Catholic Saints
Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540–604 AD), Pope from 590 to 604 AD, stands as one of the most influential figures of the early medieval Church, earning the title "the Great" for his profound contributions to theology, liturgy, and administration during a time of societal upheaval following the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Born into a wealthy Roman family, he abandoned a promising secular career to embrace monastic life, only to be called to the papacy in an era marked by plague, famine, and barbarian incursions. A Doctor of the Church, Gregory is celebrated for his Dialogues, which popularized saints’ lives, and for sending missionaries like Augustine to evangelize England in 596 AD, laying the groundwork for Anglo-Saxon Christianity. His Pastoral Care became a manual for bishops, while his reforms to the Roman liturgy, including the Gregorian Chant tradition attributed to him, shaped worship for centuries. Known for his humility—he styled himself “Servant of the Servants of God”—his feast day is celebrated on September 3, and he was named a Doctor of the Church in 1295 by Pope Boniface VIII, leaving a legacy that bridged antiquity and the Middle Ages with wisdom and compassion.
His feast day is celebrated on September 3.
Doctor of the Church
Born around 540 AD in Rome, Saint Gregory the Great ascended to the papacy in 590 AD, guiding the Church through a dark age with a blend of spiritual depth, administrative genius, and missionary zeal.
Gregory was born circa 540 AD into a prominent Roman senatorial family, the Anicii, during a period of decline following the Western Roman Empire’s fall. His father, Gordianus, was a wealthy patrician, and his mother, Sylvia, later venerated as a saint, instilled in him a deep Christian faith. Educated in law and rhetoric, Gregory rose to become Prefect of Rome around 573 AD, managing the city’s crumbling infrastructure amid economic ruin.
Disenchanted with secular life, he resigned his post after his father’s death, converting his family estate on the Caelian Hill into a monastery dedicated to Saint Andrew. Embracing monasticism, he lived as a monk for several years, finding solace in prayer and study—a foundation that shaped his later reforms and writings, reflecting a heart turned from worldly ambition to divine service.
In 579 AD, Pope Pelagius II appointed Gregory as papal apocrisiarius (ambassador) to Constantinople, where he spent six years negotiating with Emperor Tiberius II amid tensions with the Eastern Church. Returning to Rome, he resumed monastic life, but in 590 AD, Pelagius’s death during a plague outbreak thrust Gregory into the papacy—elected unanimously despite his protests, becoming the first monk to hold the office.
Taking the title “Servant of the Servants of God,” Gregory faced immediate crises: floods, disease, and Lombard invasions. His administrative acumen shone as he organized relief efforts, distributed grain from papal estates, and fortified Rome’s defenses, establishing himself as both spiritual leader and temporal protector in a city abandoned by imperial authority.
One of Gregory’s most enduring acts was dispatching Augustine of Canterbury and 40 monks to England in 596 AD, inspired by seeing Anglo-Saxon slaves in Rome’s market years earlier. This mission, launched after Gregory’s initial hesitation, converted King Æthelberht of Kent and established Canterbury as a Christian hub, planting seeds for England’s Church that flourished for centuries.
Gregory’s letters to Augustine reveal a pragmatic approach—adapting pagan temples for Christian use and aligning local customs with faith—demonstrating his strategic foresight. His missionary zeal extended to Gaul and Spain, where he encouraged bishops to evangelize, cementing his role as a catalyst for Christianity’s spread in Western Europe.
Gregory is credited with shaping the Roman liturgy, though the extent of his direct involvement in “Gregorian Chant” is debated—later tradition amplified his role. He standardized the Mass, refined the Roman Canon, and promoted plainsong, enhancing worship’s solemnity. His Sacramentary, a collection of prayers, influenced medieval liturgy, reflecting his love for order and beauty in divine service.
His reforms aimed at unity, ensuring consistency across a fragmented Christendom. Gregory’s pastoral sensitivity shone in his instructions to priests, urging simplicity and devotion, making the liturgy a bridge between the faithful and God—a legacy that echoes in Western worship traditions to this day.
Gregory’s writings, including the Dialogues—a collection of saints’ lives like Saint Benedict’s—and Pastoral Care, a guide for bishops, showcase his theological depth and practical insight. The Dialogues popularized hagiography, blending miracles with moral lessons, while Pastoral Care outlined a bishop’s duties, becoming a medieval pastoral standard translated into multiple languages.
His 854 surviving letters address everything from heresy (e.g., Donatism) to church property management, revealing a mind attuned to both doctrine and daily governance. Gregory’s homilies on Ezekiel and the Gospels, delivered amid Rome’s hardships, offered hope and clarity, earning him the Doctor of the Church title in 1295 by Pope Boniface VIII.
Gregory died on March 12, 604 AD, in Rome, exhausted by years of service, and was buried in St. Peter’s Basilica. His feast day, originally March 12, shifted to September 3 (his ordination date) due to Lent conflicts. His papacy bridged the ancient and medieval worlds, strengthening the Church as a stabilizing force amid chaos.
Saint Gregory the Great’s legacy spans liturgy, mission, and governance. His writings inspired figures like Charlemagne, and his vision of a unified Christendom endured through the Middle Ages. Celebrated for his humility and tireless labor, he remains a model of leadership, his life a testament to faith’s power to renew a broken world.
“The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist.”
Born in Rome.
Born to a senatorial family.
Served as city administrator.
Appointed Prefect of Rome.
Elected Pope.
Became Pope Gregory I.
Sent Augustine to evangelize.
Launched English mission.
Died in Rome.
Named Doctor of the Church in 1295.
“The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist.”
Saint Gregory the Great Quotes
“He who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps.”
“The Holy Bible is like a mirror before our mind’s eye. In it we see our inner face.”
“The only true riches are those that make us rich in virtue.”
“When we are linked by the power of prayer, we hold each other’s hearts without the need of words.”
“The pastor should be discreet in keeping silence, profitable in speech, lest he utter what should be suppressed or suppress what should be uttered.”
“The dawn announces the day, but it does not create it; so the saints announce Christ, but they do not create Him.”