Saint Nicholas was born in 270 AD, a Greek in what is now a part of southern Turkey. His parents were wealthy and very devout Christians who died when Nicholas was a young man. He inherited the wealth of his father but being a pius Christian gave away his money to help the poor. He became a priest and later was named Bishop of Myra and is remembered for his reputation for secret gift giving. In his most famous exploit, a poor man had three daughters but could not afford a dowry for them. This meant they would probably never marry and without employment would have to become prostitutes. Hearing of the poor man’s plight, Nicholas decided to help him secretly, so he went to the man’s house one night and threw three purses of gold coins through the open window.
He is the patron saint of children, sailors, fishermen, merchants, broadcasters, the falsely accused, prostitutes and repentant thieves.
