Saint of the Week

Gregory of Nyssa c. 335– c. 395 Feast Day—January 10

St. Gregory of Nyssa came from a large fam- ily of saints—including, among others, his parents, St. Basil the Elder and St. Emelia; his brother, St. Basil the Great; and his sister, St. Macrina. He was born in modern day Turkey during a time of persecution of the early Church; he initially devoted much Church. He played an important role at the of his early adult life to teaching rhetoric Council of Constantinople in 381, which and sources suggest that he was mar- defined the divinity of the Holy Spirit, and ried. His remarkable family helped shape is known for his trinitarian theology. Gregory’s intellectual work and service of the Church. Much of his religious education Pope Benedict XVI, during a general audi- was overseen by his brother, Basil, and ence about St. Gregory of Nyssa, described sister, Macrina. the “zealous pastor” as “disposed to med- itation with a great capacity for reflection Later, Gregory dedicated himself to living an and a lively intelligence open to the cul- ascetic life, and after receiving holy orders, ture of his time” (August 29, 2007). Pope was elected Bishop of Nyssa. Gregory tried Benedict XVI also said of the saint’s life and to reconcile disputing groups within the writing, “this is the most important lesson Church and took part in synods of the that St. Gregory of Nyssa has bequeathed to us—total human fulfilment consists in holiness, in a life lived in the encounter with God, which thus becomes luminous also to others and to the world.”

This is an original piece written for myUSCCB. Copyright © 2017, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington USCCB DC. All rights reserved. Quotes from Pope Benedict, copyright © 2007, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Vatican City State. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Image: H. Gregorius van Nyssa, Jan Luyken, after Jan Goeree, Rijksmuseum.