Ecumenical Commemoration
Bishop of Rome, Missionary, & Doctor of the Church
March 12 · d. 604
Gregory the Great was the most important Bishop of Rome of the early medieval period — a man who shaped the papacy, the liturgy, pastoral theology, and the course of Western monasticism more profoundly than any pope between Leo I and the High Middle Ages. A Roman patrician who became a Benedictine monk and then was elected pope against his will, he governed the Church through plague, famine, and Lombard invasion with extraordinary administrative skill and pastoral concern. He sent Augustine to evangelize the English, reformed the Roman liturgy, wrote the Pastoral Rule that became the standard handbook for bishops for a millennium, and composed the Moralia in Job, the longest biblical commentary of the patristic era.
Gregory became venerated as a saint almost immediately after his death. His own writings—particularly the Dialogues—shaped hagiographic tradition of medieval West. Later vitae elaborate on his virtues, his miracles (particularly miraculous knowledge and spiritual visions), and his role as a model bishop and spiritual leader.
Gregory was born around 540 into one of the great Roman senatorial families. He served as Prefect of Rome — the city's chief civil official — before converting his family palace on the Caelian Hill into a monastery dedicated to St. Andrew and entering the monastic life around 574.
His contemplative retirement was short-lived. Pope Pelagius II appointed him one of the seven deacons of Rome and then sent him as apocrisiarius (papal ambassador) to Constantinople, where he served from 579 to 585. On his return, he resumed monastic life until Pelagius died during a plague in 590 and the clergy and people of Rome elected Gregory pope by acclamation.
Gregory accepted reluctantly — he genuinely mourned the loss of his monastic quiet — but governed with formidable energy. Rome was besieged by the Lombards, and Gregory effectively assumed civil as well as ecclesiastical authority, negotiating with the invaders, organizing food distribution, ransoming captives, and administering the vast papal estates across Italy and beyond.
His pastoral writings were enormously influential. The Regula Pastoralis (Pastoral Rule) described the duties and dangers of the episcopal office with such insight that Alfred the Great translated it into English and Charlemagne required every bishop to own a copy. His Dialogues, which included the only surviving biography of St. Benedict, popularized the Benedictine tradition throughout Europe. His Moralia in Job, a massive allegorical and moral commentary, was the most widely read biblical commentary of the Middle Ages.
Gregory's decision to send Augustine and forty monks to evangelize the Anglo-Saxons in 596 was perhaps his most consequential act. He also reformed the Roman liturgy — though the extent of his role in what later became known as 'Gregorian chant' is debated — and maintained an enormous correspondence (over 850 letters survive) that reveals a mind of relentless practicality and pastoral warmth.
He died on March 12, 604, calling himself 'servant of the servants of God' — a title popes still use.
Gregory is said of grex, which is to say a flock; and of gore, which is to say a preacher. Then Gregory is to say as a preacher to an assembly or flock of people. Or it is said as a noble doctor or preacher. Or Gregory is to say in our language as awaked, for he awoke to himself, to God, and to the people, he awoke to himself by keeping of cleanness, to God by good contemplation, and to the people by continual predication. And by this is deserved the vision of God; and S. Austin says, in the Book of Order, that he sees God that well lives, well studies, and well prays. And Paul, the historiographer of the Lombards, writes his history and life of him, the which John the deacon afterwards much diligently compiled and ordained.
S. Gregory was born of the parentage of senators of Rome, whose father was named Gordian and his mother Silvia. And when he had so much learned that he was a master in philosophy, and also was rich of patrimony, he thought that he would leave all the riches that he had, and would enter into religion for to serve God. But in this, that he put this thought in respite, he conceived another purpose, that was that him seemed he should better serve God in a secular habit, in doing the office of the pretoria of the provost of Rome, for to give to each man duly reason after the nght of his cause. But he found in this office so great secular business that it began to displease him, because by this great business he withdrew him over far from God. In this meanwhile his father and mother died, in such wise that he was rich of patrimony and puissant, that at the beginning he founded and endowed with rents six abbeys in Sicily, and the seventh he founded within the walls of Rome in the honour of S. Andrew the apostle, in the which he became a monk, and the remnant of his patrimony he gave for God's sake so that he that tofore went clothed in clothes of gold and of silk, and adorned with precious stones in the city, when he was monk served in a poor habit the monks. There was at the beginning of his conversation of so perfect a life that it might be said well that he was all perfect. He made great abstinences in eating, in drinking, in waking, and in praying, in so much that he was so travailed that unnethe he might sustain himself. He had put out of his heart all secular things so that his conversation was in heaven, for he had addressed all his desire for to come to the joy permanable.
