The parish of St. Gregory the Great was established in August 1985. On September 3, 1985, our first Mass was celebrated at Miramar Ranch Elementary School on the Feast of St. Gregory the Great. For the first two years, our faith community held weekend liturgies in various locations. The Parish Office was in the Scripps Ranch residence of our founding Pastor, Fr. Jim Poulsen. Weekday Masses were in the living room and Holy Day Masses were in the backyard until December of 1987 when office space at the Geico building on Treena St. was leased as our parish center for the next twelve years. During that time, our parish grew from 200 families to over 1300, and we longed for a permanent home.

After three capital campaigns, years of meetings, and a multitude of prayers, the parish of Saint Gregory the Great broke ground for our permanent church home on October 12, 1997. On February 7, 1999, the first permanent cross was raised and placed on the first permanent church in Scripps Ranch, marking a historic moment not only for our parish but also for the entire Scripps Ranch community.

Bishop Robert H. Brom formally dedicated our church on November 6, 1999.

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Gregory lived in Rome during a period of wars, invasions by hostile tribes, famine, and destruction. He was the son of Gordianus, a wealthy Roman senator. Like most of the upper class of his time, he was well-educated. But unlike many, he was generous and concerned about the poor.

When he was in his early 30s, Gregory was made the chief prefect, or governor, of Rome. He had long been attracted to the religious life, however, and so left his position before very long. He converted the family estate in Rome into the Abbey of St. Andrew, became a monk there, and founded six Benedictine monasteries on his estates in Sicily.

We celebrate Saint Gregory the Great’s feast day on September 3rd.

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