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{{cleanup}}St. '''Nicholas (Planas) ''' (1851-1932), was officially recognized as a [[saint]] by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of [[Constantinople]] in 1992. His feast day is celebrated He was born in 1851 on [[March 2]]. He the island of Naxos in Greece and is often referred to as ''Papa Nicholas (Planas)''His feast day is celebrated on [[March 2]]. . {{Cleanup}}

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 spent the rest of his life in celibacy with his only aspiration was to serve in the Churchchurch. In He was ordained a deacon in [[July 28]], 1879, he was at the [[ordination|ordained]] a [[deacon]] in the Church of the Transfiguration, (Plaka. Five years later on [[March 2]], 1884 he was ordained a [[priest]] at the Greece)|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 [[parishTransfiguration]] 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 Plaka of names that he would pray for during the proskomedia Greece and the Liturgy. Numerous stories are told of his being so lifted in prayer during the a [[liturgypriest]] that his on [[altarMarch 2]] servers would see him raised off 1884 the ground in front ''Church 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 ruinsHoly 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 was always found attending to his flock: taking confessions, giving counsel, visiting the poor and sick. He was famously absent minded, engrossed in heavenly things, and was also well known for giving to the poor anything that anyone might give him. He was not an educated man by any stretch of the imagination, but was immensely holy, a humble righteous man who shows us by his example the way to theosis. He reposed, his face wreathed in a smile, in February of 1932, and thousands came to honor him.

==External SourcesLinks==Material for most articles in these links, comes from the book '''Papa-Nicholas Planas''', by the ''Nun Martha''; translated from the Greek and published by [[Holy Transfiguration Monastery]], 1981. 

*[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)