The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He ...

, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See. The honor is bestowed upon

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

men and women (and certain notable non-Catholics) in recognition of their personal service to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

and to the Catholic Church, through their unusual labors, their support of the Holy See, and the examples they set in their communities and their countries.

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 Catholic Church – except for the general ones stated above.

Insignia

An eight-pointed

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

, the insignia of the order, bears a representation of St. Gregory on the obverse and on the reverse the motto ("For God and Ruler"). The cross is suspended from a red and gold ribbon. In

ecclesiastical heraldry Ecclesiastical heraldry refers to the use of heraldry within Christianity for dioceses, organisations and Christian clergy. Initially used to mark documents, ecclesiastical heraldry evolved as a system for identifying people and dioceses. ...

, 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 Laurel may refer to: Plants * Lauraceae, the laurel family * Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel People * Laurel (given name), people with the given name * Laurel (surname), people with the surname * Laurel (mus ...

, 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 glove A glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves usually have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb. If there is an opening but no (or a short) covering sheath for each finger they are called fingerless gloves. Fingerless glov ...

s, 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:

Notable members

Knight/Dame Grand Cross

* Sir George Bowyer, 6th Baronet, Knight Grand Cross *

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Sir Peter Cosgrove General (Australia), General Sir Peter John Cosgrove, (born 28 July 1947) is a retired senior Australian Army officer who served as the 26th governor-general of Australia, in office from 2014 to 2019. A graduate of the Royal Military College, ...

, 2013, Knight Grand Cross, Governor-General of Australia * João Carlos Saldanha de Oliveira Daun, 1st Duke of Saldanha, Knight Grand Cross of the First Class * Rodrigo Augusto da Silva, Knight Grand Cross of the First Class * George Forbes, 7th Earl of Granard, Knight Grand Cross * Johno Johnson, 2015, Australian politician * Frank Hanna III, American entrepreneur and philanthropist, Knight Grand Cross *

Gilbert Levine Sir Gilbert Levine, GCSG (born January 22, 1948) is an American conductor. He is considered an "outstanding personality in the world of international music television." He has led the PBS concert debuts of the Staatskapelle Dresden, Royal Phi ...

, 2016, American conductor, Knight Grand Cross *

Alice von Hildebrand Alice Marie von Hildebrand, Order of Saint Gregory the Great, GCSG (née Jourdain; 11 March 1923 – 14 January 2022) was a Belgian-born American Catholic philosopher, theologian, author, and professor. She taught philosophy at Hunter College fo ...

, 2013, Dame Grand Cross * Frederick Blakeney, 1964, Australian diplomat, Knight Grand Cross * Charles von Hügel, 1852, Knight Grand Cross * Count Christopher de Paus (1930)''

Acta Apostolicae Sedis ''Acta Apostolicae Sedis'' ( Latin for "Acts of the Apostolic See"), often cited as ''AAS'', is the official gazette of the Holy See, appearing about twelve times a year.Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press 2005 ...

'' 22 (1930) * Duke Carl Ludvig Fouché d'Otrante (1930) * Dina Kawar, previous ambassador of Jordan to France * Count Charles Woeste * Count

Hippolyte d'Ursel Count Marie Hippolyte Adrien Ludovic d'Ursel (Brussels, 17 November 1850 – 9 December 1937) was a Belgium, Belgian politician and historian. Family A cadet (genealogy), cadet member of the Ursel family, he was a grandson of Charles-Joseph, 4th ...

* Count Léo d'Ursel, ambassador * Baron Henry Delvaux de Fenffe, 1921, Governor of Liège * J. L. P. Roche Victoria, 1952, Indian politician

Knight/Dame Commander with Star

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

, 1998, American entertainer (convert to Catholicism) *

Francis Martin O'Donnell Francis Martin O'Donnell, GCMM, GCEG, KC*SG, KM, KCHS, KCMCO, (born in 1954), an Irish citizen, has served abroad as an international diplomat in senior representative positions with the United Nations until retirement, and later with the S ...

, 2007, Ambassador and Knight of Malta, previously in UN service for 32 years * G. K. Chesterton, 1934, English writer, philosopher, lay theologian, and literary and art critic (convert to Catholicism) * Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis, 2008, Dame Commander with Star *

Albert Gubay Albert Gubay, Order of St. Gregory the Great, KC*SG (9 April 1928 – 5 January 2016) was a Welsh businessman and philanthropist, who made his fortune with the Kwik Save retail chain, building it further on investments, mainly in property develo ...

