Happy feast of St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra! Though usually known only for his work of charity in giving dowry money to a peasant so his daughters could be married (and from that gift-giving the figure of Santa Claus eventually appeared), St. Nicholas was also a holy bishop and a slapper of heretics (famously slapping Arius at the First Council of Nicea), and he is also the patron of the Ruthenian Catholic Church. To celebrate his feast day, above is the 8th movement from the cantata Saint Nicolas by Benjamin Britten, a 20th-century Anglican composer. If the music interests you, the entire cantata can be found at the website of the St. Nicholas Center, with full text available here.
I pray that your Nativity Fast or Advent is proceeding prayerfully, and once again, happy feast of St. Nicholas!
St. Nicholas of Myra, pray for us!
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