On November 17, name day is celebrated by all who bear the name Gregory, Grigoria and their derivatives.
This popular saint lived in the 3rd century. He was born into a pagan family and until his baptism was called Theodore. When he became a young man, in order to prepare to take up world work, he and his brother Atinodorus went to the city of Berit, where there was a famous school of jurisprudence. On the way, the young man visited Caesarea Cappadocia. At that time, the great teacher of the Alexandrian school, Origen, was teaching philosophy. The Caesarian priest Firmilian met Origen with the two neo-Caesarian youths. This acquaintance determined their path for a complete life. Theodore and Athenodorus, having listened to the great teacher, decided not to go further, in order to become his students. Soon, under his leadership, they realized that wisdom and truth were only in Christ's teaching. The divine light of faith illuminated their hearts and they accepted St. Baptism in which Theodore was named Gregory.
Gregory attached himself wholeheartedly to the great teacher who showed him the way of truth. He listened to him for several years both in Caesarea and in Alexandria, and then returned a zealous Christian to his homeland Neocaesaria.
To live for God, to serve Him by carrying out His holy commandments, became the object of all his efforts. Having despised all possible benefits and honors, Gregory went away for a short time in the desert, with the aim of being able, in prayer and solitude, to strengthen himself in the complex heroism of life.
There news reached him that the Neo-Caesarian Christians wished to have him as a priest. This news shook him. Full of frank and deep resignation, he did not consider himself worthy to shepherd the Church of God, and decided to deviate from the choice by hiding deep in the desert. But the neo-Caesarian Christians persisted in their choice. The Amasian priest Phedimus, with whom they consulted and to whom the immense merits of the appointed one were known, energetically besought the Lord to dispose Gregory to approve the episcopal title. At last, burning with jealousy for the common wealth, he decided to ordain him in his absence. " You, all-knowing and all-benevolent Lord, he prayed, mercifully look at me and Gregory at this moment, and make effective the dedication through Your blessing! " And later he ordained Gregory as a priest in absentia.
They informed Grigori about this. He did not decide to oppose the general preference, seeing in it a demonstration of God's will, calling him to the complex ministry. He arrived in Neocaesaria and entered the rank of priest with the firm desire to devote all his strength and resources to the service of God and his neighbors.
His congregation was numerous. Neocaesaria was full of pagans, and there were no more than 17 Christians. But the bishop had a much more difficult task ahead of him. Gregory hoped that the Lord, who called him to the difficult ministry, would not refuse his help. He constantly begged Him to keep him in the path of truth and to help him guide his flock aright. And the Lord fulfilled this prayer.
One night St. Gregory appeared to priest Gregory. The Virgin with St. app. John the Theologian, who in brief set forth to him the high teaching of the holy and undivided Trinity. His words were recorded by the bishop. And for a long time the Neo-Caesarian church reverently guarded the sign of faith, famous under the name of the sign of St. Gregory the Wonderworker (see below).
The Lord promoted His right minister through the gift of miracle-working. Through Gregory's prayer, the sick received healing, the unclean spirits obeyed his word; secret intentions and future events were revealed to him; and his miracles were so numerous that the whole country called him the second Moses. The pagans, amazed by the miraculous manifestations of the Lord's power, turned to the true God in huge groups. In crowds they came to St. priest for recommendations and help.
A terrible persecution began against the Christians at the behest of the emperor Decius (249—251). Gregory considered it binding on every Christian to guard his life as far as this is permissible without breach of duty, for life is a precious gift which we ought to use for the sake of God. He persuaded his newly converted offspring to hide from the persecutors, with paternal love he looked after their safety and he himself went away from the city in order to set an example for them. In his refuge, he constantly prayed to God to strengthen the believers through His power. Once the fighters who were looking for him, in order to bring him to court, reached the place where he was hiding, but by God's will he remained invisible to them.
The chase was rough, but short-lived. When it was interrupted, Gregory returned to Neocaesaria and there jealously continued his activity. He took an effective part in all the causes of the Church, taught both by word and document, took part in the councils against the false teachers, and when the hour of his death arrived, he had the consolation of knowing that only 17 Gentiles remained in Neocaesaria. Glorifying and thanking God for the mercies shown to him, the holy magician died silently in 265. The entire Orthodox Church respects him to this day as a popular holy father and magician and names him " second Moses " in the words of St. Basil the Great.
Source: Lives of the Saints. Synodal Publishing House, Sofia, 1991, edited by Parthenius, priest of Leukius and Archimandrite Doctor Athanasius (Bonchev).