, 2011, founder of

Kwik Save Kwik Save is a British convenience store chain. Prior to 2007, it was also a discount supermarket chain that had shops across the United Kingdom. It went into administration in July 2007, but was brought back in April 2012. Its shops were sm ...

supermarket chain and Total Fitness

Knight Commander and Dame Commander

* Ignazio Jacometti, sculptor, appointed by Pope Pius IX. *

Charles Poletti Charles Poletti (July 2, 1903 – August 8, 2002) was an American lawyer and politician. He became the 46th governor of New York in December 1942, and was the first Italian-American governor in the United States. Born in Barre, Vermont to Ital ...

, 1945, Governor of New York, Army officer in charge of post World War II civil affairs in Italy *

Maurice Gerard Moynihan Maurice Gerard Moynihan, (14 December 1902 – 21 August 1999) was an Irish economist and civil servant who served as the Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland from 1960 to 1969. He was also a co-drafter of the 1937 Constitution of Ireland, S ...

, 1959, Secretary of the Government of the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...

and Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland *

John J. Raskob John Jakob Raskob, KCSG (March 19, 1879 – October 15, 1950) was a financial executive and businessman for DuPont and General Motors, and the builder of the Empire State Building. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1928 t ...

, American financial executive and businessman (DuPont, General Motors); financed the building of the Empire State Building * Paul Salamunovich, 1969, American choral conductor and expert on

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek (language), Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed ma ...

. * Roger Wagner, by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

, American choral conductor * Saunders Lewis, 1975,

Welsh nationalist Welsh nationalism ( cy, Cenedlaetholdeb Cymreig) emphasises and celebrates the distinctiveness of Welsh culture and Wales as a nation or country. Welsh nationalism may also include calls for further autonomy or self determination which includes ...

politician, founder of

Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid was ...

and prominent figure in

Welsh-language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has al ...

literature (convert to Catholicism) * Sir Jimmy Savile OBE, 1990, English radio DJ and television presenter-broadcaster (In 2012, after Savile's death, an annulment of the honour was requested by the Archbishop of Westminster. This was declined on the basis that the life honour died with the individual.) *

Oscar Niemeyer Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (15 December 1907 – 5 December 2012), known as Oscar Niemeyer (), was a Brazilian architect considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. Niemeyer was ...

, 1990, Brazilian modernist architect *

Nikkyō Niwano was one of the founders and the first president of the Buddhist organization Risshō Kōsei Kai. Early life Born on November 15, 1906, to farmers, Nikkyō had a humble life in a small town. Later in his youth, he moved to Tokyo to work, where h ...

, 1992, Japanese Buddhist practitioner who founded and the Buddhist organization Risshō Kōsei Kai. *

Roy E. Disney Roy Edward Disney KCSG (January 10, 1930 – December 16, 2009) was an American businessman. He was the longtime senior executive for the Walt Disney Company, which was founded by his father, Roy O. Disney, and his uncle, Walt Disney. At the ti ...

, 1998 *

Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...

, 1998, Australian-American publisher and media entrepreneur *

Mordecai Waxman Mordecai Waxman, KCSG (February 25, 1917, in Albany – August 10, 2002, in Great Neck, New York), was a prominent rabbi in the Conservative Jewish movement for nearly 60 years. He served as rabbi of Temple Israel in Great Neck, New York for 55 ...

, 1998, Rabbi ( Conservative Judaism) * James O'Donnell (organist), 1999, organist and Master of the Choristers,

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

* Hendrik Samuel Houthakker, 2003, Knight Commander with Silver Star, Member of

Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

's Council of Economic Advisers, husband of Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka. * Carlo Emanuele Ruspoli, 3rd Duke of Morignano, 2004 *

John Hume John Hume (18 January 19373 August 2020) was an Irish nationalist politician from Northern Ireland, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the recent political history of Ireland, as one of the architects of the Northern Ire ...

, 2012, Northern Irish politician and co-recipient of the 1998

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolog ...

* Sir

Patrick Duffy Patrick Duffy (born March 17, 1949) is an American actor and director widely known for his role on the CBS primetime soap opera ''Dallas'', where he played Bobby Ewing, the youngest son of Miss Ellie, and the nicest brother of J.R. Ewing (pla ...

