Saint Nicholas was a real bishop in the 4th century who defended the Orthodox Christian position at the Council of Nicaea that Jesus Christ is fully God. He helped establish the Nicene Creed, which affirms the divinity of Christ. Legend holds that Saint Nicholas performed generous acts like giving money anonymously and saving children from harm. Whether the legends are true or not, Saint Nicholas stood up for his Christian faith and cared deeply for children and the poor.

1. Saint Nicholas
Was there a real Santa Claus?

2. Saint Nicholas
• Good morning children.
• Have you ever heard the
name Saint Nicholas
before?
• Do you know what county
he was from?
• Can you tell me what he
looks like?
• Can you tell me what he
is all about?
• Was he a real man?

3. Saint Nicholas
• Yes there was a real Saint
Nicholas.
• History states that St.
Nicolas was a staunch
anti-Arian, and defender
of the Orthodox Christian
position, and one of the
bishops who signed the
Nicene Creed.
• His name is etched on the
document.

4. Saint Nicholas
• Today we recite the Nicene
Creed so we know how the
controversy played out.
• The bishops at Nicea sided
with Saint Nicholas and
Saint Athanasius and they
condemned Arius as a
heretic. To this very day, we
still recite in the Creed that
Christ is "God from God,
Light from Light, True God
from True God, begotten
not made, consubstantial
with the Father."

5. Nicene Creed
• We believe in one God, • On the third day he rose again
the Father, the Almighty, in accordance with the Scriptures;
maker of heaven and earth, he ascended into heaven
of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
one Lord, Jesus Christ, He will come again in glory to judge the living
the only Son of God, and the dead,
eternally begotten of the Father, and his kingdom will have no end.
God from God, Light from Light, • We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the
true God from true God, giver of life,
begotten, not made, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
of one Being with the Father. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped
Through him all things were made. and glorified.
For us and for our salvation He has spoken through the Prophets.
he came down from heaven: We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic
by the power of the Holy Spirit Church.
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, We acknowledge one baptism for the
and was made man. For our sake he was forgiveness of sins.
crucified under Pontius Pilate; We look for the resurrection of the dead,
he suffered death and was buried. and the life of the world to come. Amen.

6. Saint Nicholas
• Church legend holds that
during the proceedings at
Nicaea, Nicolas became so
angry at the position of Arius –
that Jesus Christ was a created
being and not fully God – that
he walked up to Arius and
punched him and pointed out
that Christ was God. They put
him in prison for it and
stripped him from being a
Bishop. Constantine heard of
this and reinstated Nicholas as
Bishop and released him from
prison.

7. Saint Nicholas
• There are three other
legends about Saint
Nicholas.
1. He sailed to an island
town of starving people
and he made baskets of
food for them. In one
night he left a basket at
each of the starving
families homes and put
coins in their shoes
outside their door.

8. Saint Nicholas
2. He saved 3 children from
being pickled by a
butcher by discerning
that the man was up to
no good when he passed
by his place of business.
The man got worried and
somehow St. Nicholas
knew the boys were
there. He questioned the
man and saved the boys.

9. Saint Nicholas
3. He save 3 girls from being turned into
slaves by paying their dowry for
marriage. Saint Nicholas tried to give
the money for dowry to their father
but the father was proud and would
not take any money from Saint
Nicholas. Before each daughter was
to be wed he threw a sack of gold
coins into the window of the house
where they lived, but on the third try
he did not want to be caught by the
father of the girl. For he stayed up all
night watching in the window to
catch him. So he went in back of the
house and threw it down the
chimney where the girl was drying
her stockings over the fire and the
coin sack fell in the sock instead.
Saint Nicholas saved all three girls.

10. Saint Nicholas
• Whether the legends be true or not,
history tells us that Saint Nicholas
was a real person who stood up for
Christ and practiced what he
preached.
• He believed Christ was not only the
son of God but was God incarnate.
• The real Saint Nick loved children,
helped the poor, and believed that
Jesus was God.
• He loved people and children so
much he wanted people to help him
in his quest to save them.
• The earth is wide and great. There,
where St. Nicholas cannot go himself,
he asks a good and pious person to
go to the children and take them
apples and nuts and tell the children
of the coming of the Christ Child.

11. Prayer
• Dear lord, let me try to be a good Christian like
Saint Nicholas by feeding the poor, having
spiritual discernment, giving to others, and
standing up and telling the world Jesus is the
son of the living God.
• Amen