of The Saint Who Would Be Santa...

Better than Santa Claus Meet St. Nicholas the Wonder-Worker. By: Louise Perrotta A friend was struggling. You could see it in his eyes and in his growing estrangement from his family and from church. I prayed for him, sensing he was headed for deep trouble. And since the need was so great and the crisis so near, I entrusted my friend to the care of St. Nicholas of Myra. This bishop of the early church—the real person behind the figure of Jolly Old Saint Nick—might not strike you as an obvious choice when it comes to interceding for a...

December 5, 2011. (Romereports.com) December 6 is the feast day of St. Nicholas of Bari, otherwise known as Santa Claus. He was bishop of the city of Myra, in present day Turkey, where he died in the fourth century. When the city was conquered by Muslims, his remains were moved to the Italian city of Bari. When his parents died, he divided his fortune among the poor. Because of his generosity, tradition remembers him as Santa Claus, who every year would deliver gifts to everyone. He is also the patron saint of Russia, Greece and Turkey. In Rome, a temple...

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 young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while...

Suspicious blaze breaks out at Bronx church St. Nicholas of Tolentine By Mike Jaccarino AND Jonathan LemireDAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS Friday, March 5th 2010, 2:56 PM Harbus for NewsThe two-alarm blaze broke out just before the noon Mass at St. Nicholas of Tolentine as the University Heights church started to fill up with parishioners, the pastor said. Harbus for NewsThe fire started in a former confessional-turned-storage room in the vestibule of the church, blocking the main entrance. A suspicious fire ignited in a Bronx church Friday, filling the sanctuary with flames and smoke and forcing its pastor to hustle...

Top officials in Turkey say the country is considering requesting the return of St Nicholas's remains from Italy so they may be placed at a museum to be built at his birthplace. St Nicholas, from whom the story of Santa Claus emerged, was born and served as a bishop of what is now the Turkish Mediterranean town of Demre, in the 4th century AD. He was buried there, but his bones were later taken to the southern Italian town of Bari. Turkish Culture Minister Ertugrul Gunay told the Anatolia news agency that Turkey was planning to build a museum in...

The LowdownCelebrating Nikolaus in Germany Published: 4 Dec 09 10:13 CETOnline: http://www.thelocal.de/lifestyle/20091204-15915.html Each December 6, German children celebrate Nikolaus. Why does the Santa look-alike come so early and why do all the children place their shoes outside their front doors on the evening before? The Local has the lowdown. Is Nikolaus the same as Santa Claus? Though they have similar outfits, Nikolaus is not to be confused with Santa Claus, who Germans call the Weihnachtsmann, or Father Christmas. They are two different people. In fact, many religious families try to focus more on Nikolaus earlier in December to insure that...

www.catholicnewsagency.com German diocese creates ‘Santa-free zone’ Related articles: Santa ClausAdvent Christmas Tree BlessingHail to Thee, True BodyChristmas Tree Speyer, Germany, Nov 11, 2009 / 05:09 pm (CNA).- In an effort to encourage people to replace the commercialization of the Christmas season with a true devotion to Advent, Christmas and the “true Santa Claus,” several groups within the German Diocese of Speyer have initiated a “Santa-free campaign.” The Federation of German Catholic Youth (BDKJ) of Speyer has partnered with other organizations to champion the cause of St. Nicholas of Myra, a friend and helper of children and those in trouble....

MOSCOW, May 22 (RIA Novosti) - The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church spoke of the importance of meekness during a service on Friday in central Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral to commemorate St. Nicholas' Day. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, fishermen, children, travelers, the falsely accused and the sick, as well as of the cities of Bari, Amsterdam and Liverpool. He is also the archetype for the British and U.S. version of Santa Claus. He is especially venerated in Russia. On Friday, the Russian Orthodox Church marks the day when the relics of St. Nicholas the...

With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the House (and the Senate) Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care In hopes that a stimulus soon would be there. The voters were nestled all snug in their beds While visions of "hope" and "change" danced in their heads. The winners completed their victory lap, And we all settled down for our long winter's nap. For this year the markets had caused such a clatter-- Mortgages--credit crunch--what was the matter? With th'economy hitting new...