Celebrated: 31 Dec
He was made Pope in 314 and ruled the Church during the reign of the newly-converted Emperor Constantine. In his time the Donatist schism and the Arian heresy caused great trouble for the Church. He died in 335 and is buried in the cemetery of Priscilla in the via Salaria in Rome. His life has been so accreted with pious legends that very little else is known about him for certain, but his reign as Pope is the eighth longest on record. See the articles in Wikipedia and the Catholic Encyclopaedia.

Celebrated: 2 Jan
Basil was born in 330 at Caesarea in Cappadocia, of a Christian family. A brilliant scholar and a virtuous man, he started by becoming a hermit but was made bishop of Caesarea in 370. He fought against the Arians and wrote many notable works, in particular the monastic rule that bears his name and which many monks in the East follow to this day. He was also generous to the poor. He died on 1 January 379. See the articles in Wikipedia and the Catholic Encyclopaedia.

Celebrated: 2 Jan
Gregory was born in 330, near Nazianzus. He travelled widely in search of knowledge. He followed his friend Basil into the wilderness, but he too was ordained and later made a bishop. He was elected Bishop of Constantinople in 381 but because of the factional fighting within the Church he retired to Nazianzus, where he died on 25 January 389 or 390. He is known as “Gregory the Theologian” in honour of his learning and eloquence. See the articles in Wikipedia and the Catholic Encyclopaedia.