On a time it happed that, S. Gregory in his cell of the same abbey whereas he was abbot wrote something, and an angel appeared to him in semblance of a mariner, which seemed as he had escaped from the tempest of the sea, and prayed him weeping to have pity on him. Then S. Gregory commanded that there should be given to him six pence, and then he departed. The same day the angel came again in like wise as he did tofore, and said that he had lost all his good, and prayed him that he would yet help him; on whom S Gregory had yet pity, and did to be given to him six pence more, yet at the third time he came and made great cry and wept, and prayed him that he would yet help him toward his great loss, so that S. Gregory commanded his provost that he should yet give to this poor man an alms. And the provost said that there was no more silver in all the abbey, but a dish of silver in which his mother was wont to send him pottage. And S. Gregory commanded anon that that dish of silver should be given to him and the angel took it with great joy. And little while after, this angel appeared to S. Gregory and said to him that God has sent him so to him.
It happed afterward that as S. Gregory passed through the market of Rome, and saw there two fair children white and ruddy of visage, and fair yellow hair which were for to sell. And S. Gregory demanded from whence they were, and the merchant answered, of England. After S. Gregory demanded if they were christian, and he answered: Nay, but that they were paynims. Then sighed S. Gregory and said: Alas, what fair people has the devil in his doctrine and in his domination. After he demanded how these people were called: he answered that they were called Angles men; then he said they may well be so called for they have the visage of angels. And for that S. Gregory went to the pope, and by great prayers he impetred and had grant that he was sent in to England for to convert the people of that same country, but when the Romans heard say that Gregory was sent into England, anon they went to the pope and said to him: You have angered S. Peter, you have destroyed all Rome, and hurt all holy church in this that you have let Gregory go out of Rome. Of which word the pope was angry and much abashed, and sent anon his messengers after S. Gregory, and commanded him to return and come again to Rome, which then was gone on his journey three days, and for his noble and good renomee the pope made him cardinal deacon. After, for the corruption of the air, the pope Pelagius died, and then S. Gregory was elect of all the people to be pope, but he refused it and said that to that dignity he was not worthy, and for the right great mortality, ere that he was sacred pope he made to the people a sermon and said: Right dear brethren, well ought we to have doubt of the scourge of God ere that we feel it, and yet we ought to fear it, and to turn and forsake our sins, lo! you may behold the people die ere they beweep their sins; think you then in what point he comes in the presence of the judge that has had no time to bewail his sins. The houses be void, the children die in the presence of father and mother, suddenly, so that they have little time to die, wherefore every man amend his life while he has time for to repent him of his evil deeds and sins, ere that the judge call him from the mortal body. He says by the prophet, I will not the death of a sinner, but I will that he return and live; much soon the judge hears the sinner when he converts from his sins and amends his life. By such manner admonested he to the people their health, and he ordained to make procession in all the churches much solemnly for to impetre and get mercy for this mortality. When the procession was done he would have gone privily out of Rome, for to eschew the office of the papalty, but against that the gates were kept so that he might not issue. At the last he did do change his habit, and so much did with the merchants that they brought him out of Rome in a tun upon a cart. And when he was far out of the town, he issued out of the tun and hid him in a ditch, and when he had been therein three days the people of Rome sought him all about. Anon they saw a pillar shining descend from heaven straight upon the ditch in which S. Gregory was; and a recluse, a holy man saw that by that pillar angels descended from heaven to S. Gregory and after went up again. Anon then S. Gregory was taken of the people and after the ordinance of holy church he was ordained and sacred pope against his will, for he was much debonair, humble and merciful to rich and poor, and to great and small. Well may he apperceive that reads his writings how oft he complained of this great charge that he was charged withal, to which he said he was not worthy thereto, and also he might not hear that any should praise him, ne in letters ne in words. And alway he was in great humility and accounted himself more meek and low after that he was pope than tofore, insomuch that he was the first of the popes that wrote: Servus servorum Dei, that is, servant of the servants of God. He had great cure and was busy to convert sinners; he made and compiled many fair books, of which the church is greatly illumined. He was never idle, how well that he was always sick. He converted the English people to the christian faith by three holy men and good clerks that he sent thither, that is to wit Augustin, Mellitus, and John, for to preach the faith. And because the mortality ceased not, he ordained a procession, in the which he did do bear an image of our Lady, which, as is said, S. Luke the Evangelist made, which was a good painter, he had carved it and painted after the likeness of the glorious Virgin Mary. And anon the mortality ceased, and the air became pure and clear, and about the image was heard a voice of angels that sung this anthem: Regina cæli lætare, etc., and S. Gregory put thereto: Ora pro nobis, deum rogamus, alleluia. At the same time S. Gregory saw an angel upon a castle which made clean a sword all bloody, and put it into the sheath, and thereby S. Gregory understood that the pestilence of this mortality was passed, and after that it was called the Castle Angel.
