Liturgical Prayers
Collects
Anglican, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Protestant
A Litany of Saint Nicholas I
Litany of St. Nicholas II, a short version
Litany of St. Nicholas III a traditional version
Dismissal for St. Nicholas Sunday
Prayer for Administration of Saint Nicholas Manna
 1st day cover, detail, 2002 St Nicholas Center Collection |
Invocation
A short prayer—breath prayer, centering prayer, or aspiration—to be repeated throughout the day
St. Nicholas, glorious Confessor of Christ, assist us in thy loving kindness.
A Prayer to Saint Nicholas
With divine myrrh the divine grace of the Spirit anointed thee,
who didst preside as the leader of Myra,
and having made the ends of the world fragrant with the myrrh of virtues,
thou holiest of men,
through the pleasant breathings of thine intercessions
always driving away the evil stench of the passions.
Therefore, in faith we render thee great praise,
and celebrate thine all-holy memory, O Nicholas.
O blessed Nicholas,
show compassion to me who fall down praying to thee;
and enlighten the eyes of my soul, O wise one,
that I may clearly behold the Light-Giver and Compassionate One.
The truth of things revealed thee to thy flock as a rule of faith,
an icon of meekness and a teacher of temperance;
therefore, thou hast achieved the heights by humility, riches by poverty.
O Father and Hierarch Nicholas,
intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.
From Small Vespers ~ Russian Orthodox
Almighty God,
who in thy love didst give to thy servant Nicholas of Myra
a perpetual name for deeds of kindness on land and sea:
Grant, we pray thee,
that thy Church may never cease to work
for the happiness of children,
the safety of sailors,
the relief of the poor,
and the help of those tossed by tempests of doubt or grief;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Traditional Anglican
O glorious Saint Nicholas, the noble preacher of Christ,
thou art a great and fervid helper of those in difficulties,
of those who are on land, and of those who are at sea,
all-compassionate,
a precious intercessor for those who are far off and those who are near.
Wherefore, in our gathering we shout to thee to intercede with the Lord,
that we be delivered from every tribulation.
—Antiochian Orthodox
Almighty God,
who in your love gave to your servant Nicholas of Myra
a perpetual name for deeds of kindness on land and sea:
Grant, we pray,
that your Church may never cease to
work for the happiness of children,
the safety of sailors,
the relief of the poor,
and the help of those tossed by tempests of doubt or grief;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Contemporary Anglican
Loving God, thank You for giving us another day.
We thank You on this day for the example of St. Nicholas,
who fed the hungry, brought hope to the imprisoned,
gave comfort to the lost, and taught the truth to all.
May all who work here in the people's House
strive to imitate him by putting You first in all we do.
Give us the courage, love, and strength of St. Nicholas so that, like him,
we may serve You through our service to all our brothers and sisters.
May all that we do be for Your greater honor and glory. Amen.
—The Reverend Patrick J. Conroy, S.J., given as the opening prayer in the U.S. House of Representatives, December 6, 2017
Prayer for the Feast of St. Nicholas—December 6th
Heavenly Father,
as Christmas draws near we commemorate the feast-day of your beloved Bishop and Saint, Nicholas.
We love and honour his memory because of his tender concern for children and for the poor.
We thank you for the merriment that his feast has brought down all the centuries.
We ask you from the bottom of our hearts to help us to remember, on his feast-day,
that we should try to retain the innocence of childhood and a sincere faith in you all our lives.
Show us, too, how to share the good things that we have with others,
and to imitate St Nicholas in generosity and goodwill.
We ask him to pray for us from his place in Heaven.
From Prayers from the Heart for the Feasts of the Year, selected by Joanna Bogle, Gracewing Fowler Wright Books, UK; Morehouse Publishing, USA, 1992
Collection of short prayers feast days of the church year; appropriate for adults and children.
Lord God,
as you led St. Nicholas to feed your sheep by his word,
and guide them by his example,
give us grace to keep the faith which he taught,
and to follow in his footsteps:
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
St. Nicholas Church, Itchenor, UK
Prayer to St. Nicholas of Myra
O Saint Nicholas,
bountiful Father and special Patron of our Byzantine Catholic Church.
You are a shepherd and teacher to all who invoke your protection,
and who, by devout prayer, call upon you for aid.
Hasten and save the flock of Christ from ravenous wolves;
and by your holy prayers protect all Christians
and save them from worldly disturbances, earthquakes,
attacks from abroad, from internal strife, from famine,
flood, fire, sword, and sudden death.
As you had mercy on those three men in prison and saved them from the king's wrath,
now also have mercy on me who by word, deed, and thought have sunk into the darkness of sin,
Save me from the just anger of God, and from eternal punishment.
