The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great (Latin: Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni, Italian: Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election to that seat by the College of Cardinals.
The Order of St. Gregory the Great is one of the five Orders of Knighthood of the Holy See. The honor is bestowed upon Roman Catholic men and women (and sometimes in rare cases to non-Catholics) in recognition of their personal service to the Holy See and to the Roman Catholic Church, through their unusual labors, their support of the Holy See, and their excellent examples set forth in their communities and their countries.
The Order of St. Gregory the Great has four "classes" in civil and military divisions:
Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the First Class (GCSG)Knight/Dame Commander with Star (KC*SG/DC*SG)Knight/Dame Commander (KCSG/DCSG)Knight/Dame (KSG/DSG)The motto of the Order of St. Gregory the Great is Pro Deo et Principe ("For God and Ruler").
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 honored 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 honor that had been conferred on them, by unswerving fidelity to God and to the sovereign Pontiff.
The awarding of the Order of St. Gregory the Great presents no particular obligations on the recipients toward the Roman Catholic Church – except for the general ones stated above.
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 Ruler"). The cross is suspended from a red and gold ribbon. In ecclesiastical heraldry, laymen awarded the high rank of Grand Cross can display a red and gold ribbon surrounding the shield in their personal coats of arms, but the recipients of the lower ranks place an appropriate ribbon below the shield. The difference between the civilian and military insignia is that the former group wears the cross hanging from a green crown of laurel, whereas the latter group wears the cross hanging from a trophy of arms.
Vestments and accoutrements
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/Dame Grand Cross of the First Class
Sir George Bowyer, 6th Baronet, Knight Grand Cross.Charles, Count of Limburg Stirum, Knight Grand CrossAbdón Cifuentes Knight Grand Cross of the First ClassGeneral Sir Peter Cosgrove, 2013, Knight Grand Cross, Governor-General of AustraliaJoão Carlos Saldanha de Oliveira Daun, 1st Duke of Saldanha, Knight Grand Cross of the First ClassRodrigo Augusto da Silva, Knight Grand Cross of the First ClassGeorge Forbes, 7th Earl of Granard, Knight Grand Cross.Frank Hanna III, American entrepreneur and philanthropistGilbert Levine, 2016, conductor, Knight Grand Cross of the First ClassPeter Paul McSwiney, 1875, Knight Grand Cross, Lord Mayor of Dublin (Ireland), Irish entrepreneur owner of the The Palatial Mart.Riccardo Muti, 2012, conductor, Knight Grand Cross of the First ClassThomas Stonor, 7th Lord Camoys, 2006, Knight Grand Cross, Lord ChamberlainOtto von Habsburg, Knight Grand Cross, Archduke Otto of Austria was the last Crown Prince of Austria-HungaryAlice von Hildebrand, 2013, Dame Grand Cross.Charles von Hügel, Knight Grand CrossCount Christopher de Paus (1930)Duke Carl Ludvig Fouché d'Otrante (1930)Dina Kawar, previous ambassador of Jordan to France.Count Charles Woeste.Count Hippolyte d'Ursel.Henry Delvaux de Fenffe, Governor ofKnight/Dame Commander with Star
Dolores Hope, philanthropist and entertainer (Dame Commander of St. Gregory with Star)Francis Martin O'Donnell, 2007, Ambassador and Knight of Malta, previously in UN service for 32 yearsPeter Sutherland, 2008, former Irish Attorney-General, EU Commissioner, Director-General of WTO, Chairman Goldman SachsGilbert Levine, 2005, American conductorGloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis, 2008, Dame Commander with StarWilfred Von der Ahe, 1998, Knight Commander with Star, founder of Vons supermarket chainAlbert Gubay, 2011, Knight Commander with Star, founder of Kwik Save supermarket chainKnight/Dame Commander
