St. Nicolas of Bari

Extract

Those in Rome who are praying and working for the uniting once again of the Orthodox Church with the See of St. Peter, were encouraged by the sight of the Orthodox Archimandrite and some of his flock who came to honour St. Nicolas at the Greek Liturgy celebrated at the Church of St. Nicolas in Carcere for the closing of the seventh centenary year of the church.

St. Nicolas, called the Wonder-worker, has long been venerated by both East and West. Russia, in particular, has had great devotion to the sainted Archbishop of Mira, who is known as Nicolas of Bari, on account of his body being at that Adriatic port.

The church of this Saint was suitably prepared for his feast day on December 6th by having ikons of Our Lord, Our Blessed Lady, and St. Nicolas placed before the sanctuary where the ikonostasion would have been, had it been an oriental church. The Liturgy was celebrated by the Rector of the Greek College, and five other priests of the Byzantine Rite, including a Russian and two Roumanians, concelebrated.