POPE St Gregory the Great left a lasting impact on the Church – one that is still felt today.
As the son of a senator and the eventual prefect of Rome, St Gregory brought a rich political tact to his pontificate alongside his experience in monastic life.
As Pope, he had a strong conviction towards evangelisation missions.
It is said that upon encountering malnourished Anglo-Saxons in a Roman Slave market, he declared they were “not Angles, but angels,” and organised a mission to the British Isles in 596.
Through their correspondence, St Gregory guided St Augustine of Canterbury, with the mission eventually bearing fruit.
Their efforts converted the largely pagan population, with more than 10,000 people seeking baptism by Christmas 597.
Canterbury would become the ranking see of English Catholicism for nearly 1000 years, and remains a prominent Christian location today.
His political skills would also see Franks, Lombards and Visigoths align with Rome in religion, and combat the Donatist heresy in North Africa.
St Gregory’s efforts are also seen in the liturgy.
He made a general revision of the Pre-Tridentine Mass, moving the Pater Noster (Our Father) to immediately after the Roman Canon and before the Fraction, where it remains today.
He also established the nine Kyries, and constructed the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, whose Western equivalent we still use on Good Friday.
Gregorian chants are also attributed to his work.
It should be no wonder then that he is also the patron saint of musicians and teachers.
Throughout his monastic life, St Gregory also had a special love for his vow of poverty, something that would translate to his pontificate.
As Pope, St Gregory was known for his charity for the poor, so much so that he was immediately canonised upon his death by popular acclaim.
On September 3, the Church celebrates the feast of St Gregory the Great.
