- Order of St. Gregory the Great
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For the monastic order, see Sylvestrines.
Order of St. Gregory the Great
Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni
Knight Commander's cross of the Order of St. Gregory the Great (1841) Awarded by 
Holy SeeType Order of knighthood, award (honour) of the Holy See (but not of the Catholic Church). Motto PRO DEO ET PRINCIPE Status Bestowed by authority of the Pope as a monarch (the Holy See) and temporal sovereign (the head of the Vatican City State) Sovereign His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI Grades (w/ post-nominals) Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the First Class
Knight/Dame Commander with Star
Knight/Dame Commander
Knight/DameFormer grades Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Second Class Established 1 September 1831 Precedence Next (higher) Order of Pius IX Next (lower) Order of St. Sylvester 
Ribbon bar of the order The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great (Latin: Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni, Italian: Ordine di San Gregorio Magno), was established on September 1, 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election.
It is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See. The order is bestowed on Catholic men and women (and in rare cases, non-Catholic men[1]) in recognition of their personal service to the Holy See and the Church, unusual labours, support of the Holy See, and the good example set in their communities and country.
The Order has four classes in civil and military divisions:
- Knight / Dame Grand Cross of the First Class (GCSG / DCSG)
- Knight / Dame Commander with Star (KC*SG / DC*SG)
- Knight / Dame Commander (KCSG / DCSG)
- Knight / Dame (KSG / DSG)
Its motto is Pro Deo et Principe (For God and Prince).
Contents
History and appointment
The inaugural brief states, in part, that "gentlemen of proven loyalty to the Holy See who, by reason of their nobility of birth and the renown of their deeds or the degree of their munificence, are deemed worthy to be honoured by a public expression of esteem on the part of the Holy See".The end of the brief states that they must progressively maintain, by continued meritorious deed, the reputation and trust they had already inspired, and prove themselves worthy of the honour that had been conferred on them, by unswerving fidelity to God and to the sovereign Pontiff.[2]
This honour has no particular obligations to the Church, except for the general ones stated above.
Insignia
An eight-pointed cross, the insignia of the Order, bears a representation of St. Gregory on the obverse and on the reverse the motto "Pro Deo et Principe" (For God and Prince). It is suspended from a red and gold ribbon. In ecclesiastical heraldry, laypersons awarded the rank Grand Cross display a red and gold ribbon surrounding the shield in their coat of arms, while other ranks place an appropriate ribbon below the shield.[3]
Vestments and accoutrements
The difference between the civilian and military costumes is the former wears the cross hanging from a green crown of laurel, whereas the latter have the cross hanging from a trophy. It is interesting to note that neither of the two documents issued by Gregory XVI says a word about a special uniform for the Knight of St. Gregory. A green uniform was later prescribed by Pope Pius IX. The uniform contains a black beaver-felt hat decorated with black silk ribbons, silver metallic twisted rope, buttons and black ostrich feathers. The jacket, made of green wool, is trimmed with silver metallic thread, and has a tail, nine yellow metal buttons in the front and three buttons on the cuffs and is lined with black satin. Finally, the costume contains suspenders, several yellow and red rosettes, white leather gloves, and a short sword with a handle made of mother of pearl with a medallion of the order at the end.
Knights Grand Cross wear a sash and a badge or star on the left side of the breast; Commanders wear a cross around the neck; and Knights wear a smaller cross on the left breast of the uniform:
Knight
Knight CommanderKnight Commander with StarKnight Grand CrossPrivileges
Members of the order have no privileges, except the right of riding on a horse inside Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, a right that has not recently been exercised.
Knights Grand Cross of the Order are entitled to be addressed with the style His/Her Excellency in front of their name.[4]
Notable members
- Carl A. Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus
- Walter Annenberg, created TV Guide[5]
- Július Binder, 2004, civil engineer and member of Slovak parliament
- Sir George Bowyer, 6th Baronet, Knight Grand Cross.[6]
- Patrick Burns, 1914, Canadian rancher, meat magnate, and senator
- Sir Matt Busby, CBE, manager of Manchester United
- Angelo Branca, 1977, Canadian judge
- Charles, Count of Limburg Stirum, Knight Grand Cross.
- Arthur Calwell, Australian cabinet minister and former Labor Party leader
- Frank Carson, noted Irish comedian and philanthropist
- G. K. Chesterton, British essayist, poet, novelist, and historian
- Sir Henry Cooper, 1978, British boxer.
