st Nina's Coffee
St. Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia
The virgin Nino of Cappadocia was a relative of Great-martyr George and the only daughter of a widely respected and honorable couple. Her father was a Roman army chief by the name of Zabulon, and her mother, Sosana, was the sister of Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem. When Nino reached the age of twelve, her parents sold all their possessions and moved to Jerusalem. Soon after, Nino’s father was tonsured a monk. He bid farewell to his family and went to labor in the wilderness of the Jordan.
After Sosana had been separated from her husband, Patriarch Juvenal ordained her a deaconess. She left her daughter Nino in the care of an old woman, Sara Niaphor, who raised her in the Christian Faith and related to her the stories of Christ’s life and His suffering on earth. It was from Sara that Nino learned how Christ’s Robe had arrived in Georgia, a country of pagans.
Soon Nino began to pray fervently to the Theotokos, asking for her blessing to travel to Georgia and be made worthy to venerate the Sacred Robe that she had woven for her beloved Son. The Most Holy Virgin heard her prayers and appeared to Nino in a dream, saying, “Go to the country that was assigned to me by lot and preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will send down His grace upon you and I will be your protector.”
But the blessed Nino was overwhelmed at the thought of such a great responsibility and answered, “How can I, a fragile woman, perform such a momentous task, and how can I believe that this vision is real?” In response, the Most Holy Theotokos presented her with a cross of grapevines and proclaimed, “Receive this cross as a shield against visible and invisible enemies!”
When she awoke, Nino was holding the cross in her hands. She dampened it with tears of rejoicing and tied it securely with strands of her own hair. (According to another source, the Theotokos bound the grapevine cross with strands of her own hair.)
Nino related the vision to her uncle, Patriarch Juvenal, and revealed to him her desire to preach the Gospel in Georgia. Juvenal led her in front of the Royal Doors, laid his hands on her, and prayed, “O Lord, God of Eternity, I beseech Thee on behalf of my orphaned niece: Grant that, according to Thy will, she may go to preach and proclaim Thy Holy Resurrection. O Christ God, be Thou to her a guide, a refuge, and a spiritual father. And as Thou didst enlighten the Apostles and all those who feared Thy name, do Thou also enlighten her with the wisdom to proclaim Thy glad tidings.”
When Nino arrived in Rome, she met and baptized the princess Rhipsimia and her nurse, Gaiana. At that time the Roman emperor was Diocletian, a ruler infamous for persecuting Christians. Diocletian (284-305) fell in love with
Rhipsimia and resolved to marry her, but Saint Nino, Rhipsimia, Gaiana, and fifty other virgins escaped to Armenia. The furious Diocletian ordered his soldiers to follow them and sent a messenger to Tiridates, the Armenian king (286-344), to put him on guard.
King Tiridates located the women and, following Diocletian’s example, was charmed by Rhipsimia’s beauty and resolved to marry her. But Saint Rhipsimia would not consent to wed him, and in his rage the king had her tortured to death with Gaiana and the fifty other virgins. Saint Nino, however, was being prepared for a different, greater task, and she succeeded in escaping King Tiridates’ persecutions by hiding among some rose bushes.
When she finally arrived in Georgia, Saint Nino was greeted by a group of Mtskhetan shepherds near Lake Paravani, and she received a blessing from God to preach to the pagans of this region.
With the help of her acquaintances Saint Nino soon reached the city of Urbnisi. She remained there a month, then traveled to Mtskheta with a group of Georgians who were making a pilgrimage to venerate the pagan
idol Armazi. There she watched with great sadness as the Georgian people trembled before the idols. She was exceedingly sorrowful and prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, send down Thy mercy upon this nation
...that all nations may glorify Thee alone, the One True God, through Thy Son, Jesus Christ.”
Suddenly a violent wind began to blow and hail fell from the sky, shattering the pagan statues. The terrified worshipers fled, scattering across the city.
