Nektarios of Pentapolis

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St. Nektarios (1846-1920), Metropolitan of Pentapolis and Wonderworker of Aegina, was officially recognized as a saint by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1961. His feast day is celebrated on November 9. He is often referred to as Nektarios of Pentapolis or Nektarios of Aegina, and his name is sometimes spelled Nectarios.

Life

St. Nectarios of Aegina (1846-1920)

St. Nektarios was born on October 1, 1846, in Selymbria in Thrace to a poor family. His given name was Anastasios Cephalas. At the age of 14 he moved to Constantinople (Istanbul) to work and further his education. In 1866 he left to the island of Chios to take a teaching post. He then became a monk at the age of thirty.

Three years after becoming a monk he was ordained a deacon, taking the name Nectarios. He graduated from the University of Athens in 1885. During his years as a student of the University of Athens he wrote many books, pamphlets, and Bible commentaries.

Following his graduation he went to Alexandria, Egypt, where he was ordained a priest and served the Church of Saint Nicholas in Cairo with great distinction. In recognition of his piety and brilliance as a preacher, as well as his administrative ability, he was consecrated Bishop/Metropolitan of Pentapolis (an ancient diocese in Cyrenaica, in what is now Libya) by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Sophronios in 1889.

St. Nektarios of Aegina as Metropolitan of Pentapolis.

He served as a bishop in Cairo for one year, but was then unjustly removed from his post and was also anathematised. This was a result of lies made up by jealous clerics who envied his popularity with the people. Patriarch Sophronios refused to listen to St. Nektarios, who was sent away from Egypt without trial or explanation and was never given an opportunity to defend himself.

After his dismissal, he returned to Greece in 1891 and spent several years as a preacher (1891-1894). He was then appointed director of the Rizarios Ecclesiastical School for the education of priests in Athens, where his service was exemplary for fifteen years. He developed many courses of study and wrote numerous books, all while preaching widely throughout Athens.

In 1904 at the request of several nuns, he established a monastery for them on the island of Aegina. The monastery was named Holy Trinity Monastery.

In December of 1908, at the age of 62, St. Nektarios resigned from his post as school director and withdrew to the Holy Trinity Convent on Aegina, where he lived out the rest of his life as a monk. He wrote, published, preached, and heard confessions from those who came from near and far to seek out his spiritual guidance.

While at the monastery, he also tended the gardens, carried stones, and helped with the construction of the monastery buildings that were built with his own funds. He was also the Metropolitan of the island of Aegina.

St. Nektarios died on the evening of November 8, 1920, at the age of 74, following hospitalization for prostate cancer. The commemoration date was set at the next day, November 9, because November 8 is the feast of Synaxis of Archangel Michael. The first posthumous miracle took place when the shirt of St. Nectarios was accidentally placed on the neighboring bed: a paralyzed man who was lying there was suddenly healed. The body of St. Nectarios was taken to the Holy Trinity Convent, where he was buried by the only clergyman- his best friend and spiritual brother Saint Savas the new of Kalymnos, who later painted the first icon of St. Nectarios. The funeral of St. Nectarios was attended by multitudes of people.

An icon of St. Nectarios of Aegina

Many people regarded St. Nektarios as a saint during his lifetime because of his prayerful life, his humility, his purity and other virtues, and his writings, as well as the miracles he performed. St. Nectarios also had the gift of prescience.

The relics of St. Nektarios were removed from the grave on September 2, 1953, and gave out a beautiful fragrance. Thousands of miracles have been attributed to his intercession, particularly cases of cancer or other serious illnesses being cured.

Decision of the Church of Alexandria

Uplifting of the Anathema

Alexandria 15th September 1998

The Holy Spirit has enlightened the gathered members of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa, under the leadership of H.B. Petros VII, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa, more than a century since Saint Nektarios, the great Teacher and Father of the Holy Eastern Orthodox Church was expelled from the Church of Alexandria, to reach the following decision:

Taking into account the resolution of the Church to rank Saint Nektarios amongst the saints because of his innumerable miracles and his acceptance within the religious conscience of Orthodox Christians throughout the world, we appeal to the mercy of the ever-charitable God.

