floods, poverty, or any misfortunes. He has promised to help those who
remember his parents, Theophanes and Nonna.
Akathist to Saint Nicholas
Kontakion 1
O champion wonderworker and superb servant of Christ, thou who pourest out for all
the world the most precious myrrh of mercy and an inexhaustible sea of miracles, I
praise thee with love, O Saint Nicholas; and as thou art one having boldness towards the
Lord, from all dangers do thou deliver us, that we may cry to thee:
Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!
Ekos 1
An angel in manner though earthly by nature did the Creator reveal thee to be; for,
foreseeing the fruitful beauty of thy soul, blessed Nicholas, He taught all to cry to thee:
Rejoice, thou who wast purified from thy motherʹs womb!
Rejoice, thou who wast sanctified even unto the end!
Rejoice, thou who didst amaze thy parents by thy birth!
Rejoice, thou who didst manifest power of soul straightway after birth!
Rejoice, plant of the land of promise!
Rejoice, flower of divine planting! Rejoice, virtuous vine of Christʹs vineyard!
Rejoice, wonderworking tree of the Paradise of Jesus!
Rejoice, lily of paradisiacal growth!
Rejoice, myrrh of the fragrance of Christ!
Rejoice, for through thee lamentation is banished!
Rejoice, for through thee rejoicing is brought to pass!
Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!
Kontakion 2
Seeing the effusion of thy myrrh, O divinely‐wise one, our souls and bodies are
enlightened, understanding thee to be a wonderful, living source of unction, O
Nicholas; for with miracles poured out like water through the Grace of God thou fillest
them that faithfully cry unto God:
Alleluia!
Ekos 2
Teaching incomprehensible knowledge about the Holy Trinity thou wast a champion of
the confession of the Orthodox Faith with the holy fathers in Nicaea; for thou didst
confess the Son equal to the Father, co‐everlasting and co‐enthroned, and thou didst
denounce the foolish Arius. Therefore the faithful have learned to sing to thee:
Rejoice, great pillar of piety!
Rejoice, city of refuge for the faithful!
Rejoice, firm stronghold of Orthodoxy!
Rejoice, venerable vessel and praise of the Holy Trinity!
Rejoice, thou who didst preach the Son of equal honor with the Father!
Rejoice, thou who didst expel the demonized Arius from the council of the saints!
Rejoice, father, glorious beauty of the fathers!
Rejoice, wise goodness of all the divinely wise!
Rejoice, thou who utterest fiery words!
Rejoice, thou who guidest thy flock so well!
Rejoice, for through thee faith is strengthened!
Rejoice, for through thee heresy is overthrown!
Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!
Kontakion 3
Through power given thee from on high thou didst wipe away every tear from the face
of those in cruel suffering, O God‐bearing Father Nicholas; for thou wast shown to be a
feeder of the hungry, a superb pilot of those on the high seas, a healer of the ailing, and
thou hast proved to be a helper to all who cry unto God:
Alleluia!
Ekos 3
Truly, Father Nicholas, a song should be sung to thee from Heaven, and not from earth;
for how can a mere man proclaim the greatness of thy holiness? But we, conquered by
thy love, cry unto thee:
Rejoice, model of lambs and shepherds!
Rejoice, holy purification of mortals!
Rejoice, container of great virtues!
Rejoice, pure and honorable abode of holiness!
Rejoice, all‐luminous lamp, beloved by all!
Rejoice, light golden‐rayed and blameless!
Rejoice, worthy converser with angels!
Rejoice, good guide of men!
Rejoice, pious rule of faith!
Rejoice, model of spiritual meekness!
Rejoice, for through thee we are delivered from bodily passions!
Rejoice, for through thee we are filled with spiritual delights!
Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!
Kontakion 4
A storm of bewilderment confuseth our minds: How can we worthily hymn thy
wonders, O blessed Nicholas? For no one could count them, even though he had many
tongues and willed to tell them; but we make bold to sing to God Who is wonderfully
glorified in thee:
Alleluia!
Ekos 4
People near and far heard of the greatness of thy miracles, O divinely‐wise Nicholas, for
in the air with the delicate wings of Grace thou art accustomed to forewarn all those in
misfortune, quickly delivering all who cry to thee:
Rejoice, deliverance from sorrow!
Rejoice, gift of Grace!
Rejoice, dispeller of unexpected evils!
Rejoice, planter of good desires!
Rejoice, quick comforter of those in misfortune!
