William J. Bennett - The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas

Howard Books

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Copyright 2009, 2018 by William J. Bennett

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, Authorized King James Version. Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible . Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked RSV are from The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version . Copyright 1946, 1952, 1959,1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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This Howard Books hardcover edition October 2018

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Edited by Denny Boultinghouse and Susan Wilson

Interior design by Jaime Putorti

Jacket design by Grace Han

Jacket art Look and Learn/Valerie Jackson Harris Collection/Bridgeman Images (Father Christmas); MSSA/Shutterstock (ribbons)

Author photograph by Rebekah J. Murray

Photography/illustrations: : DeA Picture Library/Art Resource

Page : Don Lorenzo Monaco

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Page : Thomas Nast, public domain.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-1-9821-0756-7

ISBN 978-1-4391-6640-6 (ebook)

This book is dedicated to all the children

who have cherished the name Saint Nicholas,

in hopes that his story will deepen their affection.

I am indebted to friends, colleagues, and loved ones who, in the spirit of Saint Nicholas, have devoted their talents and encouragement to make this book possible.

John Cribb helped me peer through the mists of time and flesh out the story of Nicholas.

Seth Leibsohn gave his always dependable and wise advice.

Noreen Burns was an early advocate of this project and helped keep things moving smoothly from start to finish.

Matt Jacobson suggested the idea of a book about Nicholas and kept after me until I finally did it.

My friend Dr. Charles Raugh, who is full of stories about Nicholas, gave me some wonderful examples of German lore that have been passed down through his family for generations.

Denny Boultinghouse of Howard Books shepherded the book along as good editors do. He is a gentleman.

Beth Adams and Kristen ONeal of Howard Books brought this present edition to life. My sincerest thanks to them for both suggesting it and making it happen.

Bob Barnett, my longtime agent to whom I always listen, because he knows what he is talking about, once again made the deal that made this book possible.

My wife, Elayne, stays up long after I have gone to bed, working on matters large and small, from saving children to getting book titles (like this one) just right. I am always grateful to her and to our sons, John and Joe, for their support. They are my greatest blessings.

I was delighted when Howard Books suggested releasing a new edition of The True Saint Nicholas , first published nearly a decade ago. It prompted me to keep an eye out for the good old saint and fresh evidence of his legacy. Sure enough, the signs are there. After all these centuries, Saint Nicholas is still working wonders.

In 2017, for example, more than two million Russians in Moscow and Saint Petersburg flocked to glimpse a bone fragment on loan from Saint Nicholass tomb in Bari, Italy. The holy relic had not been outside of Italy in more than nine hundred years. The traveling event was the result of a historic meeting the previous year between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, the first such meeting since the Great Schism split Christianity in 1054.

People in Russia waited for up to twenty-four hours to see the relic. The lines stretched for miles.

Its important to be close to the grace of Saint Nicholas, one young man who drove for hours to stand in line told a Washington Post reporter. All saints are special, but this is the one most dear to us.

Russia is a country where, for generations, a murderous communist regime had done its best to stamp out religion. Yet here was this outpouring of faith in God and veneration for a saintly man.

Another sign: Every year, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracks Santa Claus as he flies around the world on Christmas Eve. The tradition dates to 1955 when, the story goes, a child misdialed a telephone number in a Sears department store newspaper advertisement that told children they could reach Santa on his private phone. The call came in to an air defense command center in Colorado Springs, prompting officials to set up a Santa hotline. Since then, every Christmas Eve, military and civilian volunteers have manned telephones answering calls from around the world about Santas flight and whereabouts.

Today NORAD operates a wonderful website called NORAD Tracks Santa (www.noradsanta.org) as well as a Facebook page that posts updates on Santas travels. NORAD con rms Santa has arrived over Istanbul, Turkey, the site announced last December 24. Santa wants to express his thanks for all the children who left out the wonderful Turkish coffee. He said it helps with his long Christmas flight.

I wonder if he stops for a little visit with his ancestors in Turkey, one Facebook user commented. Santa was a bishop from Turkey.

Saint Nicholas was a Christian bishop from Myra, which was Greek and is now in Turkey, another user commented, quite correctly.

So there he is, alive and well in cyberspace. The spirit of generosity that Saint Nicholas bequeathed to Santa Claus is at home with our modern technology. Even in a world of satellites and cell phones, the ancient saint touches us.

Meanwhile, in New York City, a new church bearing the saints name has become a symbol of resilience. The original Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church had been a house of worship in Lower Manhattan since 1916. That came to a violent end during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The collapse of the South Tower destroyed the church.

The new Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine, which is nearing completion as I write, stands a few yards from the old churchs site, overlooking the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. When completed, the beautiful domed church will contain a space where people of all faiths can come for reflection and prayer. It will show the will of all people to rebuild and resurrect from the ashes of 9/11, Archbishop Demetrios of America says.