Order of St. Gregory the Great

Please add the profiles of those who have been awarded the Papal Order of St Gregory the Great.

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.

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 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.[4] 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: For more info see also: Antique Photos - Order of Saint Gregory the Great

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.

Notable members from: Wikipedia - Order of St. Gregory the Great (retrieved 2/25/18)

• See also: Wikipedia - Category: Knights of St Gregory the Great -- alphabetical list of 106 that may not reflect recent changes... (site reviewed 2/25/18)
• Wikipedia - “Knights Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great” (2/25/18- lists alphabetical 50)
• There is no single authoritative source of the membership of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great.

Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the First Class:

• Sir George Bowyer, 6th Baronet, Knight Grand Cross
• Charles, Count of Limburg Stirum, Knight Grand Cross
• Abdón Cifuentes Knight Grand Cross of the First Class
• General Sir Peter Cosgrove, 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.
• Frank Hanna III, American entrepreneur and philanthropist
• Johno Johnson, Australian politician
• Gilbert Levine, 2016, conductor, Knight Grand Cross of the First Class
• Peter Paul McSwiney, 1875, Knight Grand Cross, Lord Mayor of Dublin (Ireland), Irish entrepreneur owner of the Palatial Mart.
• Riccardo Muti, 2012, conductor, Knight Grand Cross of the First Class
• Thomas Stonor, 7th Lord Camoys, 2006, Knight Grand Cross, Lord Chamberlain
• Otto von Habsburg, (1912-2011) Knight Grand Cross, Archduke Otto of Austria was the last Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary
• Alice von Hildebrand, 2013, Dame Grand Cross.
• Charles von Hügel, Knight Grand Cross
• Count 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.
• Count Léo d'Ursel, ambassador.
• Baron Henry Delvaux de Fenffe, Governor of Liège

Knight/Dame Commander with Star:

• G. K. Chesterton, (1874-1936) English writer and Christian apologist
• Dolores Hope, (1909-2011) philanthropist and entertainer (Dame Commander of St. Gregory with Star
• Bob Hope, ( 1903-2003) 1998, American entertainer (convert to Catholicism)
• Francis Martin O'Donnell, 2007, Ambassador and Knight of Malta, previously in UN service for 32 years
• Peter Sutherland, 2008, former Irish Attorney-General, EU Commissioner, Director-General of WTO, Chairman Goldman Sachs
• Gilbert Levine, 2005, American conductor
• Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis, 2008, Dame Commander with Star
• Wilfred Von der Ahe, 1998, Knight Commander with Star, founder of Vons supermarket chain
• Albert Gubay, 2011, Knight Commander with Star, founder of Kwik Save supermarket chain

Knight Commander and Dame Commander:

• Diogo Pacheco de Amorim, 1888-1976 Portuguese economist, mathematician and politician, professor at the University of Coimbra
• Carol Benesch, Silesian and Romanian architect, KCSG
• Patrick Burns, 1914, Canadian rancher, meat magnate, and senator
• Matt Busby, CBE, Sportsman; manager of Manchester United F.C.
• Flor Peeters, composer, organist.
• Viscount Gaston Eyskens, Prime Minister of Belgium.
• Count Aymard d'Ursel
• Roy E. Disney, (1930-2009) 1998
• Jan Count Dobrzenský z Dobrzenicz, 50th Grand Master of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem
• John Hume, 2012, Northern Irish politician and co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize
• Maurice Gerard Moynihan, 1959, Secretary of the Government of the Irish Free State and Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland
• Rupert Murdoch, 1998, Australian-American publisher and media entrepreneur
• Oscar Niemeyer, 1990, Brazilian modernist architect
• Marie-Therese Pictet-Althann, Permanent Observer of the Order of Malta to the U.N. Geneva, 2014
• Charles Poletti, 1945, Governor of New York, Army officer in charge of post World War II civil affairs in Italy
• John J. Raskob, American financial executive and businessman (DuPont, General Motors); financed the building of the Empire State Building
• Carlo Emanuele Ruspoli, 3rd Duke of Morignano, 2004
• Paul Salamunovich, 1969, American choral conductor and expert on Gregorian chant.
• Jimmy 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 conductor
• Mordecai Waxman, 1998, Rabbi (Conservative Judaism)
• Lilianne Ploumen, 2017, Dutch politician

