A brilliant student, he embraced a diplomatic career and accompanied the Venetian Ambassador, Luigi Contarini, to the Congress of Munster in 1648. The plenipotentiaries of Germany, France, and Sweden signed the Treaty of Westphalia, thus bringing to an end the Thirty Years' War.
With his father who was in the Italian diplomatic service, he traveled extensively throughout Italy and Europe. At age 30, he earned a law degree but he was deeply disturbed by the lack of faith he observed in many of the leaders of the day. His strong desire to renew and spread the Catholic faith, as well as a desire to heal divisions within the church, led Gregory to become a priest.
He was ordained in 1644 and was sent to Rome. There he ministered to the sick and dying during a severe epidemic. At Munster he became acquainted with the Apostolic Nuncio, Fabio Chigi, who was so favorably impressed with Barbarigo that, after he had been raised to the papal throne as Alexander VII, he showed the young Venetian many tokens of his esteem and became his strong supporter. In 1657 he nominated him to the Bishopric of Bergamo; in 1660 he created him a Cardinal, and in 1664 transferred him to the Bishopric of Padua. At the direction of Pope Alexander VII, St. Gregory saw to the construction of hospitals and sanitary facilities to help the stricken. He continued his work of building in the places he served. Through his efforts the seminaries of both Padua and Bergamo were greatly increased.
The zeal with which Blessed Gregory carried out his pastoral duties caused him to be hailed as a second Charles Borromeo (a Saint). He was indeed exemplary in every relation of life. His charities were enormous, and he is known to have distributed in alms eight hundred thousand crowns. Severe only with himself, he was kind to all, especially to those in trouble or distress. In the interest of learning he founded a college, and also a seminary for young priests which attained great renown. He gave it a printing press of its own, and also a fine library particularly well furnished with the writings of the Fathers and with works dealing with the Holy Scriptures.
After exhausting himself in God’s service, Cardinal Gregory died in 1697 at the age of 72. He was beatified by Pope Clement XIV on 6 July 1771.
He was canonized nearly 189 years later by Pope John XXIII on 26 May 1960.
In the General Roman Calendar of 1962, he has a third-class feast on 17 June. Nowadays, his feast is celebrated on 18 June. He was canonized in 1960 and his body is buried in the Cathedral of Padua.
Gregory worked unceasingly toward the Counter-Reformation – the movement by the Council of Trent as a response to the Protestant Reformation specifying Catholic doctrine on salvation, the Sacraments, and the Biblical canon.
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