St Nektarios of Aegina

 "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."

    

 Perhaps one of the most beloved saints of the 19th and 20th Centuries is St. Nektarios of Aegina. St. Nektarios was born Anastasios Cephalas and moved to Constantinople at a very early age.  He left home for the island of Chios in 1866 and became a monk at the age of 30.  Anastasios as he was known then was a pious man, having been raised by a pious family, albeit a poor one.  Anastasios eventually was ordained a deacon because of his piety and given the name Nektarios, thus this was the name he would be known by for the rest of his life. Noticing his piety was growing in the faith, he was consecrated Bishop of Pentapolis in Libya by Patriarch Sophronios of Alexandria in 1889.  

    This was the beginning of the hardships of the life of St. Nektarios as he would serve as a bishop in Cairo for one year, before jealousy and hatred would encircle his life. Clerics of the Patriarchate of Alexandria began to stir up lies and discontent within the Patriarchate towards St. Nektarios and the Patriarch, Sophronios, felt as if the only way of dealing with the situation was to remove him as bishop.  A trial was never held and he was anathematized by the Patriarchate and exiled from Egypt. To a normal man, without faith, this would have broken them and destroyed their faith. However, St. Nektarios like any true Christian, took the suffering in stride.  He returned to his native Greece, becoming a director for Rizarios Ecclesiastical School and preached widely throughout Athens. He is known for his harsh punishments on himself for conflicts within the school, solving a dispute with two seminarians by fasting himself for three days. At the end of 15 years with the school, he left at the request of a group of nuns to be their spiritual father on the island and the place where his name is most widely associated with. 

    At the urging of some nuns, St. Nektarios traveled with them to the island of Aegina, in the Saronic Gulf, which is part of the Saronic Islands, and 17 miles near Piraeus. There St. Nektarios would continue his work, at the Holy Trinity Convent, where he would live out the rest of his days in peace.  He heard confessions, taught, preached and wrote. St. Nektarios was even more popular now than he had been before. St. Nektarios also used personal funds to build and grow gardens around the island, and was appointed the Metropolitan there. He eventually reposed in the Lord on November 8, 1920. It is recorded that a miracle occurred upon his death, when his shirt was thrown onto a neighboring bed and the man lying in the bed was healed. 

    The Church canonized St. Nektarios on April 20th, 1961, a mere 40 years after his death. The Patriarchate of Alexandria, which had anathematized him in the late 19th century, recanted their statements under Petros VII, in 1998 asking for forgiveness from the saint, and restoring to St. Nektarios that which was unfairly stripped from him by Patriarch Sophronios.

    By his intercessions, Lord, may you have mercy on us and save us. May St. Nektarios pray for us always. 

Amen.