A word about Saint Nectarios of Aegina, or the “dark side” of the church

Exclusive. Saint Nektarios of Aegina (1846-1920) is one of the most famous Greek saints. He was officially canonized as a saint by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1961. Every year, thousands of people from all over the world come to the island of Aegina, in the Aegean Sea, to visit the tomb of Saint Nektarios for healing, to pray to him, or to ask for his blessings for their future life. Saint Nektarios was known as a great miracle worker, in particular as a healer of all kinds of diseases. He was also a prolific writer, theologian, philosopher, preacher, educator, poet, ascetic, and mystic. Above all, Saint Nektarios was a man of deep prayer and a hard worker who worked just like everyone around him, no job was ever indecent to him. Saint Nektarios is honored and remembered annually on November 9.

Some may think that those who were revealed to be saints exist in some special category apart from ordinary people. But if we really study the lives of the saints, we will see that they came from all walks of life, just like Saint Nectarios, who was born on October 1, 1846, in Selymbria in Thrace. His parents, Dimos and Maria Kephalas, were devout Christians, but not rich in the goods of this world. Their son, baptized as Anastasios, from childhood showed great piety and a love of learning. When his mother taught him Psalm 50, he loved to repeat the verse: “I will teach the wicked your ways, and sinners will turn to you.”

At the age of five, the future saint felt the call to preach. At seven, he was sewing notebooks to contain his first "divine words." His first book, "Treasury of Spiritual and Wise Sayings," was compiled from texts he had written in his youth on tobacco wrappers and cigarette cases, with the aim of sharing eternal wisdom with unsuspecting readers. The lessons of theology, acquired through purity of heart, sincere faith, and patient endurance of hardship, are invaluable to us.

“Purity of heart and sound mind are two things we should value, seek from God, and strive for. Only they lead us to perfection. Only they transform us into the image of God. Through them we find blessings and receive a foretaste of what is to come,” wrote the young Anastasius, the future Saint Nektarios.

One day, during a particularly fervent prayer, a divine peace settled over him and lifted his spirit. He heard gentle singing, and when he looked up, he saw the Holy Mother of God herself surrounded by singing angels. Inspired, he wrote down the words and melody of a hymn now cherished by Orthodox Christians throughout the world, “Agni Parfene” (“O Pure Virgin”).

After finishing primary school, his parents sent young Anastasius to Constantinople to continue his education and help his family by working in a shop. Arriving in the city without a penny, he hoped to earn at least a little to support his poor family. His heart and mind were turned to Christ: he spent time in prayer and meditation on the writings of the Holy Fathers. Even when he did not have money for a ticket, the merciful sailors let him on the ship.

In Constantinople, Anastasius found work in a factory for a tobacco merchant. His earnings were barely enough to live on, and he often did not even have shoes. However, he drew comfort and strength from the Lord. When he was fourteen years old, his parents sent him to look for work, as the family was very poor. Working in Constantinople and continuing his education, he acquired enough knowledge to move to the island of Chios in 1866 and work as a school teacher for seven years. Always pious and with a love for monastic life, on November 7, 1876, he became a monk in the monastery of Nea Moni. Three years later, he was ordained a deacon and took the name Nektarios.

Soon, Patriarch and Pope Sophronius of Alexandria offered Father Nektarios a scholarship to continue his studies at the University of Athens. Saint Nektarios eagerly accepted this opportunity, as he sought to deepen his knowledge of theology and be even more useful in the service of Christ. After completing his studies in Athens, he returned to Egypt and was ordained a priest to serve the Orthodox Christians in Cairo, in the church of St. Nicholas. He quickly gained popularity as a preacher and spiritual director, inspiring his flock to live according to the evangelical virtues.

A few months later, the Metropolitan of Nubia, Bishop Nile, blessed Saint Nectarius with the rank of archimandrite, and he later received the position of Patriarchal Guardian. In 1885, he arrived in Alexandria, where he was ordained Metropolitan of Pentapolis, an ancient diocese in Cyrenaica (modern Libya), and became the Patriarch's secretary.