Carol Benesch, Silesian and Romanian architect, KCSGPatrick Burns, 1914, Canadian rancher, meat magnate, and senatorMatt Busby, CBE, manager of Manchester UnitedFlor Peeters, Composer and Organist.Viscount Gaston Eyskens, Prime minister.Roy E. Disney, 1998*Bob Hope, 1998, American entertainer (convert to Catholicism)Jan Count Dobrzenský z Dobrzenicz, 50th Grand Master of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of JerusalemJohn Hume, 2012, Irish politician and co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace PrizeMaurice Gerard Moynihan, 1959, Secretary of the Government of the Irish Free State and Governor of the Central Bank of IrelandRupert Murdoch, 1998Charles Poletti, 1945, Governor of New York, Army officer in charge of post World War II civil affairs in ItalyJohn J. Raskob, financial executive and businessman (DuPont, General Motors); built the Empire State BuildingCarlo Emanuele Ruspoli, 3rd Duke of Morignano, 2004.Paul Salamunovich, 1969, American choral conductor and expert on Gregorian chantJimmy Savile OBE, 1990, English Radio DJ and television presenter/broadcaster (at present subject to a request for annulment from the Archbishop of Westminster)Roger Wagner, American choral conductorMordecai Waxman, 1998, Prominent rabbi in the Conservative movementCarl A. Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of ColumbusLuis Antonio Eguiguren Escudero, Peruvian Politician and LawyerWalter Annenberg, created TV GuideJoe Benton, Member of Parliament for Bootle, UKJúlius Binder, 2004, civil engineer and member of Slovak parliamentThomas Bodkin, lawyer, art historian, art collector and curatorJoanna Bogle, 2013, British journalist and authorAngelo Branca, 1977, Canadian judgeDr. Clinton Allen Brand, 2015, Professor of English, University of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas, USAEtienne J. Caire, 1929, Louisiana businessman and politicianFrank Carson, Irish comedian and philanthropistHenry Cooper, 1978, British boxer.John A. Creighton, 1898, businessman and philanthropist in Omaha.John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of ButeLeo Crowley, 1929 director U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance CorporationIsidore Dockweiler, 1924 – Philanthropist and statesmanW. Patrick Donlin, American judge and Supreme Advocate of the Knights of ColumbusHermanegild Marcos Antonio Drago, Pakistani physicianEmanuele Luigi Galizia, Maltese architect and civil engineerJohn W. Gallivan, publisher of The Salt Lake TribuneHector P. Garcia, Mexican-American civil rights leaderJoe Gladwin, British actor and comedianHenryk Górecki, Polish composerMyles Keogh, 1861, Irish papal soldier and mercenary; served in Italy and the United StatesIlyas Khan, British businessman and Philanthropist, Chairman of Leonard Cheshire DisabilityLeon Klenicki, 2007, American rabbi who advocated interfaith relationsKenneth Langone, American investment bankerDorothy Leavey, American philanthropistGeorge Menachery, 2008, Editor of the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India and Director of the SARASRicardo Montalbán, 1998, Mexican-born American-based actor and philanthropistColin Mawby, 2006, English chorale conductor and composerJean Migneault, former Deputy Supreme Knight of the Knights of ColumbusAdolfo Müller-Ury, 1923, Swiss-born American portrait painterDonna Orsuto, 2011, professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University, co-founder of the Lay Centre at Foyer UnitasAlfred O'Rahilly, 1954, Irish academic and authorFrank Patterson, 1984, noted Irish tenorValentin J. Peter, 1950, businessman and philanthropist in Omaha, NebraskaDr. Manuel de la Pila Iglesias (1932), a Puerto Rican physicianGil J. Puyat, Senate President of the Philippines, Educator, Businessman, Philanthropist.Joseph Ryelandt, Belgian composerEunice Kennedy Shriver, 2006, American, founder of the Special OlympicsMichael Somare, 1992, Papua New Guinean, first prime minister of Papua New GuineaJovan Sundečić, 1886, Serbian Orthodox priest and Montenegrin officialAnn Widdecombe, British politicianIsabel PiczekChen Chien-jen, Vice President of Republic of China (Taiwan).Miha Tišler, chemistry professor and authorGreg Whitby, 2012, Executive Director of Schools, Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta, AustraliaSheilagh Kesting, 2016, Former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and former Ecumenical Officer of the Church of Scotland.