, 2017, British politician * Lilianne Ploumen, 2017, Dutch politician

Knight/Dame

* Walter Annenberg, who created ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' * Thomas Bodkin, lawyer, art historian, art collector and curatorUnlabelled press clipping of contemporary obituary, in Royal Birmingham Society of Artists archives * Joanna Bogle, 2013, British Roman Catholic writer and broadcaster *

Phyllis Bowman Phyllis Joyce Bowman, Order of St. Gregory the Great, DSG (14 March 1926 – 7 May 2012) was a British journalist and anti-abortion, anti-euthanasia (pro-life) campaigner. Early life and career Bowman was born on 14 March 1926 in Bournemouth, ...

, 1996, British journalist and

pro-life Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respon ...

campaigner * Henry Cooper, 1978, champion heavyweight boxer (convert to Catholicism) * John A. Creighton, 1898, businessman and philanthropist in Omaha * John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute * Ralph Downes, 1970, English organist, organist of the London Oratory, organ teacher and organ designer (including organ of the Royal Festival Hall London) *

Jude Patrick Dougherty Jude Patrick Dougherty (July 21, 1930 – March 6, 2021) was an American philosopher, Dean Emeritus of the School of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America, and Editor-in-Chief for 44 years of '' The Review of Metaphysics''. Personal ...

, 1999, American philosopher, Dean Emeritus of the School of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America * Bambang Soegeng,

Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army The Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army ( id, Kepala Staf TNI Angkatan Darat, abbreviated KSAD or KASAD) is the highest position in the Indonesian Army. The position is held by the four-star General appointed by and reporting directly to the ...

Emanuele Luigi Galizia Emanuele Luigi Galizia (7 November 1830 – 6 May 1907) was a Maltese architect and civil engineer, who designed many public buildings and several churches. He is regarded as "the principal Maltese architect throughout the second half of the ni ...

, Maltese architect and civil engineer
Sofele Kakala
1986, renowned Polynesian composer of secular and liturgical music * Joe Gladwin, British actor and comedian *

Sheilagh Kesting Sheilagh Kesting (born 10 June 1953) is a Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland. She served as Moderator of the General Assembly from May 2007 to May 2008. She was the first female minister to be elected Moderator; she was the second woma ...

, 2016, former Moderator of the General Assembly of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

and former Ecumenical Officer of the Church of Scotland * Ilyas Khan, British businessman and philanthropist, Chairman of Leonard Cheshire Disability * George Malcolm, English choral conductor, harpsichordist and organist; former Master of the Music,

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. The site on which the cathedral stands in the City o ...

Colin Mawby Colin Mawby KSG (9 May 1936 – 24 November 2019) was an English organist, choral conductor and composer. From 1961 he was Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral, then from 1981 he was the choral director at Radio Telefís Éireann. He co ...

, 2006, English choral conductor and composer former Master of the Music,

* John A. McCone, 1955, US Industrialist, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and former head of the Atomic Energy Commission * George Menachery, 2008, Editor of the St Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India and Director of the

SARAS Saras (in some cases written variously as Sarras) may refer to: * Saras, Sudan (sometimes divided into "Saras East" and "West" by its placement along the Nile) * Saras S.p.A., oil refining company of the Massimo Moratti family * National Aerospa ...

, philanthropist * Jean Migneault, former Deputy Supreme Knight of the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

Patrick Millen Patrick Graham Millen (5 August 192714 July 1994) was a diplomat and the New Zealand Secretary of the Cabinet and Clerk of the Executive Council from 1973 until 1987. In 1991 he was ennobled as a Knight by Pope John Paul II in recognition o ...

, 1991, New Zealand public servant *

Ricardo Montalbán Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG (; ; November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican and American film and television actor. Montalbán's career spanned seven decades, during which he became known for performances in a var ...

, 1998, Mexican actor *

Paul Victor Obeng Paul Victor Obeng KSG also known as P. V. Obeng (19 August 1947 – 17 May 2014) was a Ghanaian mechanical engineer and politician. He was the chairman of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology council. In 2010, he was appointe ...

, 2009, Ghanaian mechanical engineer and statesman * Isabel Piczek, 1998, artist * Joseph Ryelandt, Belgian composer * Jovan Sundečić, 1886,

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

n Orthodox priest and Montenegrin official *

Ann Widdecombe Ann Noreen Widdecombe (born 4 October 1947) is a British politician, author and television personality. She was Member of Parliament (MP) for Maidstone and The Weald, and the former Maidstone constituency, from 1987 to 2010 and Member of the ...

, 2013, British politician * Michael Williams, 2001, English actor

Citations

General and cited references

External links

Association of Papal Orders in Great BritainPhotograph
article from ''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

'', 25 Jun 1928, reporting an award of the Order of St. Gregory the Great {{Orders of Italian States before unification 1831 establishments in the Papal States Awards established in 1831