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{{cleanup}}[[Image:NicholasPlanas.JPG|thumb|right|Icon of Papa Nicholas Planas in the church of Panagitsa, Paleo Faliro, Athens]]St. The holy saint '''Papa-Nicholas (Planas) ''' of Athens (1851-1932), was officially recognized [[glorification|glorified]] as a [[saint ]] by the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate ]] of [[Constantinople ]] in 1992. He was born in 1851 on the island of Naxos in Greece. His [[feast day ]] is celebrated on [[March 2]], except when it falls during [[Great Lent]] period; then it is celebrated on the first Sunday following March 2. He As a local saint of [[Metropolis of Paronaxia|Paronaxia]], he is often referred to also celebrated on the first Sunday of September, as part of the celebration of the island''Papa Nicholas (Planas)''s five key saints at the Church of St. [[Nikodemus of the Holy Mountain]] on the island of Naxos in Greece.
Born in 1851 on Papa Nicholas was married and the island father of Naxos, even in his youth he was marked by simplicity and generosity. He gave away anything that came into his handsone child. He was married at 17, but his wife died only a few years later. From that point on, and so he spent the rest of his life in celibacy, his only aspiration was being to serve in the Church. In He was [[ordination|ordained]] a [[deacon]] on [[July 28]], 1879, he was ordained a deacon in at the [[Church of the Transfiguration(Plaka, Greece)|Church of the Transfiguration]] in Plaka. Five years later , Greece, and a [[priest]] on [[March 2]], 1884 he was ordained a priest , at the Church of the Holy Prophet Elisha. He served a Liturgy, vigils and other services every day for over 52 years. He spent most of that time in a very small church, St. John the Hunter, located in a working class neighborhood in Athens. When he arrived there, the parish contained only eight families, and he was paid virtually nothing. Nonetheless, he never refused to commemorate and pray for anyone when he served, and carried in his pockets slips of paper containing thousands of names that he would pray for during the proskomedia and the Liturgy. Numerous stories are told of his being so lifted in prayer during the liturgy that his altar servers would see him raised off the ground in front of the altar. While he would begin Liturgy at eight in the morning, he typically would not finish until two or three in the afternoon. When, for whatever reason, he was not able to serve at St. John’s, he would serve elsewhere, even in country chapels which lay half in ruins.
When not serving, Papa Nicholas His focus for over 50 years was always found attending to his flock: taking confessionsserve daily the [[Divine Liturgy]], giving counselvigils, visiting the poor and sickother services. He was famously absent minded, engrossed never missed a Liturgy and spent most of his time in heavenly things, and was also well known for giving to the poor anything that anyone might give himvery small church of [[Church of St. He was not an educated man by any stretch John the Hunter (Athens, Greece)|Church of St. John the imaginationHunter]] in Athens, but was immensely holy, a humble righteous man who shows us by his example the way to theosisGreece. The [[parish]] initially contained only eight families. He reposednever refused to commemorate and pray for anyone when he served, and he carried in his face wreathed in a smile, in 1932, pockets slips of paper containing thousands of names whom he would pray for during the [[proskomedia]] and thousands came to honor himthe Liturgy.
When we were [[Image:Planas5h.JPG|thumb|right|Holy relics of Papa Nicholas Planas in Athens, we were fortunate enough to visit St. John the Hunter. A new church has been built, and his relics ]]Numerous stories are contained there. Arising from told of his reliquary, we noticed a sweet, indescribable scent. Afterwards, we visited being lifted in [[prayer]] and of the [[acolyte]]s seing him raised off the ground in front of the old altar area of during the original church, which has been preservedLiturgy. Like most such shrines While he would begin Liturgy at eight in Greecethe morning, people leave flowers, icons and small mementos when they come he typically would not finish until two or three in the afternoon. When he was not able to light a candle and pray before serve at the altar where God, through his servant Nicholaschurch of St. John, performed so many miracles. <ref> Blog Spot on Evlogeitehe would always serve elsewhere.com </ref>
'''[[MegalinaroMegalynarion]]'''[http://www.serfes.org/lives/stnicholas.htm]:As a simple shepherd of Christ God's lambs, thou didst tend thy flock well on the pasture of piety,nourishing their spirits with ceaseless supplications and leading them to Christ, O wise Father Nicholas.
Category
==Life==
He was famously absent-minded and was also well known for giving to the poor anything that anyone might give him. He was not an educated man but was considered immensely enlightened, an example of great holiness and humility.
He reposed in February 1932. A new St. John the Hunter Church, which contains his [[relics]], has now been built.
==See also==
*[[Philotheos (Zervakos)]]
*St. [[Nektarios of Aegina]]
*[[St. John the Hunter]]
==TropariaHymns=='''[[Kontakion]]''' in the 3rd ([[Tone]] 3) [http://www.serfes.org/lives/stnicholas.htm]
:Humble of spirit and pure of heart, illustrious in life and dispassionate of a truth, wast thou, O wise one. Thou didst illumine all by the virtues and dost grant grace unto them that draw nigh unto thee; and by thine intercessions, thou dost heal them that call upon thee, O Father Nicholas.
==ReferencesFurther reading==<references/>''Papa-Nicholas Planas'', by the ''Nun Martha''; translated from Greek and published by [[Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Brookline, Massachusetts)|Holy Transfiguration Monastery]], 1981.
==External Sourceslinks==*[http://www.i-m-paronaxias.gr/byzantine-monasteries/nikolaos_planas.html Official Biography of St Nicholas Planas] in Greek by the ([[Metropolis of Paronaxia]], [[Church of Greece]])
*[http://fr-d-serfes.org/lives/stnicholas.htm Biography of Nicholas (Planas)] by Father Nektarios Serfes
*[http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/reading/planas.html Canonisation Announcement] by Fr. Jacob Meyes announcement of Canonisation*[http://www.roca.org/OA/56/56e.htm The Simple Shepherd - Papa Nicholas Planas]by Fr. Alexey Young (''Orthodox America'')*[http://evlogeite.com/?p=74 Papa Nicholas Planas: Another Modern Saint] Published March 2, 2005*[[Category:Saints]][[Category:Greek Saints]][[Category:Priests]][[httpCategory://southern20th-orthodoxy.blogspot.com/2007/03/st-nicholas-planas-of-athens.html/ Short Bio & picture on Southern Orthodoxy Blogspotcentury saints]] (North Carolina, Texas)
[[Categoryfr: Saints]][[Category: Greek SaintsNicolas Planas]]
