Saint Nektarios the Wonderworker: From False Exile to the Holy Trinity Convent of Aegina

The post commemorates Saint Nektarios the Wonderworker, Bishop of Pentapolis, whose feast falls on November 9. Born Anastasios Kephalas in Thrace, he moved to Constantinople as a young man to work and study, showing piety and a desire to serve the Church from an early age. He was ordained a priest and later consecrated Metropolitan of Pentapolis in Egypt by Patriarch Sophronios, where his humility, preaching and popularity drew large crowds.

His success provoked jealousy among fellow clergy, and he was falsely accused of plotting to seize the Patriarchal throne and of immoral conduct. Without a chance to defend himself, he was exiled from Egypt and stripped of his duties. He returned to Greece in near-poverty, enduring years of public humiliation and suspicion while working as a preacher and teacher.

Despite the slander, he founded the Holy Trinity Convent on Aegina and spent his final years there as a spiritual father, living in asceticism, manual labor and prayer. His gentle endurance of false accusations led people to regard him as a living saint, and many sought his counsel and blessing. He reposed in 1920 from cancer and was canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1961.

Miracles of healing were attributed to his intercession soon after his death, giving him the title Wonderworker. Today he is venerated worldwide as a patron of those suffering from cancer, illness and unjust persecution. The accompanying images show photographs of the saint, icons and frescoes of him, his reliquary, and handwritten prayers associated with him.