St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church, in Picton, Ontario, was established in 1837, on land donated by the Rev. William MacAulay, Rector of the Church of England in Picton, St. Mary Magdalene Parish, to his friend, Father Lalor, the Catholic Priest.

The first stone Church was built on the site in 1837, and dedicated by Bishop MacDonnell and Bishop Ganlin in 1839.

The stone Church did duty in The County until 4 September 1892, when Archbishop Cleary laid the corner stone of the present brick Church.

The new Church was dedicated by Archbishop Cleary on 5 October 1893.

 

 

Who Was St. Gregory?

Pope St. Gregory I, known as St. Gregory the Great, was Pope from
3 September 590 AD until his death in 604 AD.

A Doctor of the Church, Gregory was the first Pope to come from a Monastic background. Pope Gregory was known as “the Great” becasue of his charity in feeding starving Romans, his protection of the Jewish people of Rome, and his great political diplomacy.

There was an Anglo-Saxon boys’ choir in Rome. Pope Gregory was told that they were Angles (from England). Because of their ruddy complexion, he said they were not Angles, but Angels. Pope Gregory then sent the missionary St. Augustine to the Royal Court in Canterbury to reawaken the remnant of the Catholic faith that was still in England.

Canonized by popular acclaim immediately after his death, Gregory is the patron saint of musicians, singers, students and teachers. To learn more about St. Gregory the Great, see: https://infogalactic.com/info/Pope_Gregory_I