In January 1889, Metropolitan Nil died suddenly, and because of this, Nectarius lost his deputy and patron. Almost immediately after the death of Bishop Nil, a difficult period began for Saint Nectarius. His ministry was accompanied by great respect from the flock, but his successes aroused the envy of some members of the Patriarchate, who spread rumors about Saint Nectarius's alleged ambitions to occupy the patriarchal throne. However, slander and rumors continued to spread, and pressure from some members of the Patriarchate increased. The saint did not try to justify himself, but placed all his hope in the promise of Christ, who said: "Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say against you All kinds of evil will come upon you because of me.» (Matt. 5:11).

He was dismissed from the episcopal see; and he went to Athens, where he found himself alone, ignored, despised, and even without daily bread, because he kept nothing for himself and distributed the little he had to the poor. Despite his unjust dismissal, Nectarius's zeal remained unquenchable. The meek and humble follower of Jesus Christ initially planned to go to Mount Athos, but abandoned this idea, putting the salvation of his neighbors above his own desire for monastic solitude.

For several years, from 1891 to 1894, he preached, bringing the word of God to the people, and later was appointed director of the Church School for the Training of Priests. Under his leadership, the spiritual and intellectual level of the school grew rapidly.

The students found in him not only a teacher with a deep knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, the works of the Holy Fathers and even secular education, but also a director who led the school with great kindness and attentiveness. His administrative and teaching duties, in particular teaching pastoral theology, did not prevent him, as a monk, from leading a life of asceticism and prayer. He tirelessly fulfilled his high calling - preaching and regularly serving the Holy Sacraments both in the school and throughout the Athens region. For fifteen years, Saint Nektarios headed the Church School in Athens for the training of priests. He developed numerous training courses, wrote many books and preached in different parts of the city, tirelessly nurturing the spiritual growth of his students and the community

Saint Nektarios' spiritual vocation blossomed to its fullest when he founded a nunnery on the small island of Aegina, near the seaport of Piraeus in Greece. This monastery, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, became the place where Bishop Nektarios made his greatest contribution to the Orthodox Church.

Deep in the heart of the saint burned an unquenchable love for the peace and tranquility of monastic life. It was this that prompted him to respond to the desire of his spiritual daughters to found a new monastery on the island of Aegina. This noble deed took place between 1904 and 1907. In 1908, Nektarios retired from the post of school director, handing over the leadership and continuing his service to God and people in the monastery.

Despite numerous worries and difficulties, Saint Nektarios restored a way of life in the monastery that was fully in keeping with the spirit of the ancient fathers. He devoted all his physical and spiritual strength to building, to worship, and to the spiritual guidance of each of his disciples. Often they would see him in his worn-out cassock as he worked in the garden, or when he disappeared for long hours, they would guess that he had locked himself in his cell, raising his mind to God and plunging his heart into the depths of prayer, to taste the sweetness of the holy Name of Jesus Christ.

Although he wished to avoid all contact with the world and strictly limited his visits to the monastery, the fame of his virtues and his God-given graces spread throughout the region, and the faithful were drawn to him like iron to a magnet. He healed many laymen and nuns of their illnesses and brought rain to the island during a drought. He comforted, soothed, and encouraged; he was all things to all people. He could do all things through Christ, who dwelt in him by the grace of the Holy Spirit. He communed with the saints and with the Mother of God, and they often appeared to him during the Holy Liturgy or in his cell.

In the difficult years that followed the First World War, he taught his nuns to rely day by day on the mercy of God. He categorically forbade them to store any food in reserve for their own use, ordering them to distribute whatever was left to the poor. Saint Nektarios also found time to write a large number of works on theology, ethics and Church history, in order to strengthen the Church of Greece in the holy tradition of the Fathers.