We hereby restore the ecclesiastical order of the Saint of our Century, Saint Nektarios, and grant to him all due credits and honors. We beseech Saint Nektarios to forgive both us, unworthy as we are, and our predecessors, our brothers of the Throne of Alexandria, for opposition to the Saint and for all which, due to human weakness or error, our Holy Father, Bishop of Pentapolis, Saint Nektarios, suffered.

PETROS VII
By the Grace of God
Pope and Patriarch
of Alexandria and All Africa.[1]

Special Relationships

  • Saint Savas the New of Kalymnos - Spiritual Brothers, best friends & co-confessors to each other.
  • Philotheos (Zervakos) - From the Holy Monastery of Panagia Myrtidiotissa, Elder Philotheos wrote a well-known apologetic in 1976 addressed to Archimandrite Cyprian.[1] This letter (cf. External links) is considered of extreme historical importance in the Orthodox Church since it is written in defense of his spiritual father, St. Nectarios.
  • Amphilochios (Makris) - he always had a great desire to meet the holy Metropolitan. When His excellency asked him, "What the greatest and most singular desire of his soul was", the elder responded in simplicity, "I wish that everybody would become monastics". The elder is the only person who was invited by the Saint to stay overnight in his private quarters.


On the Patristic Calendar

Speaking with two men, the question was whether it was possible and permissible to change the calendar. The Holy Hierarch, as he was wise and praise, replied:

- 'My children, we should not change the calendar because all the feasts of our Church have been established, and especially the eternal Paschal.'

[the two men]...but if the Church accepts the reform what is happening? What are we doing?

-'You remain as you are, you will not follow the reformers because the Gregorian calendar has been condemned by three Pan-Orthodox sessions under Patriarch Jeremiah of Tranus 1592-1593 and Anthimus in 1848. It is impossible for Orthodox Christians to accept change. I do not accept or follow anyone, even if I stay alone.'

[the two men...'but if we do not have priests what will we do?...And if we do not have a church and have everyone with the Gregorian there, how do we deal with it?'

-'So why are you worried? There is no problem, your homes become Churches...If you read the History of our Church, you will see and know that in times of rebellion and clutter in the Church many houses have become places of common prayer.'

All this and much more was said and told by the Bishop of Pentapolis Nektarios.

Hymn

Apolytikion in the First Tone: O faithful, let us honor Nectarios, divine servant of Christ, offspring of Silivria and guardian of Aegina, who in these latter years was manifested as the true friend of virtue. All manner of healing wells forth for those who in piety cry out, "Glory to Christ who glorified you; glory to Him who, through you, wrought wonders; glory to Him who, through you, works healing for all."

Kontakian: "In joy of heart let us hymn with songs the newly revealed star of Orthodoxy, the newly erected bulwark of the Church; for, glorified by the activity of the Spirit, he poureth forth the abundant grace of healing upon those who cry: Rejoice, O Father Nektarios, model of patience and lover of virtue." (Source: Akathist to Our Holy Father Nekatarios of Aegina)

See also

References

  1. ↑ The most reverend Cyprian, Dr. Theol., is the Metropolitan of Oropos and Fili and President of the Holy Synod in Resistance, Orthodox Church of Greece. He is the spiritual son of Elder Philotheos.

Bibliography

Biography

  • Saint Nektarios: The Saint of Our Century Paperback by Sotos Chondropoulos. Kainourgia Ge Publications, 1997. (ISBN 9789607374080)
  • Modern Orthodox Saints Vol. 7: St. Nectarios of Aegina by Constantine Cavarnos. Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, 1981. (ISBN 9780914744542)

By St. Nectarios

  • Christology: Discovering Jesus Christ Through the Eyes of a Contemporary Saint by (ISBN 978-0972550413) by Saint Nektarios. Saint Nektarios Greek Orthodox Monastery, 2012.
  • Repentance and Confession by Saint Nektarios. Saint Nektarios Monastary Publ, 2002. (ISBN 978-0972550406)

Children

  • Saint Nectarios of Aegina by Euphemia Briere. St. Nectarios Press, 2001. (ISBN 978-0913026168)
  • Saint Nectarios' Shoes by Egle-Ekaterine Potamitis. Potamitis Press, 2012. (ISBN 978-6069270776)
  • The Story of the Holy Hierarch Nectarios the Wonderworker by Catalin Grigore. Iona Publishing House, 2012. (ISBN 9786069270776)

External links

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