Pope St. Gregory the Great
Posted on September 4, 2019 by admin No comments
Born: c. 540 Rome, Eastern Roman Empire
Died: 12 March 604 (aged 64) Rome, Eastern Roman Empire
Buried: St. Peter’s Basilica (1606) Residence Rome
Feast day: 3 September (Latin Church), 12 March (Latin Church pre-1969, Eastern Churches, Anglicanism, Lutheranism)
Venerated: in Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, Anglicanism, Lutheranism
Patronage: Musicians, singers, students, and teachers
Pope Saint Gregory I, also known as the Great, was the Pope of the Catholic Church between 590 and 604 AD. Gregory was born around 540 in Rome. The exact date of his birth is unknown. Although the Western Roman Empire had collapsed long before his birth, many ancient Roman families still commanded great wealth and influence in the city. Gregory was born into one such family. His great-great-grandfather was Pope Felix III who reigned from 483 to 492. (Astute readers may suspect this to be a scandal, but this was at a time before the clergy took vows of celibacy.)
His father was named Gordianus, and he was a senator and a Prefect of Rome. Gordianus also held a position in the Church with the title of Regionarius, but there are no records from the time which describe the post. Gregory’s mother was Silvia, also from a noble family. Silvia’s sister (Gregory’s aunt), Pateria are both recognized as saints in the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Gregory had a brother, but nothing is recorded, neither his name or his fate.
Gregory’s family was very wealthy and owned estates on the island of Sicily which provided income. When Gregory was just two years old in 542, the Plague of Justinian swept through the region. This plague was caused by a now-extinct strain of Yersinia Pestis, more commonly known as the Black Death. The plague was the most severe outbreak of deadly disease the world had ever known and remained the worst such incident until the Black Death in the 14th century. About a third of the population in Italy was wiped out by the disease.
In addition to disease, the barbarian Ostrogoths sacked Rome in 546. The Franks attempted an invasion in 554. Both of these incursions were short lived. It is unclear how these massive events impacted Gregory’s development as a child, but it is thought his family retreated to Sicily during part of that time. Peace followed in Italy after these upheavals.
Gregory was well educated and excelled in all his studies. He also became an expert in law. He excelled so much he became the Prefect of Rome, just as his father had been. Gregory was only 33 years old. After Gregory’s father had died, Gregory had the family villa in Rome converted into a monastery. Today the monastery still stands as the San Gregorio Magno al Celio. This famous monastery fell into ruin in the following centuries but was restored during the 17th and 18th centuries.
As a monk, Gregory was hard and strict. When a monk on his deathbed confessed to stealing three pieces of gold, Gregory ordered he be left to die alone. After the poor monk had died, Gregory ordered his body thrown on a dung heap along with the three coins. Then, in a turn of heart, Gregory offered 30 Masses for the deceased monk. Pope Pelagius II, who reigned from 579 to 590, chose Gregory to serve as an ambassador to the imperial court in Constantinople. The Pope had a problem with the Lombards invading from the west. Gregory was ordered to request military aid from the emperor. But the emperor felt there were greater threats to the east, and he refused Gregory’s request.
In 590, Pope Pelagius II died, and Gregory was proclaimed pope by acclamation. This was not something Gregory wanted, but he accepted the burden nevertheless. Gregory made clear he preferred the monastic life in a series of writings praising it. He also referred to himself as a servant of God. The habit remains in practice to this day and many clergy still refer to themselves as servants.
Pope Gregory was famous for the emphasis he put on missionary work. He sent many people out to bring many to Jesus and into the Church. Anglo-Saxon Britain was, at that time, still on the frontier of Christendom. It was Pope Gregory who dispatched St. Augustine (of Canterbury) to Kent in 597 (not to be confused with St. Augustine of Hippo). Pope Gregory made many changes to the Mass, some of which remain today, The position of the Our Father in the Mass remains where Pope Gregory placed it.
He emphasized the aspect of service to the poor for deacons. The number of deacons was increasing in number and they were seen as less essential as extensions of the Bishop than they were in the early Church. Deacons were often tasked with giving alms to the poor, and at least one was assigned to each church and ordained for this purpose.
