THE CENTENARY OF ST. GREGORY THE GREAT.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 32, 8 May 1891, Page 7

THE CENTENARY OF ST. GREGORY THE GREAT.

As has been already announced in tbe Liverpool Catholic Tinwt there has been established in Rome under tbe piesidency "f his Eminence Cardinal Parocchi, Yica- of his Holiness Leo XIII., a special cjmmittee to prepare for the celebration of the centenary of St. Gregory the Great. This committee having presented to the Holy Father an address, in the course of which thty explained the object they have in view, his Holiness has sent the following reply to the Cardmal and the committee : —

Beloved Son and Dear Children — Health aad Apoßtolic I'enediction : Tbe coble zeal with which, as We perceive from your letter, you are inspired to celebrate tbe memory of St. Gregory 1., H- ad Priest of this Bom-m Church, on the occasion of the 13th cen'enary of bis Pontificate, fittingly corresponds with Our veneraiioa for him and Our desires, for it could not but be most pleasing to Us that particular honour Bhould be paid to that most chs inguished light o( the Church and ornament of this Koman See, to whose eminen' merits the grateful goodwill of contemporaries conf-rncg on him the title of Great, paid the tribu'e of an eternal tesiimony of praite — a testimony confirmed by the uninimous admiration of posterity. Iv truth, he appears to have been given by Goi to the Catholic world that in times of the utmo9t d fficulty be mig'ut as a trusty administrator come to the aid of tte Church and human society by imparting counsels of Divine benigniy and entering on undertakings of the greatest imporance. For by his efforts nations were recalled from error, ecait red Kingdoms were brought to the faith of Cnris*, and centuiies were enriched wi'h streams of heavenly doc Tine. The churches of the Eas , tspain, France and Africa, which presented great obstacles ani inconveniencies, received the richest fruit of his burning teal for tbe progress of Christianity ; and whilst on the overthrow of tbe Koman Empire, the power of the barbarians was dominant in tnis land of Italy, Gregory amidst this extensive confusion

and the »ffl diooß of tbe tim». with the greatness of an exalted and unconquerable mind, was the vindicator am) propa?a or of Christnn ki i<l!i esp; thp coneoler of s rrowp, the repeller of injustice ; through hif acti j i the fo cc and the arms of the powers yielded to truth aad just cc, and in his protectiou thii happy country found defence. cjmfort and safety. You, therefore, undertook a project most worthy of the merits of tuch an eminent predecessor of Ours and of your own Diety when you decided to revive by a public c L brat ion, after thirteen centuries, the memory of hi* accession to the Pon ificate ; for it is fitting that the distinguished ornaments which rtflei* glory on the Churci should be brought to mind and male the orijects of public attention ; it is ala> suitable to the times, in which it is necessary to strengthen men's minds by powerful t.nd cots' aut examples ; nor is it unbecoming the dignity of this city to take pride in that man wh >se birthplace it was, whose mortal remains it preserves an i reverences, of whose supreme ministry it mainly leceived the care a.d influence, and through whose vn -eminent deserts it found itself obtaini >g fresh honour and favour amongst al! nations. And since the crop of bis glory is most abundant, proceeding f iom tbe Div.ne bounty, from which all gool things flow, you have appropriately and rightly deemed ie well, first of all to offer tnanks to G^d Who raised up such fortitude in His Church and thiougb it accomplished wonderful and salutary wjrk* ; and then to signalise, as far as possible, by commemorative speeches and panegyrics of learned men the monuments of the ability ani strength of character of the distinguished Pontiff and the extent of the work he performed, and not to pass over the everlasting examples of his charity made evident by heavenly manifestations ; in honouring which things you have wisely decided to employ, not writings, but deeds better than words, namely, a good-natured banquet of charity. Success, then, to the pious zeal by which you are animated, and act in such a way that as by your commemoration tbe memory of Gregory's work may be revived to the glory of that great Pontiff, to also it may serve as a useful example for this age. For nothing could be more useful and salutary to our age than to take from the age of Gregory the Great a lesson as to the power of the Church in averting or remedying private and public evils where by the removal of obstacles it ein exercise its good offices towards men ; and the more hostility towards it is abandoned and the greater the scope allowei for jus ice mi fai:-play t^e better is it for the traaquility of States and Empires. For net with the world and the wisdom of the age, but with the Church, the pillar and ground of truth, is Cnrist, the restorer of everything in Heaven and on earth, and whit c in be done by those who .have fallen away from Him is told by sad experience and the ruin und losses of our time*. At the sight of those evils We case not to tffer up to God Our prayers for the salvation of all men al'ke ; uor do We djubt that duri g the celebration you are about to hold jou will trier up similar prayers, begging God that inasmuch as by the coucsel, 1 board, and resolutions of St. Gregory tbe Great the violeLc j fend bitterness of public evils abated in his age, so ihe advers j waves by which tbe Church and human society are cow co terribly assailed may, through the intercession of tbe great saint, subside. Encouraged by this hope, We predict the most complete success for your celel ration, and as a proof of Our sincere affection We grant the Apostolic Benediction lovingly in the Lord to you, beloved son, and to you all, dear children. Given at St. Peter's, Borne, 10th February, 1891, the thirteenth year of Our Pontificate. Leo XIII., POPE.