Saint Nectarios the Wonderworker

November 9

3cda3-ce9dceb5cebacf84ceaccf81ceb9cebfcf824-bmpNectarios of Aegina, Bishop of Pentapolis, is one of the most well known modern saints in the Orthodox Church. He was born in Selyvria near Thrace, and being from a poor family, had to travel to Constantinople alone to earn a living. At 14 years of age, Nectarios (known then as Anastaios) had no money and asked the captain if he could board his ship to Constantinople for free. The captain refused, but the ship’s engines would not start. The captain then looked over to the dock and saw the pitiful Nectarios and invited him on board and the engines started immediately. Saint Nectarios found a job with a tobacco merchant in Constantinople, but was treated very harshly by his boss. Seeing his boss writing letters to many people, Nectarios wished to emulate this, however, he had nobody to write to, and so he wrote to Christ asking for a new apron and shoes. A certain man saw this letter and took it upon himself to give the boy money anonymously, from which Nectarios bought new shoes and an apron. His boss, thinking the boy had stolen money from him, beat him severely, but he was saved by the man who had sent the money. This was to foreshadow the events of the saint’s future life. He soon became a monk and eventually was appointed Bishop of Pentapolis in Egypt, however because of his great zeal, the other bishops deposed him out of jealousy. Rumours then began to spread and the saint was not safe wherever he went. Eventually, he ended up on the island of Aegina where he revived an abandoned monastery, gathering a group of nuns around him. Years later, the saint fell ill with a bladder disease and was admitted to hospital, where he gave up his soul to the Lord at 74 years of age. Saint Nectarios was the source of many miracles before and after his death, and therefore has been given the title of wonderworker.

Homily on Christology

Saint Nectarios and the Village in Romania

Ἀπολυτίκιον
Ἦχος α’. Τῆς ἐρήμου πολίτης.
Σηλυβρίας τὸν γόνον καὶ Αἰγίνης τὸν ἔφορον, τὸν ἐσχάτοις χρόνοις φανέντα ἀρετῆς φίλον γνήσιον, Νεκτάριον τιμήσωμεν πιστοί, ὡς ἔνθεον θεράποντα Χριστοῦ, ἀναβλύζει γὰρ ἰάσεις παντοδαπὰς τοῖς εὐλαβῶς κραυγάζουσι. Δόξα τῷ σὲ δοξάσαντι Χριστῷ, δόξα τῷ σὲ θαυματώσαντι, δόξα τῷ ἐνεργοῦντι διὰ σοῦ πᾶσιν ἰάματα.

Κοντάκιον
Ἦχος πλ. δ’. Τῇ Ὑπερμάχῳ.
Ὀρθοδοξίας τὸν ἀστέρα τὸν νεόφωτον, καὶ Ἐκκλησίας τὸ νεόδμητον προτείχισμα Ἀνυμνήσωμεν καρδίας ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ. Δοξασθεὶς γὰρ ἐνεργείᾳ τῇ τοῦ Πνεύματος. Ἰαμάτων ἀναβλύζει χάριν ἄφθονον τοῖς κραυγάζουσι· χαίροις Πάτερ Νεκτάριε.

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