Saint Gregory Orthodox Saint History and Name Day Information
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It’s true that learning about thee saints is important to Orthodox Christians, and celebrating their lives is an integral part of the church calendar. Most of the saints each have a feast day and those who are named after them celebrate their name day on the saint’s feast day.
Saint Gregory is one of those saints whose lives we celebrate. He is known for being a father and teacher during the early days of the church. His feast day is celebrated on January 25th and he is remembered again with the rest of the Three Hierarchs, Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, on January 30th. Here is more information about Saint Gregory:
About Saint Gregory
Saint Gregory, also known as Gregory the Theologian and Gregory the Younger, is also one of the Three Hierarchs along with Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Basil the Great. He is also known as one of the Cappadocian Fathers because at one point, he was one of the bishops in Cappadocia which is now part of modern-day Turkey.
Gregory was born in 329 AD in Arianzus, which was a district of Cappadocia. His whole family are also saints in the Orthodox Church. His father, also named Gregory, was a bishop in Nazianzus, which was also close to Cappadocia. His mother Nonna, sister Gorgonia, and brother Caesarius are also saints.
During his life, he studied in many places including Caesaria, Alexandria, and Athens. When he was sailing from Alexandria to Athens, he nearly lost his life. He also hadn’t been baptized yet but thankfully, the Lord saved him from death. He was baptized shortly after and gave his life to God after that.
He became acquainted with Saint Basil during his time in Athens and after Gregory’s studies he and Basil became ascetics together. They lived in a monastery in Pontus for some time where they served the Lord. After that, Gregory’s father ordained him as presbyter of Church of Nazianzus and then Saint Basil ordained him as a bishop. He also wrote many religious works that are still being read today. He died in 391 AD at the age of 62.
Hymns of Saint Gregory
Saint Gregory’s feast day is on January 25th of each year. Here are the hymns that are sung or chanted during his feast day:
Apolytikion: (First Tone)
- The pastoral flute of your theology conquered the trumpets of orators.
- For it called upon the depths of the Spirit
- and you were enriched with the beauty of words.
- Intercede to Christ our God,
- O Father Gregory, that our souls may be saved.
Kontakion: (Third Tone)
- O Glorious One, you dispelled the complexities of orators with the words of your theology.
- You have adorned the Church with the vesture of Orthodoxy woven from on high.
- Clothed in this, the Church now cries out to your children, with us,
- “Hail Father, the consummate theological mind.”
Saint Gregory’s feast day is on January 25th, and he is celebrated again on January 30th with the rest of the Three Hierarchs. Check the Name Day page for more information about other Orthodox Christian name days.
Source:
Gregory the Theologian – Also Image Source
Categorized in: Ancient Greek History, Greek Orthodox Religious Information
This post was written by Greek Boston
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