He was also a man of prayer. Whenever he had to make a decision, he would turn to prayer and ask God what he should do. In one prayerful moment, he asked, “What shall I do? What is Your will?” In another prayer, he prayed, “Have mercy on those who hate me. Let them not perish.” He found it in his heart to pray even for those who wronged and persecuted him. A good example for all of us.

In 1910, Nektarios went to the Holy Trinity Monastery to spend his last years. People flocked to Aegina to worship the bishop, listen to his sermons, and be healed of various ailments. In 1911, Saint Nektarios ordained two women as deaconesses, laying the foundation for the revival of this ancient church tradition. Later, until the 1950s, several Greek Orthodox nuns also took the monastic order of deaconesses. In 1986, Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece, following the “Ritual of Saint Nektarios”—an ancient Byzantine text used by Nektarios himself—ordained a woman as a deaconess, perpetuating the saint’s legacy in modern church life. Many women, from various backgrounds, including Queen Olga of the Hellenes, were nourished by Saint Nektarios.

During the years spent on Aegina, Saint Nektarios tirelessly served the Lord: he wrote and published theological treatises, instructed the nuns of the monastery in the spiritual life and performed numerous miracles of healing. During his ministry, he experienced many spiritual and physical trials, always feeling the presence of God's power and the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. Nektarios continued to devote himself to the Holy Trinity Monastery on Aegina, restoring the spiritual order and life following the example of the ancient fathers. He worked tirelessly in the construction of the monastery, serving God and instructing his disciples. He was often seen in his worn cassock, working in the garden or, locked in his cell, raising his mind to God, immersing his heart in prayer and contemplation of the holy Name of Jesus Christ.

In 1920, Saint Nektarios fell seriously ill with prostate cancer. Despite his desire to remain in the monastery, the nuns convinced him to go to the hospital in Athens. Since he did not have the financial means, he was placed in a 3rd class ward, where poor patients were treated. On the evening of November 9, 1920, at the age of 74, Saint Nektarios gave up his spirit to the Lord.

Even after his death, his life continued to work miracles. The first thing happened in the hospital ward: a nurse and a nun, preparing his body for transfer to the monastery, placed the saint's shirt on the bed of a paralyzed man, and he was instantly healed, rose and glorified God. A powerful, sweet aroma filled the ward, foreshadowing the grace emanating from the saint. The body of Saint Nectarios was transported to the Holy Trinity Monastery on Aegina and buried in a special chapel that he himself built. The funeral took place in the presence of many people from Greece and Egypt, and his close friend, Saint Sava of Kalymnos, painted the first icon of the saint. The relics of the saint were transferred in 1953 and again exuded a wonderful aroma.

Due to his numerous miracles, preservation of his body, and spiritual greatness, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople officially proclaimed Saint Nectarius a saint of God in 1961. His feast day is celebrated on November 9 (New Style), and he is revered as the patron saint of people suffering from cancer, heart disease, arthritis, epilepsy, and other ailments.

The life of Saint Nectarius is an example of unwavering faith, Christian love, and patience. He taught to love all people, to support them with prayer, and to encourage them in difficulties. His example continues to inspire believers to devoted service to God and neighbor.

It is also worth noting that justice was restored, for in 1998 the Patriarchate of Alexandria issued a public apology for the ill-treatment of Saint Nektarios and restored the dignity of his name. In their apology, they wrote: “We beg Saint Nektarios to forgive both us, the unworthy ones that we are, and our predecessors.” One can only imagine that the holy and saintly bishop did indeed forgive them from his place in eternity, as he continues to intercede for those who ask for his prayers.

Anyone who has participated in church life for even a short time quickly notices that the Church has a “dark side.” As Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, an outstanding pastor and perhaps a future saint, noted, the Church has both a glorious and a tragic aspect. Disagreements between priests and bishops, conflicts between priests and parishioners, quarrels among the faithful, lawsuits, resentments, envy, gossip—all of this exists even in churches that preach love, truth, joy, kindness, and peace.

