Saint of the Day – 3 September – St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) – Father & Doctor of the Church

Saint of the Day – 3 September – St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) – Father & Doctor of the Church.   Also known as “Father of the Fathers” (c 540 at Rome, Italy – Papal Ascension:  3 September 590 – 12 March 604 at Rome, Italy of natural causes).   Pope, Prefect of Rome, Monk, Abbot, Writer, Theologian, Teacher, Liturgist.   Patronages – • against gout • against plague/epidemics,• choir boys,• teachers• stone masons, stonecutters, • students, school children,• Popes, the Papacy,• musicians,• singers,• England, • West Indies,• Legazpi, Philippines, Diocese of,• Order of Knights of Saint Gregory, • Kercem, Malta,• Montone, Italy,• San Gregorio nelle Alpi, Italy.   Attributes – • crozier
• dove,• pope working on sheet music,• pope writing,• tiara.

Pope St. Gregory was born in Rome, the son of a wealthy Roman Senator.   His mother was St. Sylvia.   He followed the career of public service that was usual for the son of an aristocratic family, becoming Prefect of the City of Rome but resigned within a year to pursue monastic life.

He founded with the help of his vast financial holdings seven monasteries, of which six were on family estates in Sicily. A seventh, which he placed under the patronage of St. Andrew and which he himself joined, was erected on the Clivus Scauri in Rome. For several years, he lived as a good and holy Benedictine monk.

Then Pope Pelagius made him one of the seven deacons of Rome.   For six years, he served as permanent ambassador to the Court of Byzantium.   In the year 586, he was recalled to Rome and with great joy returned to St Andrew’s Monastery.   He became abbot soon afterwards and the monastery grew famous under his energetic rule.   When the Pope died, Gregory was unanimously elected to take his place because of his great piety and wisdom.   However, Gregory did not want that honour, so he disguised himself and hid in a cave but was found and made Pope anyway.

He was elected Pope on 3 September 590, the first monk to be elected to this office.   For fourteen years he ruled the Church.   Even though he was always sick, Gregory was one of the greatest popes the Church has ever had.   He reformed the administration of the Church’s estates and devoted the resulting surplus to the assistance of the poor and the ransoming of prisoners.   He negotiated treaties with the Lombard tribes who were ravaging northern Italy and by cultivating good relations with these and other barbarians he was able to keep the Church’s position secure in areas where Roman rule had broken down.

His works for the propagation of the faith include the sending of St Augustine of Canterbury and his monks as missionaries to England in 596, providing them with continuing advice and support and (in 601) sending reinforcements.   He wrote extensively on pastoral care, spirituality and morals and designated himself “servant of the servants of God”, a title which all Popes have used since that time.

He never rested and wore himself down to almost a skeleton.   Even as he lay dying, he directed the affairs of the Church and continued his spiritual writing.

He codified the rules for selecting deacons to make these offices more spiritual.   Prior to this, deacons were selected on their ability to sing the liturgy and chosen if they had good voices.

Because he loved the solemn celebration of the Eucharist, St. Grergory devoted himself to compiling the Antiphonary, which contains the chants of the Church used during the liturgy (the Gregorian Chant).   He also set up the Schola Cantorum, Roman’s famous training school for chorusters.

St Gregory died on March 12, 604 and was buried in St Peter’s Church.   He is designated as the fourth Doctor of the Latin Church.   His feast is celebrated on the date of his election as Pope.

The Eucharistic Miracle of St Pope Gregory

St Gregory the Great is perhaps especially remembered by many for the Eucharistic Miracle that occurred in 595 during the Holy Sacrifice.   This famous incident was related by Paul the Deacon in his 8th century biography of the holy pope, Vita Beati Gregorii Papae.

Pope Gregory was distributing Holy Communion during a Sunday Mass and noticed amongst those in line a woman who had helped make the hosts was laughing.   This disturbed him greatly and so he inquired what was the cause of her unusual behaviour. The woman replied that she could not believe how the hosts she had prepared could become the Body and Blood of Christ just by the words of consecration.

Hearing this disbelief, St. Gregory refused to give her Communion and prayed that God would enlighten her with the truth.   Just after making this plea to God, the pope witnessed some consecrated Hosts (which appeared as bread) change Their appearance into actual flesh and blood.   Showing this miracle to the woman, she was moved to repentance for her disbelief and knelt weeping.   Today, two of these miraculous Hosts can still be venerated at Andechs Abbey in Germany (with a third miraculous Host from Pope Leo IX [11th century], thus the Feast of the Three Hosts of Andechs [Dreihostienfest]).

During the Middle Ages, the event of the Miraculous Mass of St. Gregory was gradually stylised in several ways.   First the doubting woman was often replaced by a deacon, while the crowd was often comprised of the papal court of cardinals and other retinue. Another important feature was the pious representation of the Man of Sorrows rising from a sarcophagus and surrounded by the Arma Christi, or the victorious display of the various instruments of the Passion.

The artistic representation of this Eucharistic Miracle became especially prominent in Europe during the Protestant Reformation in reaction to the heretical denial of the doctrine of the Real Presence.