Rejoice, dread punisher of wrongdoers!
Rejoice, abyss of miracles poured out by God!
Rejoice, tablets of the law of Christ written by God!
Rejoice, strong uplifting of the fallen!
Rejoice, support of them that stand a right!
Rejoice, for through thee all deception is exposed!
Rejoice, for through thee all truth is realized!
Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!
Kontakion 5
Thou didst appear as a divinely‐moving star, guiding those who sailed upon the cruel
sea who were once threatened with imminent death if thou hadst not come to the help
of those who called upon thee, O wonderworker Saint Nicholas; for, having forbidden
the flying demons who shamelessly wanted to sink the ship, thou didst drive them
away, and didst teach the faithful whom God saveth through thee to cry:
Alleluia!
Ekos 5
The maidens, prepared for a dishonorable marriage because of their poverty, saw thy
great compassion to the poor, O most‐blessed Father Nicholas, when by night thou
secretly gavest their aged father three bundles of gold, thereby saving him and his
daughters from falling into sin. Wherefore, thou hearest from all:
Rejoice, treasury of great mercy!
Rejoice, friend who provided provisions for people!
Rejoice, food and consolation of those who flee unto thee!
Rejoice, inexhaustible bread of the hungry!
Rejoice, God‐given wealth of those living in poverty on earth!
Rejoice, speedy uplifting of paupers!
Rejoice, quick hearing of the needy!
Rejoice, acceptable care of the sorrowful!
Rejoice, blameless provider for the three maidens!
Rejoice, fervent guardian of purity!
Rejoice, hope of the hopeless!
Rejoice, delight of all the world!
Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!
Kontakion 6
The whole world proclaimeth thee, O most blessed Nicholas, as a quick intercessor in
adversities; for oftentimes preceding those that travel by land and sail upon the sea thou
helpest them in a single hour, at the same time keeping from evils all who cry unto God:
Alleluia!
Ekos 6
Thou didst shine as a living light, bringing deliverance to the generals who received
sentence to an unjust death, when they called upon thee, O good shepherd Nicholas.
Thou didst quickly appear in a dream to the Emperor, terrifying him and ordering him
to release them unharmed. Therefore, together with them we also gratefully cry unto
thee:
Rejoice, thou who helpest them that fervently call upon thee!
Rejoice, thou who deliverest from unjust death!
Rejoice, thou who preservest from false accusation!
Rejoice, thou who destroyest the counsels of the unrighteous! Rejoice, thou who
tearest lies to shreds like cobwebs!
Rejoice, thou who gloriously exaltest truth!
Rejoice, deliverance of the innocent from their fetters!
Rejoice, revival of the dead!
Rejoice, revealer of righteousness!
Rejoice, exposer of unrighteousness!
Rejoice, for through thee the innocent were saved from the sword!
Rejoice, for through thee they enjoyed the light!
Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!
Kontakion 7
Desiring to dispel the blasphemous stench of heresy, thou didst appear as a truly
fragrant, mystical myrrh, O Nicholas; by shepherding the people of Myra, thou hast
filled the whole world with thy gracious myrrh. Dispel also from us the stench of
abominable sin that we may acceptably cry unto God:
Alleluia!
Ekos 7
We understand thee to be a new Noah, a guide of the Ark of salvation, O holy Father
Nicholas, who drivest away the storm of all evils by thy direction, and bringest divine
calm to those who cry to thee:
Rejoice, calm harbor of the storm‐tossed!
Rejoice, sure protection of those who are drowning!
Rejoice, good pilot of those who sail upon the deeps!
Rejoice, thou who rulest the raging of the sea!
Rejoice, guidance of those in whirlwinds!
Rejoice, warmth of those in frosts!
Rejoice, radiance that dispellest the gloom of sorrow!
Rejoice, light that illuminest all the ends of the earth!
Rejoice, thou who deliverest people from the abyss of sin!
Rejoice, thou who castest Satan into the abyss of hades!
Rejoice, for through thee we boldly invoke the abyss of Godʹs compassion!
Rejoice, for as ones rescued through thee from the flood of wrath, we find peace
with God!
Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!
Kontakion 8
A strange wonder is thy sacred church shown to be to those who flock to thee, O blessed
Nicholas; for by offering in it even a small supplication, we receive healing from great
illnesses, if only, after God, we place our hope in thee, faithfully crying aloud:
Alleluia!
