Saint Stories

Joe O’Sullivan is the Writer and Content Developer for the Communications Office of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. He moved from Minnesota to South Louisiana in December 2023 to be closer to family. He is originally from Denver, Colorado.

We owe more to St. Nicholas than we realize.

Described by some as the “Patron Saint of Everything,” St. Nicholas was the Bishop of an ancient Greek town called Myra, located in present-day Turkey on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. He was born around March 15, 270 to devout Christian parents, but sadly he lost them both at an early age because of an epidemic. After their deaths, St. Nicholas was greatly impacted by the words of Jesus to “go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven” (Matthew 19:21).

It wasn’t long thereafter that St. Nicholas gifted us with the original inspiration for Santa Claus. In the town where he lived, there was a man who'd lost everything and was unable to produce a dowry for his three daughters to marry, meaning his daughters would be sold into slavery. When St. Nicholas heard this, he secretly delivered a bag of gold to the family’s home in the middle of the night. St. Nicholas continued these acts of kindness, eventually providing for all three women. The father eventually discovered who had delivered the gold, and St. Nicholas' reputation of generosity started to grow (later resulting in the inspiration for Santa Claus).

Later in life, St. Nicholas became the Bishop of Myra, where he became widely respected as a theologian for his defense of the Church's teachings. At the Council of Nicaea, he protected the integrity of the Church from the heresy of the day: Arianism, which denied the Divinity of Jesus. The Council of Nicaea went on to produce the Nicene Creed, which articulates the Church's most essential teachings – a prayer that we recite in Mass to this day.

In another instance, St. Nicholas saved the lives of three young travelers who got stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time, to no fault of their own. When a ship was unloading at port, a riot broke out and some things went missing. These three innocent civilians were accused of stealing and sentenced to death by the local government. St. Nicholas heard the unfortunate news and intervened just before the executioner was about to put them to death, setting them all free. Because of his courageous intervention to help the three unfortunate civilians falsely accused of stealing, he is also a patron of innocent victims and people wrongly accused of crimes.

St. Nicholas is therefore known for many things, but perhaps most especially, he is known for his spirit of generosity. St. Nicholas was a gift-giver, having delivered gifts that served not only to endear him to others, but to prevent them from being sold into slavery.

St. Nicholas died on December 6. Now, Catholics across the world celebrate St. Nicholas’s Feast Day with gift-giving, often leaving shoes outside their doors for St. Nicholas to stop by and leave gifts. In Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, the custom of making him the secret giver of gifts to children remains to this day, and many families in the Unites States have begun observing this tradition as well.

St. Nicholas is a wonderful example of Christian generosity, courage, and leadership. A protector and defender of the innocent, he is a reminder of the need to stand up for those in need.

Let us ask for the intercession of St. Nicholas, that we may always stand for what is right and follow Christ with courage!