St. Gregory (Bishop): Feast on January 4th

 

This year as part of the 2014 Patron Saint of the Year Drawing, I drew the name of St. Gregory the bishop whose feastday is January 4th.  This St. Gregory is not to be confused with St. Gregory I (The Great) or St. Gregory VII or the other saints by this holy name.

After having drawn the name of this saint, I looked up his biography and was delighted to read it:

ST. GREGORY was one of the principal senators of Autun, and continued from the death of his wife a widower till the age of fifty-seven, et which time, for his singular virtues, he was consecrated Bishop of Langres, which see he governed with admirable prudence and zeal thirty-three years, sanctifying his pastoral labors by the most profound humility, assiduous prayer, and extraordinary abstinence and mortification. An incredible number of infidels were converted by him from idolatry, and worldly Christians from their disorders. He died about the beginning of the year 541, but some days after the Epiphany. Out of devotion to St. Benignus, he desired to be buried near that Saint's tomb at Dijon; this was executed by his virtuous son Tetricus, who succeeded him in his bishopric.

This year I have a chosen patron who exemplifies humility, prudence, and zeal who labored with great prayer and penance, as I hope to do this year as I again embrace the traditional 40 Day Lenten Fast and Abstinence (even though the modern Church does not have 40 days of such penance). I am honored to have St. Gregory as a heavenly companion of mine.

May St. Gregory pray for us all to preserve in our devotions and to win converts to the Faith and to help convert sinners.  St. Gregory, ora pro nobis!