- John A. Creighton, 1898, businessman and philanthropist in Omaha.[7]
- John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute[8]
- Leo Crowley, 1929 director U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
- Rodrigo Augusto da Silva, Knight Grand Cross of the First Class - Brazilian senator, minister and author
- Roy E. Disney, 1998[9]
- Isidore Dockweiler, 1924 - Philanthropist and statesman
- Hermanegild Marcos Antonio Drago, Pakistani physician
- George Forbes, 7th Earl of Granard, Knight Grand Cross.[10]
- John W. Gallivan, publisher of The Salt Lake Tribune
- Hector P. Garcia, Mexican-American civil rights leader
- Bob Hope, 1998, American entertainer (convert to Catholicism)[11]
- Dolores Hope, philanthropist and entertainer (Dame of St. Gregory with Star)
- Myles Keogh, 1861, Irish papal soldier - served in Italy and the United States
- Leon Klenicki, 2007, American rabbi who advocated interfaith relations
- Kenneth Langone, American investment banker
- Dorothy Leavey, American philanthropist
- Gilbert Levine, 1994, American conductor
- Ricardo Montalbán,[12] 1998, Mexican-born American-based actor and philanthropist
- Maurice Gerard Moynihan, 1959, Secretary of the Government of the Irish Free State and Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland
- Adolfo Müller-Ury, 1923, Swiss-born American portrait painter
- Rupert Murdoch, 1998[13]
- Francis Martin O'Donnell, 2007, retired former UN representative, Ambassador and Knight of Malta
- Frank Patterson, 1984, noted Irish tenor
- Charles Poletti, 1945, Governor of New York, Army officer in charge of post World War II civil affairs in Italy
- Gil J. Puyat, Senate President of the Philippines, Educator, Businessman, Philanthropist.
- John J. Raskob, financial executive and businessman (DuPont, General Motors); built the Empire State Building
- Joseph Ryelandt, Belgian composer
- Paul Salamunovich, 1969, American choral conductor and expert on Gregorian chant
- Sir Jimmy Savile KBE, 1990, English Radio DJ and television presenter/broadcaster
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver, 2006, American, founder of the Special Olympics
- Thomas Stonor, 7th Lord Camoys, 2006, Knight Grand Cross, Lord Chamberlain
- Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis[14], 2008, Dame Commander with Star
- Otto von Habsburg, Knight Grand Cross, Archduke Otto of Austria was the last Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary.
- Charles von Hügel, Knight Grand Cross [15]
- Roger Wagner, American choral conductor
- Mordecai Waxman, 1998, Prominent rabbi in the Conservative movement
See also
References
- ^ LA Times archive
- ^ "The Pontifical Order of Saint Gregory the Great". Association of Papal Orders in Great Britain website. Association of Papal Orders in Great Britain of Piux IX, Saint Gregory and Saint Sylvester. http://www.papalknights.org.uk/order-gregory.html. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ Noonan, Jr., James-Charles (1996). The Church Visible: The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Roman Catholic Church. Viking. p. 196. ISBN 0-670-86745-4.
- ^ Satow, Ernest Mason, Sir - A Guide to Diplomatic Practice
- ^ http://www.nndb.com/honors/001/000102692/ accessed September 14, 2007
- ^ Converts to Rome by Gordon Gorman 1885
- ^ "Count John A. Creighton Dead: Nebraskan Who Founded Colleges Was Enobled by the Pope," New York Times. February 8, 1907. Retrieved 1/22/08.
- ^ Converts to Rome by Gordon Gorman 1885
- ^ LA Times Archived Article
- ^ Converts to Rome by Gordon Gorman 1885
- ^ LA Times Archived Article
- ^ Gallantry magazine online accessed January 31, 2008
- ^ LA Times Archived Article
- ^ Fürstin Gloria von Thurn und Taxis erhält päpstlichen St.-Gregorius-Orden, Bistum Regensburg.
- ^ Charles von Hügel by Anatole von Hügel
External links
- Association of Papal Orders in Great Britain
- Photograph
- Catholic Knighthood article from Time Magazine, Jun. 25, 1928, reporting an award of the Order of St. Gregory the Great
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Supreme Order of Christ · __ _ 
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Order of St. Sylvester
Holy See protected Orders Categories:- Order of St. Gregory the Great
- Ecclesiastical heraldry
- Orders of knighthood of the Papacy
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