She became a mother at 53: "Saint Nectarios was and is with us. His miracles happen all the time"

That Saint Nektarios interceded with God, my prayer to bring a child into the world and to raise him according to His Word is undoubtedly true. After a long period in which I prayed to bring children into the world – because I wanted twins, because I have a brother, and I am convinced that a child is good to have a little brother or sister – and I had almost despaired, since I had already turned 53, behold, the miracle happened like any miracle, in a completely special way!

It was at the beginning of last year (ed. 2023), I think the end of January, when I decided to watch the movie “Man of God”, at least online. I had missed the time when the film was playing in the cinema in Târgoviște, where I live, and I felt sorry for having missed the opportunity to see a film whose reviews were very good, besides the fact that it was about the life of Saint Hierarch Nectarios of Aegina, to whom I had prayed for my father, diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, and whom he helped to heal. That was all I knew about Saint Nectarios, namely that he was the healer of those diagnosed with this terrible disease. Otherwise, nothing. I had only read the Akathist of Saint Nectarios while praying for my father, but I admit, to my shame, that I had not researched his life.

I found the film on the internet, for free, on the official website of the Monastery of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom I would like to thank him for this. The image and translation were very good and I decided to watch it one day when I was very sad because of the growing desire of my soul, a desire that had not been fulfilled. I cried the whole time during the film. Tears were gushing from my eyes without wanting to and flooding my cheeks – as they are now when I write these lines when I remember all that the Saint suffered precisely from his brothers. It impressed me so much that, the next day, I opened my laptop and watched the film again. The third and fourth day again. And so on, day after day... I couldn't get enough. I think I watched it about 12 times in total, having the same emotions and reactions as at the beginning: I cried and experienced the pain of Saint Nectarios, a man of flesh and blood like us, but full of faith, humility, and kindness, who suffered enormously in silence, having complete faith in God and His priceless gifts. The fact that I watched the film several times – I almost know the lines by heart – made me understand much better what Saint Hierarch Nectarios wanted to convey to us through this film for which he gave his blessing.

From Saint Nectarios I understood that God loves us all, no matter how sinful we are, but that we only see His love in the hardest and most desperate moments, when we are abandoned by people, not necessarily literally, but also when people do not have the power to help you. So, after absorbing the words and teachings of Saint Nectarios through this film, I felt such a strong urge to go to the Monastery of Aegina Island (near Athens, Greece) where his Holy Relics and Holy Sepulchre are located. All said and done: at the end of March last year, I arrived at the Holy Trinity Monastery, which the Saint founded, and prayed with great faith to the Holy Relics and the Holy Sepulchre, lingering longer at the latter where I asked for help in fulfilling my wish, insisting that I only want this if my prayer is pleasing to God. I then arrived home with a wooden icon of Saint Nectarios, myrrh and oil from the candle that burns at the Holy Relics. I prayed at home too and, a few months later, I became pregnant. Only those who have gone through my ordeal can imagine the joy in my soul and how much gratitude I wanted to bring to the Saint who did not let me bear the pain of not having children.

So, after the doctor who monitored me confirmed in the fourth month that I was having a baby girl (not twins as I had prayed for and God showed me once again that He knows better than me what I can and cannot bear!) and although I wanted to call her Ioana-Maria, I immediately decided to name her Nectaria-Anamaria as a sign of gratitude and thanks: on the one hand to Saint Nectaria, and on the other hand to Saint and Righteous Anna and her daughter, the Virgin Mary and the Mother of God, to whom I had prayed for a long time and who interceded with the Saint for my prayer.

Saint Nectarios was and is with us, me and my little girl, who bears his name, moment by moment, and his miracles happen all the time: throughout the pregnancy, which was without problems for both me and the fetus – to the amazement of the doctors who, due to my age, 53 years old, expected various problems; at birth, where the icon of the Saint literally accompanied us (being right in the reserve where I was accommodated); and after the birth, when my little girl grows, with the help of the Lord, more and more beautiful from one day to the next.

I must confess that since I became pregnant, at the urging of my spiritual father, in addition to prayers dedicated to the Mother of God and Saint Hierarch Nectarios of Aegina, but also to other saints of God, I have confessed and received communion frequently (even every Sunday and on major holidays) and after birth, my little girl also received communion with the Body and Blood of the Lord immediately after baptism and does so permanently. I take care of this with full faith and know that this way she has a chosen and beautiful upbringing.

Therefore, I wish women who have set their minds to bring children into the world and have not succeeded so far not to despair, but to have faith in God and His Saints, and especially in Saint Nectarios, who has the gift of interceding for these prayers for children pleasing to the Lord. So may God help you!

Testimony received by the doxologia.ro editorial office from Alexandra, 54 years old, from Târgoviște, Romania.