The Bishop of Myra — aka St. Nicholas— visits Trinity Church in Menlo Park

For well over 30 years, the Bishop of Myra aka St. Nicholas – as played by Woodside resident Dick Livermore – has been visiting Trinity Church on the Sunday closest to his feast day (Dec. 6).

The true tale of the Bishop of Myra, who served in a provincial capital of Asia Minor, is a bit tangled. According to Robert Ellsberg in his book All Saints: “The most curious development in the cult of St. Nicholas has been the amalgamation of this fourth-century bishop with the features of a Scandinavian elf. The transformation of St. Nicholas into Santa Claus has been traced to Dutch Protestants living in New Amsterdam. As the story made it its way back to England the familiar features of Father Christmas gradually took shape until he had achieved his eventual iconographic status.”

Quipped Dick aka St. Nick: “It’s getting harder and harder to make my yearly appearance given that I’m 1700 years old!”

Photo by Linda Hubbard (c) 2021; pictured with the Bishop and two young parishioners is Interim Rector the Rev. Rob Voyle (right)