S. Gregory did every day so great alms that many in the country about were nourished by him, whom he had by name written, and also the monks that dwelt in the Mount Sinai had of him their sustenance. Among all other alms that he did he governed three thousand virgins, to whom he sent every year four score pound of gold, and also he founded to them an abbey in Jerusalem, and sent to them that therein were such things as they lacked. Every day had he poor men to dinner. On a time it happed that he took the laver for to give water to a pilgrim for to wash his hands by great humility, and anon the pilgrim vanished away, whereof S. Gregory had marvel. The night after our Lord appeared in a vision and said to him: The other days you have received me in my members, but yesterday you receivedst me in my person.
Another day S. Gregory commanded to his dispenser that he should bring to dinner twelve poor men, and when S. Gregory and the poor men were set at meat, he told at the table sitting thirteen poor pilgrims, and demanded of his dispenser why he had done above his commandment to bring in more than twelve persons. And anon the dispenser, all abashed, went and told the poor men, and found but twelve, and said to S. Gregory: Holy father, there be no more but twelve, and so many shall you find and no more. Then considered S. Gregory that, one of the pilgrims that sat next to him oft changed his visage, for oft he seemed young, and after old. And after dinner S. Gregory took him by the hand and brought him into his chamber, and prayed him that he would tell him his name. And he answered: Wherefore demandest thou my name, which is marvellous? Nevertheless know you well that I am the same poor mariner to whom you gave the dish of silver in which your mother was wont to send the pottage, and know for certain that sith that day that you didst to me that alms, God has destined you to be pope. And said moreover: I am the angel of God, and he has sent me hither to you to be your defender and procurer of that which you would demand and impetre of him, and after this the angel vanished away.
And in that time there was an hermit, an holy man, which had left and forsaken all the goods of the world for God's sake, and had retained nothing but a cat, with which he played oft, and held it in his lap deliciously. On a day it happed that he prayed God devoutly that he would vouchsafe to show to him to what saint he should be in like joy in heaven, because for his love he had left all the world and renounced. Upon this God showed him in a vision that S. Gregory and he should have like joy in heaven. And when he understood this he sighed sore and praised little his poverty, which he had long suffered and borne, if he should have Iike merit which abounded so greatly in secular riches. Upon this there came a voice to him which said that: The possession of riches makes not a man in this world rich, but the ardour of covetise. Then be still you, dare you compare your poverty to the riches of S. Gregory which love more your cat, with whom you cease not to stroke and play, than S. Gregory does all his riches, for he ceases never to give alms for God's sake? Then the hermit thanked Almighty God, and prayed that he might have his merit and reward with S. Gregory in the glory of paradise.
On a day it happed that S. Gregory sang mass in the church of S. Mary major, and when he had said: Pax domini sit semper vobiscum, anon the angel said: Et cum spiritu tuo, and from then forthon the pope ordained a station in that church every year on Easter day, and when then he said in his mass: Pax domini, etc., none shall answer, in remembrance of this miracle.
