St. Nektarios secretly cleaned toilets for ailing janitor
St. Nektarios of Aegina served as bishop and director of the Rizario Ecclesiastical School in Athens, where young men trained for the priesthood. He taught classes, led services, and wrote books. The school's janitor, Lucianos, suffered sudden kidney failure and was rushed to the hospital for surgery. Doctors said he could not return to work for at least two and a half months, putting his job at risk.
Nektarios decided quietly to rise while the school was still dark and clean the toilets, floors, and any chores the other workers had left undone. He did this day after day for weeks, then went off to teach as if nothing had happened. The strain caught up with him: he came down with headaches, dizziness, and exhaustion, and for fifteen days he practically dragged himself to his own lectures.
Even then, he did not tell anyone what he was doing or why. When Lucianos was finally strong enough to return, his job was still waiting for him because Nektarios had been doing it all along. The original post also recounts that Nektarios endured slander during his life and never fought back, and that the church which condemned him did not lift the condemnation until 1998.
Today he is recognized as one of the most loved saints of the twentieth century. The account is shared as a glimpse into a beautiful soul and as an encouragement to remember those who do good when no one is watching.
Key moments
- Nektarios was the bishop in charge of the Rizario school in Athens where young men trained to become priests, and he taught classes, led services, and wrote books.
- The janitor Lucianos suffered sudden kidney failure, was rushed to the hospital for surgery, and doctors said he could not return to work for at least two and a half months, putting his job at risk.
- Nektarios decided quietly to get up while the school was still dark and clean the toilets, floors, and any chores the other workers had left undone.
- He did this day after day for weeks, then went off to teach as if nothing had happened.
- The strain caught up with him: he came down with headaches, dizziness, and exhaustion, and for 15 days he practically dragged himself to his own lectures.
- Even then, he did not tell anyone what he was doing or why.
- When Lucianos was finally strong enough to return, his job was still waiting for him because Nektarios had been doing it all along.
- The narrator calls this a tiny glimpse into the beautiful soul of Nektarios.