Gregory is one of the most notable figures in Ecclesiastical History. He has exercised momentous influence on the doctrine, the organization, and the discipline of the Catholic Church.
Saint Gregory was born in Rome about the year 540. He was the son of Gordianus, a wealthy patrician, who owned large estates in Sicily and a mansion on the Caelian Hill in Rome, the ruins of which still await excavation beneath the Church of St. Andrew and St. Gregory. His mother, St. Silvia, was a native of Sicily. They had two sons Gregory and another whose name has not survived the ages. Two of Gregory’s paternal aunts, Tarsilla and Emiliana, were also declared saints. It has been said that his education was that of a saint among saints. He loved to meditate on the Scriptures and to listen attentively to the conversations of his elders. He was devoted to God from his youth.