In the time that Trajan the emperor reigned, and on a time as he went toward a battle out of Rome, it happed that in his way as he should ride, a woman, a widow, came to him weeping and said I pray you, sire, that you avenge the death of one my son which innocently and without cause has been slain. The emperor answered: If I come again from the battle whole and sound then I shall do justice for the death of your son. Then said the widow: Sire, and if you die in the battle who shall then avenge his death? And the emperor said: He that shall come after me. And the widow said: Is it not better that you do to me justice and have the merit thereof of God than another have it for you? Then had Trajan pity and descended from his horse and did justice in avenging the death of her son. On a time S. Gregory went by the market of Rome which is called the market of Trajan, and then he remembered of the justice and other good deeds of Trajan, and how he had been piteous and debonair, and was much sorrowful that he had been a paynim, and he turned to the church of S. Peter wailing for the horror of the miscreance of Trajan. Then answered a voice from God saying: I have now heard your prayer, and have spared Trajan from the pain perpetual. By this, as some say, the pain perpetual due to Trajan as a miscreant was somedeal taken away, but for all that was not he quit from the prison of hell, for the soul may well be in hell and feel there no pain by the mercy of God. And after, it is said that the angel in his answer said more to thus: Because you have prayed for a paynim, God grants you to choose of two things, that one which you will, or you shall be two days in purgatory in pain, or else all the days of your life you shall languish in sickness. Then answered S. Gregory that he had liefer to have sickness all his life in this world, than to feel by two days the pains of purgatory. And ever after he had continually the fevers, or axes, or the gout in his feet, and hereof himself makes mention in one his epistle, and says: I am so much tormented of the gout in my feet, and of other sicknesses that, my life is to me a great pain, every day meseems that I ought to die, and always I abide the death. Some time my pain is little, and some time right great, but it is not so little that it departs from me, ne so great that it brings me to death, and thus it is that I, that am always ready to die, am withdrawn from death. lt happed that a widow that was wont every Sunday to bring hosts to sing mass with, should on a time be houseled and communed, and when S. Gregory should give to her the holy sacrament in saying: Corpus domini nostri, etc., that is to say: The body of our Lord Jesu Christ keep you into everlasting life, anon this woman began to smile tofore S. Gregory, and anon he withdrew his hand, and remised the sacrament upon the altar. And he demanded her, tofore the people, why she smiled, and she said: Because that the bread that I have made with my proper hands you name it the body of our Lord Jesu Christ. Anon S. Gregory put himself to prayer with the people, for to pray to God that hereupon he would show his grace for to confirm our belief, and when they were risen from prayer, S. Gregory saw the holy sacrament in figure of a piece of flesh as great as the little finger of an hand, and anon after, by the prayers of S. Gregory, the flesh of the sacrament turned into semblance of bread as it had been tofore, and therewith he communed and houseled the woman, which after was more religious, and the people more firm in the faith.
S. Gregory made and ordained the song of the office of holy church, and established at Rome two schools of song, that one beside the church of S. Peter, and that other by the church of S. John Lateran, where the place is yet, where he lay and taught the scholars, and the rod with which he menaced them, and the antiphoner on which he learned them is yet there. He put to the canon of the mass these words: Diesque nostros in tua pace disponas, atque ab æ terna damnatione nos eripi, et in electorum tuorum jubeas grege numerari. At the last when S. Gregory had been pope thirteen years, six months and ten days, he being full of good works, departed out of this world in the year of our Lord six hundred and six years, in the time when Phocas was emperor of Rome. Let us then pray to S. Gregory that he get us grace that we may amend so ourselves here in this life that we may come unto everlasting life in heaven. Amen.
Almighty God, you gave your servant Gregory the Great special gifts of grace to understand and teach the truth revealed in Christ Jesus: Grant that by this teaching we may know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
British (Received Pronunciation): Charlemagne /ˈʃɑːr.lə.meɪn/; Constantinople /ˌkɒnstæntɪˈnoʊpəl/; Pastoralis /ˌpæstəˈrɑːlɪs/; Augustine /ɔːˈɡʌstɪn/
Readings for a Teacher of the Faith
Proverbs 3:13–26Psalm 119:89–1061 John 1:1–10Matthew 13:47–52