MANSFIELD — A jolly, old St. Nicholas visits St. Peter’s Catholic Elementary School each year on Dec. 6 to sing and distribute candy to class rooms.
Father Jeremy Miller, dressed as the saint and armed with a guitar, trailed through the halls to greet students in their respective classrooms on Tuesday.
“I love this. I love the kids,” he said. “It’s just fun, and it also reminds them of the religious dimension of Christmas, which can get a little secular. That’s one of the things I like to do it for.”
St. Nicholas was known for protecting children in Turkey, the St. Peter’s priest said.
“Over time, this was a feast celebrated in Europe,” Miller said. “Immigrants in Germany brought the idea of Sinterklaas then things sort of took on their own from there (Santa Claus). But it seems historically you can trace things back to the celebration St. Nicolas and his giving to kids.”
Miller sang “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” with classrooms and asked students what they had learned about the saint. He then opened two sacks of candy and allowed the students to choose their favorite pieces.
“I’ve been doing this since I’ve been here, he said. “This is the fourth year.”
The night prior students left their shoes outside their homes and St. Nicholas left goodies in the shoes, he said. That was an Austrian tradition.
