Orthodox Parables and Stories: "Miracles of St. Nicephorus the Leper

The priestmonk Father Eulogios of the Sacred Monastery of St. Paraskevi of Mazion, near the city of Megara, told us of a miracle that St. Niceforus performed to his cousin:

Demetrios, a boy of seventeen, suffered from intense pain in his genitals. As he was ashamed to reveal his problem to his parents, he kept it to himself. Only when his pain got unbearable, and could no longer endure it, he spoke of it to them. They rushed him to St. Savas’ Hospital on Epiphany day* of 2011. After a number of medical exams the doctors said that there was nothing they could do, as cancer had already spread throughout his body! He had only a few days, or weeks at the most, to live.

Father Eulogios’ mother, young Demetrios’ aunt, devoutly loving St Niceforus, gave herself to unceasingly reading of the book “Niceforus the Leper, the bright contestant of forbearance” over and over again, as a prayer to him for her nephew’ s recovery.

Day by day the boy’ s condition began to ameliorate, as his pains started decreasing all the more. A little before Easter, his parents took him to the Hospital again, to check the status of his health. This time however, the doctors confirmed to his parents, that Demetrios had been thoroughly healed! To be sure of it, they repeated the tests once more, with the same wondrous results.

The whole family was overwhelmed with joy. The boy’s aunt, not knowing how to express her gratitude to the Saint, started shouting in excitement: “It’s St. Niceforus’ miracle! It’s St. Niceforus’ miracle!”

She then asked her son the priest monk, to find an icon of the Saint for her, so that she always have it with her as a guardian and protector.

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Priestmonk Luke, from the Sacred Monastery Xenofondos of the Holy Mountain Athos, wrote us the following:

A woman I know, Mrs. Calliope Hatzigriva living in Larissa, after reading the biograrhy of St. Niceforus, informed me that, when she became pregnant, the doctors told her that she would have a girl.

One night St. Niceforus came to her dream and told her that she would give birth to a boy who should be called Niceforus.The woman answered that her doctor told her that she would have a girl. The Saint insisted that she would have a boy and name him Niceforus. She woke up quite puzzled and kept wondering, what the meaning of this dream could be. After some time, when she was due to visit her doctor again, she underwent the required medical tests about her pregnancy. Then, the doctor told her that she would have a baby boy. This was proved to be true when the boy was born.