Ekos 8
Thou art truly a helper to all, O God‐bearing Nicholas, and thou hast gathered together
all that flee unto thee, for thou art a deliverer, a nourisher, and a quick healer to all on
earth, moving all to cry out in praise to thee:
Rejoice, source of all kinds of healing!
Rejoice, helper of those that suffer cruelly!
Rejoice, dawn shining for those wandering in the night of sin!
Rejoice, heaven‐sent dew for those in the heat of labors!
Rejoice, thou who givest prosperity to those in need!
Rejoice, thou who preparest an abundance for those that ask!
Rejoice, thou who often foresees requests!
Rejoice, thou who restorest strength to the aged and gray‐headed!
Rejoice, convicter of many who have strayed from
the true way! Rejoice, faithful steward of the mysteries of God! Rejoice, for
through thee we conquer envy! Rejoice, for through thee we lead a moral life!
Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!
Kontakion 9
Assuage all our pains, O our great intercessor Nicholas, dispensing gracious healings,
delighting our souls, and gladdening the hearts of all that fervently hasten to thee for
help and cry unto God:
Alleluia!
Ekos 9
The falsely‐theorizing orators of the ungodly, we see, were put to shame by thee, O
divinely‐wise Father Nicholas; for thou didst confute Arius the blasphemer who
divided the Godhead, and Sabellius who mingled the persons of the Holy Trinity, and
thou hast strengthened us in Orthodoxy. Therefore we cry unto thee:
Rejoice, shield that defendest piety!
Rejoice, sword that cuttest down impiety!
Rejoice, teacher of the divine commandments!
Rejoice, destroyer of impious doctrines!
Rejoice, ladder set up by God by which we ascend to Heaven!
Rejoice, God‐given protection, by which many are sheltered!
Rejoice, thou who makest wise the unwise by thy sayings!
Rejoice, thou who movest the slothful by thy example!
Rejoice, inextinguishable brightness of Godʹs commandments!
Rejoice, most luminous ray of the Lordʹs statutes! Rejoice, for through thy
teaching the heads of heretics are broken!
Rejoice, for through thee the faithful are counted worthy of glory!
Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!
Kontakion 10
Desiring to save thy soul, thou didst truly subject thy body to the spirit, O our Father
Nicholas; for first by silence and wrestling with thoughts, thou didst join contemplation
to activity; and by contemplation thou didst acquire perfect knowledge with which thou
didst boldly converse with God and angels, always crying:
Alleluia!
Ekos 10
Thou art a rampart, O most blessed one, to those who praise thy miracles, and to all that
have recourse to thine intercession; wherefore, free also us, who are poor in virtue, from
poverty, temptations, illness, and needs of various kinds, as we cry unto thee:
Rejoice, thou who rescuest from eternal misery!
Rejoice, thou who bestowest incorruptible riches!
Rejoice, imperishable food for those that hunger after righteousness!
Rejoice, inexhaustible drink for those that thirst for life!
Rejoice, thou who preservest from revolution and war!
Rejoice, thou who freest us from chains and imprisonment!
Rejoice, glorious intercessor in misfortunes!
Rejoice, great defender in temptations!
Rejoice, thou who hast rescued many from destruction!
Rejoice, thou who hast kept countless numbers unharmed!
Rejoice, for through thee sinners escape a frightful death!
Rejoice, for through thee those who repent obtain eternal life!
Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!
Kontakion 11
A song to the Most Holy Trinity didst thou bring, surpassing others in thought, word,
and deed, O most blessed Nicholas; for with much searching thou didst explain the
precepts of the true Faith, guiding us to sing with faith, hope, and love to the one God in
Trinity:
Alleluia!
Ekos 11
We see thee as a brilliant and inextinguishable ray for those in the darkness of this life,
O God‐chosen Father Nicholas; for thou conversest with the immaterial angelic lights
concerning the uncreated light of the Trinity, and thou enlightenest the souls of the
faithful who cry unto thee:
Rejoice, radiance of the Three‐sunned Light!
Rejoice, daystar of the never‐setting Sun!
Rejoice, lamp kindled by the Divine Flame!
Rejoice, for thou hast quenched the demonic flame of impiety!
Rejoice, bright preaching of the Orthodox Faith!
Rejoice, luminous radiance of the light of the Gospel!
Rejoice, lightning that consumest heresy!
Rejoice, thunder that terrifies sinners!
Rejoice, teacher of true knowledge!
Rejoice, revealer of the secret mind!
Rejoice, for through thee the worship of the creatures hath been abolished!