Saint Nino made her home beneath a bramble bush in the garden of the king, with the family of the royal gardener. The gardener and his wife were childless, but through Saint Nino’s prayers God granted them a child. The couple rejoiced exceedingly, declared Christ to be the True God, and became disciples of Saint Nino. Wherever Saint Nino went, those who heard her preach converted to the Christian Faith in great numbers. Saint Nino even healed the terminally ill Queen Nana after she declared Christ to be the True God.
King Mirian, a pagan, was not at all pleased with the great impression Saint Nino’s preaching had made on the Georgian nation. One day while he was out hunting, he resolved to kill all those who followed Christ.
According to his wicked scheme, even his wife, Queen Nana, would face death for failing to renounce the Christian Faith. But in the midst of the hunt, it suddenly became very dark. All alone, King Mirian became greatly afraid and prayed in vain for the help of the pagan gods. When his prayers went unanswered, he finally lost hope and, miraculously, he turned to Christ: “God of Nino, illumine this night for me and guide my footsteps, and I will declare Thy Holy Name. I will erect a cross and venerate it and I will construct for Thee a temple. I vow to be obedient to Nino and to the Faith of the Roman people!”
Suddenly the night was transfigured, the sun shone radiantly, and KingMirian gave great thanks to the Creator. When he returned to the city, he immediately informed Saint Nino of his decision. As a result of the unceasing labors of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino, Georgia was established as a nation solidly rooted in the Christian Faith.
Saint Nino reposed in the village of Bodbe in eastern Georgia and, according to her will, she was buried in the place where she took her last breath. King Mirian later erected a church in honor of Saint George over her grave.
See also
Orthodox Ethiopia
Orthodox UgandaOrthodox nuns from Sub-Saharan Africa
ABOUT ST. NINA’S MONASTERY
THE SACRED MONASTERY OF SAINT NINA is
a monastic community of Orthodox Christian nuns of the Patriarchate of
Georgia located near Union Bridge, Maryland not far from our country’s
capital. We’re multi-ethnic and pan-Orthodox, celebrating services in
English, Georgian, Greek, Arabic, Slavonic, German and welcoming
pilgrims from across the country and around the world.
Our life is totally dedicated to God and our neighbor: we work, we pray, we receive pilgrims and guests. Each one of us left the world in search of something—of Someone—real and living... God, and in Him each unique person we encounter along the way, whether it be another Sister, a pilgrim, or someone who likes our coffee.
Our own practice of monastic hospitality (of which coffee is an essential element), our connections to Orthodox nuns in a coffee-growing region of Uganda, and the compatibility of coffee roasting with our community life led us to try our hand at roasting African beans. Success! It was so good we wanted to share it. First with our pilgrims and friends. And then with the wider world.
Each bag of St. Nina’s Coffee is hand-roasted by the Sisters of St. Nina’s Monastery in small batches using only the highest-quality fair trade, organic beans. And we do it the way we do everything else—for Christ. With love, care, and prayer.
Every purchase of our coffee is a real help to one of the newest and youngest Orthodox monastic communities in America. With God’s blessing and the help of many good people, we are turning a historic estate of more than 130 acres into a spiritual home and haven for all. Our goal is to become self-sustaining, living like the Apostles by the work of our hands.
Enjoy St. Nina’s Coffee—and let us know how you like it!
Our life is totally dedicated to God and our neighbor: we work, we pray, we receive pilgrims and guests. Each one of us left the world in search of something—of Someone—real and living... God, and in Him each unique person we encounter along the way, whether it be another Sister, a pilgrim, or someone who likes our coffee.
Our own practice of monastic hospitality (of which coffee is an essential element), our connections to Orthodox nuns in a coffee-growing region of Uganda, and the compatibility of coffee roasting with our community life led us to try our hand at roasting African beans. Success! It was so good we wanted to share it. First with our pilgrims and friends. And then with the wider world.
Each bag of St. Nina’s Coffee is hand-roasted by the Sisters of St. Nina’s Monastery in small batches using only the highest-quality fair trade, organic beans. And we do it the way we do everything else—for Christ. With love, care, and prayer.
