- St Gregory the Great (the Dialogist), Pope of Rome (604)
- He was born in Rome to a wealthy senatorial family. He received a
good education in secular and spiritual learning, and became Prefect of
Rome. While still in the world, he used his great wealth mostly for the
good of the Church, building six monasteries in Sicily and another in
Rome itself. At this monastery, dedicated to the Apostle Andrew,
Gregory was tonsured a monk. He was appointed Archdeacon of Rome, then,
in 579, Papal legate to Constantinople, where he lived for nearly seven
years. He returned to Rome in 585 and was elected Pope in 590.
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He is famed for his many writings, his generous charity (he gave almost
all his income to the poor, and often invited the poor to share his
table), and for initiating missionary work among the Anglo-Saxon
peoples. The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, celebrated on Wednesday
and Friday evenings during Great Lent, was compiled by him. St Gregory
introduced elements of the chanting that he had heard in Constantinople
into Western Church chant: The Gregorian Chant which beautified the
Western churches for many years is named for him. Its system of modes is
related to the eight tones of the Eastern church. He is called 'the
Dialogist' after his book The Dialogues, an account of the lives and miracles of Italian saints.
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- Our Holy Father Theophanes the Confessor (818)
- He was born in 760 to an illustrious and very wealthy family — he
was a kinsman of the Emperor Leo the Isaurian. In early life he lived
in great luxury, married, and became a member of the Emperor's court.
Later, with his wife's consent, he abandoned his home, his fortune and
his rank to live humbly in a monastery. (His wife also entered monastic
life; both of them entered monasteries that they had established with
their wealth). Theophanes, though accustomed to a life of splendor and
ease, joyfully lived as the lowest of monks for many years. He became
so well-known for his faith, purity and wisdom that he was invited to
the Seventh Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 787. He prayed unceasingly
for the sick and distressed, and was granted the gift of wonder working:
his prayers healed all kinds of illnesses, but especially mania and
madness. When he himself fell seriously ill for a long period, he
refused to pray for his own healing, but accepted his infirmity with
thanksgiving.
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When a second iconoclast period arose under the Emperor Leo the
Armenian, Theophanes, who was widely known for his defense of the holy
icons, was taken to Constantinople and imprisoned under extremely harsh
conditions for two years. The Emperor then sent him into exile on the
island of Samothrace. There, his body broken by his cruel imprisonment,
he lived for only twenty-three days before giving up his soul to God.
source: http://www.abbamoses.com
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