03/09/2026
SAINT OF THE DAY
ST. GREGORY THE GREAT, POPE AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH
He would have preferred to be a monk, but contrary to his wishes, he was elected Pope. He then proved to be a practical and enterprising man of action. He initiated a profound reform of the Church and left us numerous writings. The greatness of his work earned him the title "the Great."
Gregory was born in Rome around the year 540 into a wealthy Roman patrician family, the Anicia gens, of Christian faith and known for their services to the Apostolic See. His parents, Gordian and Silvia (whose feast day is November 3), instilled in him Gospel values through their example.
After studying law, Gregory embarked on a political career and held the position of Prefect of Rome. This experience helped him understand the real problems of the city and develop a profound sense of order and discipline.
A few years later, he decided to withdraw, drawn to the monastic life. He donated his possessions to the poor and converted his family home, located on the Caelian Hill, into a monastery dedicated to Saint Andrew. There, in solitude, he devoted himself to prayer and the study of Sacred Scripture and the Church Fathers.
From Monk to Pope
But Pope Pelagius II appointed him deacon and sent him to Constantinople as his apostolic nuncio. He remained there for six years, during which, in addition to carrying out the diplomatic tasks entrusted to him by the Pope, he continued to live as a monk with other religious.
Upon his return to Rome, he went back to his monastery on the Caelian Hill. After the death of Pelagius II in 590, he was elected as his successor.
Gregory faced a difficult period: the Lombards had invaded the Italian peninsula, rains and floods had caused numerous casualties and great damage, and many areas were affected by famine and plague. Gregory exhorted the faithful to prayer and penance, inviting them to participate, for three days, in a solemn penitential procession to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. It is said that, as they crossed the bridge that connects the Vatican area with the center of Rome, Gregory and the crowd had a vision of the Archangel Michael above Hadrian's Monument, interpreting it as a celestial sign announcing the end of the epidemic. From this episode onward, the ancient mausoleum was called Castel Sant'Angelo—Castle of the Holy Angel.