Sweet Visits From St. Nicholas

Knights bring candy, coats and holiday joy to Ukrainian children

By Solomiia Karpiv

Dec. 19, 2023

People lined up with St. Nocolas — Children gather around St. Nicholas with boxes of candy after a St. Nicholas Day celebration at Exaltation of the Holy Cross Church in Brody, Ukraine, hosted by Holy Cross Council 16679.

A wave of festive celebrations swept through K of C councils in Ukraine Dec. 6-10 as Knights dressed like St. Nicholas and his angels brought joy to children in parishes, orphanages and shelters where internally displaced families live.

St. Nicholas of Myra — known as the “Wonder-Worker” — is the most beloved heavenly hero of Ukrainian children. He traditionally visits them on his feast day, bringing candy and gifts.

Knights in Ukraine have made a point of keeping that tradition alive, giving children a taste of joyful normality amid the ongoing war with Russia. As they did last year, many councils organized St. Nicholas Day celebrations featuring children’s performances, poems, songs, a visit from St. Nick — and, of course, plenty of sweets. This year, the state council, with support from the Order’s Ukraine Solidarity Fund^®, produced special candy boxes for Knights to give out.

“Candy is a thing that instantly brings consolation and pleasure, both to children and to the adult who stands next to the child and sees how happy he is,” explained State Treasurer Andriy Melnyk, who coordinated the program. “It is such a small gesture, but it reveals the great love that all benefactors carry when doing good.”

At some St. Nicholas events, children also received warm winter coats through the Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids® program. The first Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids® distribution in Ukraine was held Nov. 19 in Lviv, and more boxes of new coats have been making their way from Knights of Columbus in Poland into Ukraine this winter.

“St. Nicholas was incredibly generous to the children of our parish and refugees from Eastern Ukraine,” said Yuryi Yarmolovskyi, grand knight of Prince Askold Council 15802 in Kyiv. “The Knights of Columbus offered children nearly 200 candy boxes and winter coats. One can imagine the joy, smiles and satisfaction of these children!”

Until this year, the Roman Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church honored St. Nicholas on different dates: Dec. 6 and Dec. 19, respectively. But with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church switching from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in September, Knights in Ukraine observed St. Nicholas’ feast on the same date for the first time.

Whenever it falls, celebrating St. Nicholas Day is more important than ever, said Vitaliy Pismennyi, grand knight of St. Peter Apostle Council 17487 in Ternopil.

“Unfortunately, in recent years, children have seen little of the holidays, little of the positive. Such events give them a sense of a fairy tale and let them feel like children,” he said.

Nor were the children the only ones enjoying themselves: “The fact that I could imitate St. Nicholas for a short time is a great grace,” said white-bearded Father Alan, who was asked by Council 17487 to play St. Nicholas for the children of St. Peter Apostle Parish. “When you see that children are happy and smile because they receive even a small gift — that is a source of great joy also for me.”

Kateryna Krolevska, a mother present at the St. Nicholas celebration held by Ivan Mazepa Council 16649 at the Parish of the Holy Trinity in Poltava, was grateful for the Knights’ efforts to bring cheer and build solidarity.

“It is important to us that we are not forgotten and that our children are cared for not only by parents and relatives, but also by the Knights of Columbus,” she said. “This means that we are not alone.”

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SOLOMIIA KARPIV writes from Poland.