First he was a priest who served at the church of Saint Panteleimon from the district New World. His parish consisted of thirteen families. During his serving he was sought by a priest without parish who asked him to let him serve with him. Father Nicholas as a kind man that he was received him with all his heart. But that priest agreed with the trustees from that time of the Church of Saint Panteleimon and they expelled him sending him to the Church of Saint John from Bouliagmenis Street (of the Hunter, as it was called then).
The parish of this Church consisted of eight families and the payment of the priest was a piece of beef in the last day before the Great Lent or on the Nativity of the Lord. But he was not bothered at all by this as he had fasting as a rule of his own
It was enough for him to have a church where to serve. However this ejection from the Church of Saint Panteleimon caused him a great spiritual pain. One evening leaving from the Church of Saint John he was crying on his way home
The place where he was walking then was deserted. All of a sudden he saw in his way a robust young man who told him:
`Why are you crying father ?`
`I am crying my son because they expelled me from the Church of Saint Panteleimon.`
`Do not be upset, father, as I will always be with you.`
`But who are you, my son?`
`I am Panteleimon who lives in the district New World` that one answered and vanished.
He related this vision to a sister from his community.
* * *
Every year, at the feast of Saint Panteleimon he went to the Church of the Saint from the district New World and served the vigil. One year – as he related – he was sick and had high fever.
His people didn`t let him serve the usual vigil. But out of a passionate love for the Saint he went.
In the night – as he related – after the Lity, I leaned exhausted on the edge of the Holy Table. In the drowsiness caused by the high temperature I saw before me the Saint as a young man keeping a small glass full of medicine and saying:
`Drink it father to recover.`
I took it from my hand, drank it and recovered completely and the fever disappeared. For a whole week I had an inexpressible sweetness in my throat. I considered it as a sin and an act of ingratitude the fact of not saying what had happened. So I went before the Holy Doors and told them:
`My sons, this night I was very sick but right now Saint Panteleimon gave me a medicine I drank and I recovered.`
They all believed and knelt for honoring the Saint.
Excerpt from Saint Nicholas Planas the protector of the married people – Nun Marta, Evanghelismos Publishing.