The life of Saint Nektarios vividly illustrates this. He suffered not from unbelievers, not from state officials or enemies of the Church, but from his compatriots - Orthodox priests and bishops. And the most valuable thing for us is how calmly and humbly he met persecution. In the modern world, a person could go to court or leave the church because of insults and hypocrisy. But Saint Nektarios accepted everything in silence and humility, without losing faith.

He knew that the Church is not a “garden for saints,” but a “hospital for sinners.” Saint Nektarios carefully monitored his own sinful inclinations and passions, constantly struggling with them through repentance and prayer. He saw that bishops, priests, and all members of the Church also needed spiritual healing. As has been rightly noted: “It is more dangerous to lose faith in the fall of man than to lose faith in God.”

The Church is holy because it is the body of Christ on earth, but it is made up of weak, sinful people. Let us take as an example Saint Nectarius, who patiently endured human weaknesses and injustice in the Church with deep love and humility. His life and spiritual path inspire us not to lose faith, to remain humble, and to always strive for truth, mercy, and love in our relationships with our neighbors and in the service of God.

Saint Nectarius became a true vessel of God's grace. He was poor, humble, meek and kind, and at the same time a miracle worker and defender of God's love for people.

In the life of Saint Nektarios, each of us can find an example for ourselves. We see our weaknesses and egocentrism, we realize how often we are afraid to hurt God's love, and we learn to strive for a true evangelical life - to deny ourselves and carry our cross every day. His life also shows the strength of a person when he lives with God, freedom of choice and a sincere desire to be a child of God.

My dear brothers and sisters, let us follow the example of Saint Nectarios when we deal with the insults and greed of others. Let us ask him for help in the difficult times of our lives, confident that he will be an effective mediator.

Saint Nektarios experienced injustice not from strangers or enemies of the Church, but from his fellow countrymen - priests and bishops. He suffered persecution, slander and rejection, but he never returned evil for evil. His patience and humility were not a sign of weakness, but on the contrary - a manifestation of inner strength and devotion to God. This is a lesson for us: even in modern life, when people suffer from injustice, deception or gossip - both in the church environment and in the world - the example of Saint Nektarios shows that the only way to true peace and spiritual strength lies through prayer, humble acceptance of suffering and love.

Saint Nektarios now helps those who suffer from human cruelty and injustice. He prays for all who feel humiliation, envy, betrayal or insult, and supports hearts filled with pain. We can turn to him in prayer, asking for the strength not to become embittered, but to maintain faith, patience and love even in the most difficult circumstances. And most importantly: humility is not passivity. It is the inner freedom of a person who chooses love and prayer instead of insult and revenge. And this is how, through humility and trust in God, the holiness of Nektarios became a light for those who suffer. Saint Nektarios taught us that the true strength of a person is born in the presence of God. He showed that the struggle with one's own sins and passions is not just a duty, but the path to freedom and peace in the heart. Through prayer, he raised his thoughts and heart to God, seeking inner purification and God's grace.

We can also turn to Saint Nektarios in our daily difficulties. When it is difficult for us to resist insults, injustice or our own weaknesses, his intercession helps us find patience, courage and light in the darkness. He tells us that repentance is not humiliation, but a path to the renewal of the soul, to a sense of peace and closeness to God. Saint Nektarios showed that every prayer, every sincere desire to change ourselves for the better, every step towards forgiveness and love for our neighbor brings God's grace into our lives. Let us turn to him with a sincere heart, asking for help in the fight against sin, patience in suffering and strength to be faithful to Christ every day.

Saint Nektarios shows how God's love can be embodied every day - in the family, at work, in relationships with people. His life teaches us small sacrifices, patience, and constant prayer - the daily way of the cross that leads to holiness.

Let us turn to Saint Nectarios in prayer, let us follow his example of humility, love and sacrifice. He showed us that even a simple, humble person, devoted to God, can become a vessel of grace and a light for the world.

 Abbot Theophanes of Polotsk.