Knight/Dame:

• Carl A. Anderson, (1951 - ) Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus
• Luis Antonio Eguiguren Escudero, Peruvian Politician and Lawyer
• Walter Annenberg, (1908-2002) created TV Guide
• Joe Benton, Member of Parliament for Bootle, UK
• Július Binder, 2004, civil engineer and member of Slovak parliament
• Thomas Bodkin, lawyer, art historian, art collector and curator
• Joanna Bogle, 2013, British journalist and author
• Angelo Branca, 1977, Canadian judge
• Dr. Clinton Allen Brand, 2015, Professor of English, University of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas, USA
• Etienne J. Caire, 1929, Louisiana businessman and politician
• Frank Carson, Irish comedian and philanthropist
• Henry Cooper, 1978, British boxer.
• John A. Creighton, 1898, businessman and philanthropist in Omaha.
• John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute
• Leo Crowley, 1929 director U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
• Isidore Dockweiler, 1924 – Philanthropist and statesman
• W. Patrick Donlin, American judge and Supreme Advocate of the Knights of Columbus
• Ralph Downes, 1970, English organist, organist of the London Oratory, organ teacher and organ designer (including organ of the Royal Festival Hall London)
• Emanuele Luigi Galizia, Maltese architect and civil engineer
• John W. Gallivan, publisher of The Salt Lake Tribune
• Hector P. Garcia, Mexican-American civil rights leader
• Joe Gladwin, British actor and comedian
• Henryk Górecki, Polish composer
• Myles Keogh, (1840-1876) 1861, Irish papal soldier and mercenary; served in Italy and the United States
• Sheilagh Kesting, 2016, former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and former Ecumenical Officer of the Church of Scotland.
• Ilyas Khan, British businessman and Philanthropist, Chairman of Leonard Cheshire Disability
• Leon Klenicki, 2007, American rabbi who advocated interfaith relations
• Kenneth Langone, American investment banker
• Dorothy Leavey, American philanthropist
• George Malcolm, English choral conductor, harpsichordist and organist; one time Master of the Music Westminster Cathedral
• Colin Mawby, 2006, English choral conductor and composer[36] one time Master of the Music Westminster Cathedral
• George Menachery, 2008, Editor of the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India and Director of the SARAS philanthropist
• Jean Migneault, former Deputy Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus
• Ricardo Montalbán, (1920-2009) 1998, Mexican actor
• Adolfo Müller-Ury, 1923, Swiss-born American portrait painter
• Dr Donna Orsuto, 2011, professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University, co-founder of the Lay Centre at Foyer Unitas
• Alfred O'Rahilly, 1954, Irish academic and author
• Frank Patterson, 1984, Irish tenor
• Valentin J. Peter, 1950, businessman and philanthropist
• Dr. Manuel de la Pila Iglesias (1932), a Puerto Rican physician
• Gil J. Puyat, Senate President of the Philippines, educator, businessman and philanthropist.
• Joseph Ryelandt, Belgian composer
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver, (1921-2009) 2006, American, founder of the Special Olympics
• Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, 1994, Indonesian, Ambassador
• Michael Somare, 1992, Papua New Guinean, first prime minister of Papua New Guinea
• Jovan Sundečić, 1886, Serbian Orthodox priest and Montenegrin official
• Ann Widdecombe, British politician
• Isabel Piczek
• Chen Chien-jen, Vice President of Republic of China (Taiwan).
• Miha Tišler, chemistry professor and author
• Greg Whitby, 2012, Executive Director of Schools, Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta, Australia

References & additional reading:

• Wikipedia - Order of St. Gregory the Great
• Queen of Angels Foundation - Order of St. Gregory The Great
• Knights of God - Order of St Gregory the Great
• Wikipedia - Orders, decorations, and medals of the Holy See
• The Christian Knighthood Information Center - The Papal Order of Saint Gregory the Great
• Antique Photos - Order of Saint Gregory the Great