Every purchase of our coffee is a real help to one of the newest and youngest Orthodox monastic communities in America. With God’s blessing and the help of many good people, we are turning a historic estate of more than 130 acres into a spiritual home and haven for all. Our goal is to become self-sustaining, living like the Apostles by the work of our hands.
Enjoy St. Nina’s Coffee—and let us know how you like it!
PS—St.
Nina’s Coffee is good on its own, but why not try it with some
all-natural bread baked by the Fathers of the Holy Spirit Monastery or
even with their handcrafted loukoumi, a sweet Mediterranean delight
that’s a fixture of traditional monastic hospitality? See this link for details.
OUR STORY
TRADITION HAS IT
that coffee was first discovered by monastics in Africa, where the
coffee plant is indigenous. A monk once noticed that goats chewing
coffee cherries were especially energetic and thought—eat these beans
and pray the night through! Rejoicing, he brought some to the abbot, who
scoffed and threw them into the fire, inadvertently inventing the first
roast. What a heavenly smell! Maybe these beans aren’t so bad, after
all… The rest is history.
THE STORY OF COFFEE CONTINUES at St. Nina's Monastery in Union Bridge, Maryland, where we Sisters hand-roast our coffee in small batches, praying with our minds while we work with our hands. With love, care, and prayer, we bring out the best in the beans, allowing all to savor the taste and aroma of the world's finest coffees.
THE STORY OF COFFEE CONTINUES at St. Nina's Monastery in Union Bridge, Maryland, where we Sisters hand-roast our coffee in small batches, praying with our minds while we work with our hands. With love, care, and prayer, we bring out the best in the beans, allowing all to savor the taste and aroma of the world's finest coffees.
OUR COFFEES
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe
ETHIOPIA HAS AN ANCIENT TRADITION
of coffee, and thus it’s no surprise that Ethiopian coffee, and in
particular coffee grown in the Yirgacheffe region, became almost
synonymous with specialty coffee in the United States. It's smooth and
sweet and easy to drink without being watery. St. Nina's signature
medium roast brings out the best in this responsibly-sourced
Yirgacheffe, allowing you to savor all the special qualities which make
this region's coffee unique. Enjoy it every day.
Ugandan Bukonzo
THIS COFFEE IS SO SINGLE-ORIGIN that
it can be traced all the way back to the Nayabirongo washing station in
the Rwenzori region of Uganda. It's part of a cooperative in which the
majority of farmers are women working together to improve the lives of
their families, their children, and their community—by producing
wonderful coffee. We chose this cooperative of largely women farmers
because studies show that empowering women in developing societies with a
steady income causes all socioeconomic indicators to rise. So it's a
great coffee you can feel good about.
SUBSCRIBE TO ST. NINA'S COFFEE
Become
a St. Nina's subscriber and get 4 bags of freshly roasted St. Nina's
Coffee delivered free for only $40 a month! It's easy—just complete and
submit the subscription form and then click below to subscribe!
The virgin Nino of Cappadocia was a relative of Great-martyr George and the only daughter of a widely respected and honorable couple. Her father was a Roman army chief by the name of Zabulon, and her mother, Sosana, was the sister of Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem. When Nino reached the age of twelve, her parents sold all their possessions and moved to Jerusalem. Soon after, Nino’s father was tonsured a monk. He bid farewell to his family and went to labor in the wilderness of the Jordan.
After Sosana had been separated from her husband, Patriarch Juvenal ordained her a deaconess. She left her daughter Nino in the care of an old woman, Sara Niaphor, who raised her in the Christian Faith and related to her the stories of Christ’s life and His suffering on earth. It was from Sara that Nino learned how Christ’s Robe had arrived in Georgia, a country of pagans.
Soon Nino began to pray fervently to the Theotokos, asking for her blessing to travel to Georgia and be made worthy to venerate the Sacred Robe that she had woven for her beloved Son. The Most Holy Virgin heard her prayers and appeared to Nino in a dream, saying, “Go to the country that was assigned to me by lot and preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will send down His grace upon you and I will be your protector.”
