Everyone knows that Santa Claus is really Saint Nicholas, and in some countries, such as Germany, the giving of presents at Christmas was associated with this saint because of his generosity. One story is about a man who could not find husbands for his three daughters on account of their great poverty, so Nicholas went along at nighttime and threw three bags of gold in at the window.

He lived in Asia Minor during the fourth century and had plenty of money which he was always using to help others, as we have just seen. Because of his goodness the people of Myra chose him to be their bishop. He became a very popular saint, especially in Russia, and in England four hundred churches were dedicated to him.

In his day the Church was still being persecuted. He taught the Faith with great courage, so the magistrates seized and tortured him and chained him in prison with other Christians. When Constantine became Emperor there was peace in the Church and the prisoners were set free.

Tradition says that he was present at the Council of Nicaea and that he gave the heretic Arius (who denied that our Lord was God) a slap in the face. He was tireless in preaching against heresy and against the heathen, and he destroyed the temple of Artemis which was the chief pagan temple in the district, while the evil spirits fled howling before him.

S. Nicholas helped to free some innocent men who had been condemned to death. Later, three officers were also imprisoned on false charges, so they prayed to God that they too might be saved by the Bishop. That night Nicholas appeared in a dream to Constantine and told him to release these men. The Emperor sent for them in the morning and let them go.

In the West S. Nicholas is known as the patron saint of children because of the young girls he helped. In the East sailors have him as their patron and before a voyage used to say “May S. Nicholas hold the tiller.” And the three golden balls which hang outside of pawnbrokers’ shops are in fact those three bags of gold.