December 4, 2009

Our society must recover the tradition of St. Nicholas if it wants to retain any semblance of the religious significance of Christmas, declares the Rev. Canon James Rosenthal.

"St. Nicholas was a real person, not a fairy, nor someone flying through the sky with reindeer, but an actual person," said Rosenthal. "He was a bishop and pastor, who lived and worked and died and had a full life.

"Santa means saint, and Claus is a short form of Nicholas. Why not be fair and regain the integrity and purpose of the beloved saint?"

Rosenthal, an Episcopalian from Chicago who gained respect for his communication work both domestically and as communications director of the Anglican Communion for two decades, is now ordained and serving a small London parish. In 2000, he founded the UK/USA St. Nicholas Society to bring attention to this early Christian leader whose ministry points symbolically towards Christmas and the gifts brought to the Christ child.

Historically, the modern-day Father Christmas, born in 260 AD, was a wealthy man who dedicated his life to serving the poor. Through his generous works described in many legends, he has become known as the "gift-giver."

In recent years, St. Nicholas (aka. James Rosenthal) has been sighted again, walking with Christmas shoppers along the bustling streets of Canterbury, London or New York and appearing for worship at London's famous St. Paul's Cathedral or Philadelphia's historic St. Luke's Episcopal Church.

The Rev. Canon Gregory Smith, rector of St. Luke's for 14 years and a friend of Rosenthal since their days in Chicago 35 years ago, said annual visits by St. Nicholas for the past four years had instilled his congregation with new life. "It has brought a wealth of information about the life of the man, Nicholas, and it has inspired a great deal of new ministry," Smith said. "We have given hundreds of gifts away that the members of the congregation have donated each year."

This year, Smith said, St. Luke's members will give sufficient gifts to provide not only for the immediate neighborhood children, but also for the children of St. Luke's parish in New Orleans, whose families are still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. "For the first time we will also send gifts to an orphanage in South Africa, and our Dec. 6 parish offering will go to children's work designated by the American Friends for the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem."

The people of St. Luke's have become so enamored of the saint that they established a shrine to St. Nicholas and dedicated it in May on Pentecost. "We want it to be a haven for those who seek the intercession of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children, sailors and people with special needs," Smith said, describing some prayer requests the parish already had received from across the country.

Again this year, St. Nicholas will spread his message, encouraging help for less-fortunate children.

What brings the most joy to Rosenthal's heart? To hear children say, "I met the real and true Santa Claus and Father Christmas," he said.

Episcopal Life Weekly bulletin inserts for Dec. 6, available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/95270_ENG_HTM.htm, note the history of the beloved saint, as well as a special appeal from the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem for children in western countries to remember the children of the Holy Land, many of whom live in war-torn areas.

Go to http://www.afedj.org/, and click on St. Nicholas Day for resources and activities for adults and children.

For copies of hymns, prayer cards, coloring pages, a prayer service and stories and ideas for worship, go to http://www.stnicholassociety.com/.

Other stories and customs, liturgical resources, an image gallery with icons of St. Nicholas, children's activities, recipes and music can be found at http://www.stnicholascenter.org/.

Episcopal News Service