Through your intercession and aid as well as through his own mercy and grace,
may Christ our God allow me to lead a tranquil and sinless life,
and save me from standing at "his left,"
but deem me worthy to stand at "his right" with all the saints. Amen.
Byzantine Catholic
O Holy Father Nicholas,
the fruit of your good deeds has enlightened and delighted the hearts of the faithful.
Who cannot admire your measureless patience and humility?
And who cannot wonder at your graciousness to the poor?
At your compassion for the afflicted?
O Bishop Nicholas,
you have divinely taught all things well.
And now wearing your unfading crown,
you intercede for our souls with Christ, our God.
Vesperal antiphon, Byzantine
A Prayer to St Nicholas
Blessed Saint Nicholas,
we honour you for your acts of kindness,
goodwill and charity to those on the margins of life.
Inspire us with your desire for justice and joy for all people;
help us learn from you what faith and action means,
and make us aware of those around us.
Give us the same sense of joy you had in your ministry.
And when we remember you
may we also remember the Lord you loved and followed,
both in times of tribulation, famine, persecution and humiliation,
as well as in times of joy and peace.
Canon J M Rosenthal
Prayer: St. Nicholas
Eternal and omnipotent God,
who gave to us our protector, glorious Saint Nicholas,
from the kingdom of heavenly light in which he enjoys the bliss of your divine presence,
look upon us with your merciful gaze.
Grant us the help and spiritual graces that we need in this life.
Remember your church, your flock, and your shepherds
so that they will be enlightened by your truth and enkindled by the fire of your love.
Through the intercession of our patron saint, Nicholas,
convert those who lead a life in darkness of ignorance and error.
Console the afflicted, provide for the needy, comfort the weak,
defend the oppressed, help the sick and let us receive the benefits
of the powerful intercession of Saint Nicholas on our behalf,
O Supreme Giver of all good. Amen.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Waterbury, Connecticut
Father,
hear our prayers for mercy,
and by the help of Saint Nicholas
keep us safe from all danger,
and guide us on the way of salvation.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns with you
for ever and ever.
Amen.
S. Nicholas, pray for us.
St. Nicholas Parish, Plumstead, UK
The supreme Truth has manifested you to your flock
as a rule of faith,
an example of meekness,
and a teacher of moderation;
thus, through humility you attained greatness,
and through poverty wealth,
Father and Hierarch Nicholas,
entreat Christ our God to save our souls.
—Troparion (Tone 4) Byzantine Catholic Church
You, O Holy One,
have exercised your sacred ministry in Myra;
and, in fulfillment of Christ's Gospel,
you dedicated your life, O Venerable One,
to your people and saved the innocent people from death.
Thus, you have been sanctified as a great Servant of divine grace.
—Kontakion (Tone 3) Byzantine Catholic Church
We extol you, Holy Father Nicholas,
and we celebrate your memory,
for you intercede for us with Christ our God.
—From the Matins for the Feast of St. Nicholas, Byzantine Catholic Church
Father of orphans, Guardian of the young,
who through Nicholas rescued girls in danger,
make us aware of children's hidden cries for help,
inspire us to give our young people a good start in life,
and revive in us the true spirit of Santa Claus.
From The Celtic Prayer Book Volume Two: Saints of the Isles: a year of feasts, by Ray Simpson, Kevin Mayhew Ltd, UK; Kingsgate Publishing Inc, USA, 2003
A calendar of saints for every day of the year, with special emphasis on early Celtic saints; brief description, prayer and readings for each.
Saint Nicholas,
protector of those who sail at sea,
pray for us.
Saint Nicholas.
defender of the true faith,
pray for us.
Saint Nicholas,
patron of the children around the world,
pray for us.
Saint Nicholas,
secret giver of gifts,
pray for us
A Prayer for St Nicholas
Blessed Saint Nicholas,
your faith in Jesus Christ inspired you to
protect the weak,
to save those in danger,
and to share what you had with those who had nothing.
As we honour you in this holy place,
which is dedicated to your name,
fill us with a longing
to care as you did,
for the littlest and the least;
for those who find themselves in peril;
and for all who know the misery of poverty.
As we gaze on these icons, draw us ever more into your holy presence.
We pray for the safety of our children and vulnerable adults.
We pray for seafarers and for all whose work is dangerous.
We pray for those who are worried about making ends meet in this time of financial crisis.
May our prayers be heard and answered,
in the all-loving name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
—By the Revd Canon Clare MacLaren, Newcastle Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Blessed Nicholas, Saint of Caring and Lover of Children;
bless us with your gift of generosity that we may follow your example and joyfully journey with you to Bethlehem to see the wonder that has come to pass. May we with Mary ponder in our hearts the true message of Christmas, and evermore rejoice in the gift of the Holy Child.
—St Nicholas Society
Link
Prayer to Saint Nicholas ~ The Wonderworker (Greek Orthodox)