Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Bishop, Confessor & Doctor
S. Gregorii Nazianzeni Episcopi Confessoris et Ecclesiae Doctoris
Saint Gregory Nazianzen, one of the great Fathers of the Eastern Church, defended the divinity of Christ and the mystery of the Holy Trinity with such depth that he is honoured as “the Theologian” and a Doctor of the Church.
Saint Gregory was born about the year 329 or 330 at Nazianzus in Cappadocia, in Asia Minor, the son of the bishop of that place, who was likewise a saint. Devoted from his youth to learning and to God, he studied at Athens, where he formed a holy friendship with Saint Basil the Great, a bond of soul that endured throughout their lives and joined them in the service of the Church.
Defender of the divinity of Christ
Saint Gregory lived in the age when the Arian error, which denied the true Godhead of the Son, still troubled the Church. Drawn from the quiet of prayer and study which he loved, he was called to labour for the orthodox faith, and for a time was made bishop in the imperial city of Constantinople. There, in a small church amid much opposition, he preached his celebrated discourses on the Holy Trinity, setting forth with unmatched clarity that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one God in three Persons, coequal and coeternal.
So profound was his teaching on the mystery of God that the Church has given him the rare title of “the Theologian.” His preaching helped to confirm the faith of the Council of Constantinople, and his words on the Godhead of Christ and of the Holy Spirit remain a treasure of the Church’s tradition. Yet he sought no honour for himself, and when his presence became an occasion of strife among the bishops, he willingly withdrew for the sake of peace.
Doctor of the Church
Returning at last to his homeland, Saint Gregory spent his final years in retirement, given to prayer, to penance, and to the writing of sermons, letters, and poems of great beauty. He died about the year 390. For the depth and orthodoxy of his teaching he is venerated as one of the Doctors of the Church and is counted among the four great Doctors of the East.
His feast on the ninth of May honours a shepherd and theologian who loved both the silence of contemplation and the truth he was called to defend, and who taught the Church in every age to adore the one God in three Persons. The collect of his Mass asks that we who have had him for a teacher of life on earth may deserve to have him as an intercessor in heaven.
The Collect
O God, who didst give blessed Gregory to be thy people’s minister of eternal salvation: grant, we beseech thee; that we, who have had him for a teacher of life on earth, may deserve to have him as an intercessor in heaven.
Deus, qui pópulo tuo ætérnæ salútis beátum Gregórium minístrum tribuísti: præsta, quæsumus; ut, quem Doctórem vitæ habúimus in terris, intercessórem habére mereámur in cælis.
Patronage
He is venerated as one of the four great Doctors of the Eastern Church and bears the title “the Theologian” for his teaching on the Holy Trinity.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar he is commemorated together with Saint Basil the Great in a joint memorial on 2 January.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Gregory Nazianzen?
In the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal his feast is kept on 9 May as a Third Class feast. In the modern calendar he is honoured with Saint Basil the Great on 2 January.
Who was Saint Gregory Nazianzen?
He was a fourth-century bishop and Father of the Eastern Church, a friend of Saint Basil the Great, who defended the divinity of Christ and the doctrine of the Holy Trinity against the Arians. He is honoured as a Doctor of the Church and bears the title “the Theologian.”
Why is he called ‘the Theologian’?
The title, which the Eastern Church gives to very few, was bestowed on Saint Gregory for the depth and purity of his teaching on the mystery of God, especially the divinity of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, set forth chiefly in his discourses preached at Constantinople.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
These pages are offered with love for the saints and for all who seek them. If anything here should need correcting, we humbly beg your pardon and ask your help — kindly write to [email protected], and we will mend it as soon as we can.
Receive the coming feasts, Mass times, and reflections from our community — sent with care, never spam.