St. Gregory the Great

Today the Church remembers Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome from 590 to 604.

James Kiefer tells us that Gregory was born around 540, and in 573 he became Prefect of Rome.  Shortly afterwards, he resigned and became a monk. In 579, Gregory was sent to represent the Bishop of Rome to the Patriarch of Constantinople. When Gregory returned, the Bishop of Rome, Leo, died of the plague, and in Gregory was elected bishop in 590.

Like Leo before him, Gregory became the practical governor of central Italy. When the Lombards invaded, Gregory organized the defense of Rome, and entered into a treaty with them. When there was a food shortage, Gregory organized the distribution of grain from Sicily.

Gregory is also known as a liturgist and an organizer.  He used plainchant (Gregorian chant), and founded a school to train church musicians. He introduced a lectionary of readings.

Although Gregory wanted to go himself but was unable to, he sent missionaries headed by Augustine of Canterbury (not to be confused with our own Augustine of Hippo, more famous), to preach the Gospel in the land known today as England.

He died in Rome in 604.

Let us pray:  Almighty and merciful God, who raised up Gregory of Rome to be a servant of the servants of God, and inspired him to send missionaries to preach the Gospel to the English people: Preserve in your Church the catholic and apostolic faith they taught, that your people, being fruitful in every good work, may receive the crown of glory that never fades away; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen,

CALENDAR REMINDERS

This Wednesday, 13 March, at 6:00 pm, we will host the 4^th in the Lenten Series. Please remember we need to feed about 90 people. Our speaker will be the Rev. Canon John Newton, the Canon for Lifelong Formation in the Diocese of Texas. John is responsible for casting a vision for lifelong Christian formation in the Diocese of Texas by building teams, networks and relationships that clarify our vision and that empower us to live into it. The Charter for Lifelong Christian Formation, approved by General Convention in 2009, compels the Church to minister to people of all ages, races and life situations so that all people become mature in the Christian faith. Lifelong Christian formation includes a heavy emphasis on Christian education. John’s vocation is to work throughout the parishes and institutions as an ambassador for the diocese. His vocation is to preach, teach, guide, shape, clarify, listen, articulate, and empower so that we can grow up into Christ together and joyfully live into our Baptismal Covenant.

Sunday, 17 March, we will have our regularly scheduled Bishop’s Committee meeting immediately following the 9:00 a.m. service.

The Seaside Seniors will meet in Sutton Hall on Thursday, 21 March.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

Your servant in Christ,

The Rev. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550