Rejoice, for through thee we have learned to worship the Creator in the Trinity!
Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!
Kontakion 12
Knowing the Grace that hath been given thee by God, we long and joyfully celebrate thy
memory, O most glorious Father Nicholas, and with all our soul we flee to thy
wonderful intercession; unable to count thy glorious deeds which are like the sands of
the seashore and the multitude of the stars, being at a loss to understand, we cry unto
God:
Alleluia!
Ekos 12
While we sing of thy wonders, we praise thee, O all‐praised Nicholas; for in thee God
Who is glorified in the Trinity is wonderfully glorified. But even if we were to offer thee
a multitude of psalms and hymns composed from the soul, O holy wonderworker, we
should do nothing to equal the gift of thy miracles, and amazed by them we cry unto
thee:
Rejoice, servant of the King of kings and Lord of lords!
Rejoice, co‐dweller with His heavenly servants!
Rejoice, support of faithful kings!
Rejoice, exaltation of the race of Christians!
Rejoice, namesake of victory! Rejoice, eminent victor!
Rejoice, mirror of all the virtues!
Rejoice, strong buttress of all who flee unto thee!
Rejoice, after God and the Theotokos, all our hope!
Rejoice, health of our bodies and salvation of our souls!
Rejoice, for through thee we are delivered from eternal death!
Rejoice, for through thee we are deemed worthy of eternal life!
Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!
Kontakion 13
O most holy and most wonderful Father Nicholas, con‐solation of all in sorrow, accept
our present offering, and entreat the Lord that we be delivered from Gehenna through
thy God‐pleasing intercession, that with thee we may sing:
Alleluia! Thrice.
And again Ekos 1 and Kontakion 1.
Prayer to Saint Nicholas
O all‐praised and all‐honored hierarch, great wonderworker, saint of Christ, Father
Nicholas, man of God and faithful servant, man of love, chosen vessel, strong pillar of
the Church, most brilliant lamp, star that illuminest and enlightenest the whole world:
thou art a righteous man that didst flourish like a palm tree planted in the courts of his
Lord; dwelling in Myra thou hast diffused the fragrance of myrrh, and thou pourest out
the ever‐flowing myrrh of the Grace of God. By thy presence, most Holy Father, the sea
was sanctified when thy most wonderful relics were carried from east to west to the city
of Bari, to praise the name of the Lord. O most superb and marvelous wonderworker,
speedy helper, fervent intercessor, good shepherd that saveth the rational flock from all
dangers, we glorify and magnify thee as the hope of all Christians, a fountain of
miracles, a defender of the faithful, a most wise teacher, a feeder of the hungry, the
gladness of those that mourn, clothing of the naked, healer of the sick, pilot of those that
sail the sea, liberator of prisoners, nourisher and protector of widows and orphans,
guardian of chastity, gentle tutor of children, support of the aged, guide of fasters, rest
of those that labor, abundant riches of the poor and needy. Hearken unto us that pray
unto thee and flee to thy protection, show thy mediation on our behalf with the Most
High, and obtain through thy God‐pleasing intercessions all that is useful for the
salvation of our souls and bodies; keep this holy habitation (or this church), every city
and town, and every Christian country, and the people that dwell therein, from all
oppression through thy help; for we know, we know that the prayer of a righteous man
availeth much for good; and after the Most‐blessed Virgin Mary, we have thee as a
righteous mediator with the All‐merciful God, and to thy fervent intercession and
protection we humbly hasten. Do thou keep us, as a watchful and good shepherd, from
all enemies, pestilence, earthquake, hail, famine, flood, fire, the sword, the invasion of
enemies, and in all our misfortunes and afflictions do thou give us a helping hand and
open the doors of Godʹs compassion; for we are unworthy to look upon the height of
Heaven because of the multitude of ourʹ iniquities; we are bound by the bonds of sin
and have not done the will of our Creator nor kept His commandments. Wherefore, we
bow the knees of our broken and humble heart to our Maker, and we ask thy fatherly
intercession with Him: Help us, O Servant of God, lest we perish with our sins, deliver
us from all evil, and from every adverse thing, direct our minds and strengthen our
hearts in the Orthodox Faith, which, through thy mediation and intercession, neither
wounds, nor threats, nor plague, nor the wrath of our Creator shall lessen; but grant that
we may live a peaceful life here and see the good things in the land of the living,
glorifying the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God glorified and worshipped in
Trinity, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
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