Pope Gregory may have also established “cantus planus,” known in English as plainchant. Most today know this style of singing as Gregorian Chant. The melodious, monophonic music is known throughout the Church and closely associated with medieval monasteries. Gregorian chant gives us the oldest music we still have in the original form, some dating to the centuries just after the death of Gregory. It remains a matter of some dispute just how involved Pope Gregory was in the development of the style. Some music historians argue the credit is a misattribution that rightly belongs to his less famous successor of a century later, Gregory II.
Pope Gregory was well known for his alms to the poor, and he gave quite generously of the riches donated to the Church by the wealthy people of Rome. Everything from money to land was given to the poor in some fashion. He made clear to his subordinates that their duty was to relieve the distress faced by the poor.
He ordered his clergy to go out into the streets to find and care for the poor in person. Any clergy who were unwilling to go into the streets and help the poor were replaced. Assets of the Church were liquidated to provide income for alms. Clergy doing this work were paid four times a year and given a gold coin as a sort of bonus.
When a famine struck Rome in the 590s, Pope Gregory ordered the Church to use its assets to feed the poor. At that time, the Church controlled nearly two thousand square miles of land, overseen by the clergy and used to generate income. Now, instead of selling the produce of the land, Pope Gregory ordered it shipped to Rome and given away for free. In this way, he saved thousands of people from certain death.
Pope Gregory himself refused to eat until his monks returned from their work of handing out food. He also made certain to dine with a dozen poor people at each meal. Gregory is widely considered the be the first medieval pope, and he was a prolific writer. Because of his great respect for the poor, it was Pope Gregory and the Church that became the most respected –and obeyed force in Rome and across Italy. From the time of Gregory onwards, the people looked to the Church for government rather than the distant and indifferent emperors in Constantinople. Pope Gregory suffered from arthritis in his last years. He died on March 12, 604 AD. He was immediately proclaimed a saint by means of popular acclaim. Saint Gregory’s relics remain in St. Peter’s Basilica to this day.
In 1969, the Second Vatican Council moved Saint Gregory’s feast day from March 12 to September 3 so it would not fall during Lent. During Lent, there are no obligatory memorials. The Eastern Orthodox Church also venerates Saint Gregory, honoring him on March 12. Both Anglican and Lutheran Christians also venerate Pope Saint Gregory. He is the patron saint of musicians, singers, students, and teachers.
Prayer to St. Gregory the Great
Father, you guide your people with kindness and govern us with love. By the prayers of Saint Gregory give the spirit of wisdom to those you have called to lead your Church. May the growth of your people in holiness be the eternal joy of your shepherds. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer of St. Gregory the Great to remain in Easter joy
It is only right, with all the powers of our heart and mind, to praise You Father and Your Only-Begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Dear Father, by Your wondrous condescension of Loving-Kindness toward us, Your servants, You gave up Your Son. Dear Jesus, You paid the debt of Adam for us to the Eternal Father by Your Blood poured forth in Loving-Kindness. You cleared away the darkness of sin by Your magnificent and radiant Resurrection. You broke the bonds of death and rose from the grave as a Conqueror. You reconciled Heaven and earth. Our life had no hope of Eternal Happiness before You redeemed us. Your Resurrection has washed away our sins, restored our innocence and brought us joy. How inestimable is the tenderness of Your Love!
We pray You, Lord, to preserve Your servants in the peaceful enjoyment of this Easter happiness. We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with God The Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
9 Prayers of St. Gregory the Great
For those who cannot read or are very sick, they can pray 20 Our Father’s and 20 Hail Mary’s in front of the image of the saint, and will earn the same indulgences. Those who say 7 Our Father’s and 7 Hail Mary’s in front of the image of the Saint: 50,000 years of indulgences and one Holy Friday, Plenary Indulgence. Let’s give this gift to the blessed souls of Purgatory.
It may seem that the indulgences are great and it’s not necessary to pray them often, but they become a fresh breeze in the immensity of Purgatory, and of the great amount of souls which are there. Many people suffer and few pray for them. Pray with tenacity and as frequently as possible.
FIRST PRAYER
My God Jesus Christ, I adore you hanging from the Holy Cross, your Head with a Crown of Thorns. I beg you that Your Most Holy Cross delivers me from the evil angel. Amen Jesus. One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.
SECOND PRAYER
Oh My God Jesus Christ, I adore you in the Cross wounded and sored, drinking gall and vinegar. I beg you that the spear of Your Most Holy Side be a remedy for my soul. One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.
THIRD PRAYER
Oh My God Jesus Christ, for that bitterness, that for me, miserable sinner, you suffered on the Cross, mostly in that hour, when your Most Holy Soul abandoned your blessed body; I beg you, Lord, to have mercy of my soul when I abandon this mortal life; may you forgive it and guide it to Eternal Life. Amen Jesus. One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.
FOURTH PRAYER
Oh My God Jesus Christ, I adore you placed in the Holy Sepulcher, anointed with myrrh and fragrant ointments. I beg you, Lord, that your death be a remedy for my soul. One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.
FIFTH PRAYER
Oh My God Jesus Christ, I adore you and considering that time when you descended to hell and released and freed in heaven those who were captives, I beg you, Lord, to have mercy of me. Amen Jesus. One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.
SIXTH PRAYER
Oh My God Jesus Christ, who are seated at the right side of the Eternal Father, I adore you for your holy Resurrection from the dead and Ascension into Heaven. I beg you, Lord, that I may follow you and my soul be presented in front of the Most Holy Trinity. Amen Jesus. One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.
SEVENTH PRAYER
Oh My God Jesus Christ, good Shepherd, conserve and guard the just, justify and forgive the sinners, have mercy of all the faithful and remember me, sad and miserable sinner. Amen Jesus. One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.
EIGHTH PRAYER
Oh My God Jesus Christ, I adore you and contemplating that on Judgment Day you will come to judge the living and the dead, and to the good ones you will give the glory, and to the bad ones eternal condemnation. I beg you, Lord, by your Holy Passion, to free us from the sorrows of Hell, to forgive us, and take us to the Eternal Life. Amen Jesus. One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.
NINTH PRAYER
Oh Most Beloved Father, I offer you the innocent death of Your Son and the great firmness of His Heart for all the blame and sorrow that I, miserable sinner, deserve and all sinners: for those enormous and grave sins of mine and of all my brothers, live friends, and deceased. I beg you, Lord, to have mercy of us. Amen Jesus. One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.
OFFERING
I offer these prayers to the merits of the Passion and death of our Redeemer Jesus Christ, to whom I ask and beg to receive them in reduction and satisfaction of my faults and sins, confirming to me what Saint Gregory and other Pontiffs have granted to those who pray it in front of his image or have it with them; and it is my will that God our Lord applies what seems to be enough to release from Purgatory a soul that is there and which was more than my obligation to His glory and of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, to whom I ask and beg to be my advocate with her Divine Majesty. Amen Jesus.
PRAYER
Oh Most Holy Cross, Oh innocent and precious Blood, Oh great and cruel sorrow, Oh poorness of Christ my Redeemer, Oh Sores so lacerated, Oh Heart trespassed, Oh Blood of Christ spilled, Oh bitter death of God, Oh great dignity of God, worthy of being reverenced. Help me, Lord, to reach eternal life, now and in the hour of my death. Amen Jesus.
Prayer of St. Gregory the Great
Acclaim to the suffering Christ O Lord, you received affronts without number from your blasphemers, yet each day you free captive souls from the grip of the ancient enemy. You did not avert your face from the spittle of perfidy, yet You wash souls in saving waters. You accepted Your scourging without murmur, yet through your meditation You deliver us from endless chastisements. You endured ill-treatment of all kinds, yet You want to give us a share in the choirs of angels in glory everlasting. You did not refuse to be crowned with thorns, yet You save us from the wounds of sin. In your thirst You accepted the bitterness of gall, yet You prepare Yourself to fill us with eternal delights. You kept silence under the derisive homage rendered You by Your executioners, yet You petition the Father for us although You are his equal in Divinity. You came to taste death, yet You were the Life and had come to bring it to the dead. Amen.