Saint Nicholas Planas in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Papa-Nicholas Planas is the confirmation of what the Apostle Paul says: “God chose the poor things of the world and the despised, in order to put to shame the strong.” He was thus an instrument of God, through whose simplicity the wisdom of God was richly poured out into the world. He possessed none of the remarkable natural gifts which, many times — if their possessor is not careful — can act as temptations and become an obstacle to the vision of God.

His absolute gift was his simplicity, which meant the manifestation of his humility, and therefore the presence of God’s grace within him. “God gives grace to the humble,” says the word of God, and this humility was possessed by the well-known and beloved Papa-Nicholas. In other words, standing before Saint Nicholas is like standing before God Himself and breathing His atmosphere. The whole course of his life was an astonishing transparency of heaven.

Saint Nicholas Planas - a short biography

By Archimandrite Alexandros Mostratos,
Preacher and Chancellor of the Metropolis of Paronaxia

The life and work of the holy Priest Nicholas Planas, a saint of our days, is the supreme expression of the true Christ-like life of every conscious believer and more so of the genuine and perfect Priest.

The beautiful, courageous and saint-bearing Naxos had the divine favor and blessing to be his birthplace. He was born in the year 1851. His parents, Captain John and Augustina, were pious and benevolent people, like all the islanders, and wealthy. They also had a commercial boat, which went from Naxos to Smyrna, Constantinople, and even to Alexandria in Egypt. Inside some of their estates they also had a small chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas.

Saint Nicholas Planas was sanctified from infancy. Most of the time as a child he was in this Sacred Temple and spent many hours there chanting what he knew and many times wearing, instead of a priestly phelonion, some kind of sheet, imitating the Priests. One day he chanted so rapturously that he caused the admiration of the passers-by.

The Chapel of the Prophet Elisha in Athens: A Monument of True and Unadulterated Orthodoxy

A Monument of Orthodox Spirituality

By Kostis Bastias

The Church of the Prophet Elisha (Elissaios) was built on the way towards Aerides near the old Stratona, on a private plot of land. It is a small chapel. A few years ago there were many small private churches both in Athens and in the rest of Greece. Simple and pious people lived at that time, who turned their excess and more often their deficiency into praise and glorification to their Creator, honoring one of His saints. Today, however, even if a pious person wants to build a chapel and honor a saint, he cannot. A thousand laws prevent him. They need special permits that no one gives them, they need approval of plans and a bunch of other difficulties that frustrate even the most zealous. Quite a few of the restrictions, to be fair, had as an occasion the private exploitation they made with these private chapels. Some of them had turned it into businesses that didn't pay much, and that once made for a dangerous retaliation to the parish churches. However, this is one thing, for which there are a thousand ways to deal with it, and the abolition of memory is another.

When Saint Nicholas Planas Healed a 10 Year Old Girl of Typhoid Fever

 

 

 By Dr. Kyprianos Christodoulidis

With the New Calendar today, March 2, the memory of Saint Nicholaos Planas is honored. I don't usually refer to miracles that have happened in my personal life. There are many and I've never attributed what I've experienced to chance.

But today, in honor of the celebrating Saint, I will refer to one, which is directly related to the fact that I can convey this narrative to you.

In 1928-30 there was an epidemic of typhoid fever in Athens. There was no treatment then and anyone who knows what typhoid fever means, the progression of the disease is fatal (without treatment) at a very high rate. Many died then. Among the patients was my then 10-year-old mother. She was being treated at our house.