But the blessed Nino was overwhelmed at the thought of such a great responsibility and answered, “How can I, a fragile woman, perform such a momentous task, and how can I believe that this vision is real?” In response, the Most Holy Theotokos presented her with a cross of grapevines and proclaimed, “Receive this cross as a shield against visible and invisible enemies!”
When she awoke, Nino was holding the cross in her hands. She dampened it with tears of rejoicing and tied it securely with strands of her own hair. (According to another source, the Theotokos bound the grapevine cross with strands of her own hair.)
Icon from here
Nino related the vision to her uncle, Patriarch Juvenal, and revealed to him her desire to preach the Gospel in Georgia. Juvenal led her in front of the Royal Doors, laid his hands on her, and prayed, “O Lord, God of Eternity, I beseech Thee on behalf of my orphaned niece: Grant that, according to Thy will, she may go to preach and proclaim Thy Holy Resurrection. O Christ God, be Thou to her a guide, a refuge, and a spiritual father. And as Thou didst enlighten the Apostles and all those who feared Thy name, do Thou also enlighten her with the wisdom to proclaim Thy glad tidings.”
When Nino arrived in Rome, she met and baptized the princess Rhipsimia and her nurse, Gaiana. At that time the Roman emperor was Diocletian, a ruler infamous for persecuting Christians. Diocletian (284-305) fell in love with
King Tiridates located the women and, following Diocletian’s example, was charmed by Rhipsimia’s beauty and resolved to marry her. But Saint Rhipsimia would not consent to wed him, and in his rage the king had her tortured to death with Gaiana and the fifty other virgins. Saint Nino, however, was being prepared for a different, greater task, and she succeeded in escaping King Tiridates’ persecutions by hiding among some rose bushes.
When she finally arrived in Georgia, Saint Nino was greeted by a group of Mtskhetan shepherds near Lake Paravani, and she received a blessing from God to preach to the pagans of this region.
With the help of her acquaintances Saint Nino soon reached the city of Urbnisi. She remained there a month, then traveled to Mtskheta with a group of Georgians who were making a pilgrimage to venerate the pagan
idol Armazi. There she watched with great sadness as the Georgian people trembled before the idols. She was exceedingly sorrowful and prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, send down Thy mercy upon this nation
...that all nations may glorify Thee alone, the One True God, through Thy Son, Jesus Christ.”
Suddenly a violent wind began to blow and hail fell from the sky, shattering the pagan statues. The terrified worshipers fled, scattering across the city.
Saint Nino made her home beneath a bramble bush in the garden of the king, with the family of the royal gardener. The gardener and his wife were childless, but through Saint Nino’s prayers God granted them a child. The couple rejoiced exceedingly, declared Christ to be the True God, and became disciples of Saint Nino. Wherever Saint Nino went, those who heard her preach converted to the Christian Faith in great numbers. Saint Nino even healed the terminally ill Queen Nana after she declared Christ to be the True God.
King Mirian, a pagan, was not at all pleased with the great impression Saint Nino’s preaching had made on the Georgian nation. One day while he was out hunting, he resolved to kill all those who followed Christ.
According to his wicked scheme, even his wife, Queen Nana, would face death for failing to renounce the Christian Faith. But in the midst of the hunt, it suddenly became very dark. All alone, King Mirian became greatly afraid and prayed in vain for the help of the pagan gods. When his prayers went unanswered, he finally lost hope and, miraculously, he turned to Christ: “God of Nino, illumine this night for me and guide my footsteps, and I will declare Thy Holy Name. I will erect a cross and venerate it and I will construct for Thee a temple. I vow to be obedient to Nino and to the Faith of the Roman people!”
Suddenly the night was transfigured, the sun shone radiantly, and KingMirian gave great thanks to the Creator. When he returned to the city, he immediately informed Saint Nino of his decision. As a result of the unceasing labors of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino, Georgia was established as a nation solidly rooted in the Christian Faith.
Saint Nino reposed in the village of Bodbe in eastern Georgia and, according to her will, she was buried in the place where she took her last breath. King Mirian later erected a church in honor of Saint George over her grave.
Orthodox Ethiopia
Orthodox Uganda
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου