Saint Gregory the Great
Feast day: September 3
Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church, “servant of the servants of God” (03/09).
Who is he?
Saint Gregory the Great was a Pope who lived at the end of the sixth century and the beginning of the seventh, one of the four great Doctors of the Western Church. The Church calls him “the Great” because he did so much good for the Church and for the people in a very difficult time.
Life story
Gregory was born around the year 540 in Rome, into a devout noble family. He was an excellent student, and in 572, at about thirty-two, he was already prefect of the city of Rome, a very high office.
But he realized that he wanted to belong entirely to God. He sold his property, founded six monasteries in Sicily, turned his family’s own house in Rome into a monastery, and entered it as a simple monk. He said those years of prayer were the happiest time of his life.
The Pope called him to help with the Church’s work and sent him as his ambassador to Constantinople. In 590, while Rome was suffering from a plague, the clergy and the people chose him as Pope. He was very reluctant, but in the end he accepted.
As Pope, he called himself “servant of the servants of God,” and the Popes after him still use that title. He opened the Church’s storehouses to feed the hungry, ransom prisoners and care for the sick. He sent forty monks from his own monastery to England to preach the Gospel. He also wrote many books teaching shepherds of the Church how to care for their flock.
According to tradition, when he was writing, people saw a white dove perched by his ear: the Holy Spirit was giving him light. The style of liturgical singing called “Gregorian chant” is named after him, although scholars today still debate how much of it was his own work. He died on 12 March 604.
Why is he a saint?
Saint Gregory had great power, but he always saw himself as a servant. He loved prayer, loved the poor, and did everything he could so that everyone would know God, even peoples very far away.
A lesson for you
- When you are made class leader, team captain or the oldest child, remember: being in charge means serving.
- Pray for the Pope and the bishops, who serve the Church today.
- When you sing in church, sing with all your heart, as a prayer offered to God.
Identifying marks
- A white dove at his ear: according to tradition, the dove at his ear is a picture of the Holy Spirit giving him light as he wrote.
- The Pope’s triple crown: a sign that he was Pope, in the traditional way of painting (this crown did not yet exist in his time).
- An open book: he is a Doctor of the Church who wrote many books teaching the faith.
- A white pallium with black crosses over his vestments: the vestment of the Pope.
- A sheet of music (*): the style of singing called “Gregorian chant” is named after him.
(*) Only in some pictures and statues.
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