Bishop
Saint Gregory, Bishop of Omirit, was the son of Agapius and Theodotia. From his youth, he was filled with the grace of God and had the gift of healing. As a deacon in Mediolanum, he heard a prophecy about his fate from an elder hermit and received confirmation from another elder. Gregory was sent to Alexandria to receive the episcopal ordination and to strengthen the Christian faith in Nigran, Ethiopia.
After a short stay in Carthage, he arrived in Rome, where he was again honored with a vision of Saint Apostle Peter, who entrusted him to assist the Christians in Nigran. At that time, the city of Nigran was liberated by the troops of the Ethiopian king Elezvoy, where Christianity was restored, but the church hierarchy was exterminated. Elezvoy sent envoys to the Patriarch of Alexandria requesting the appointment of a bishop.
The Patriarch, having received instruction from Saint Apostle Mark, ordained Gregory as a presbyter and then as a bishop. At his consecration, a special grace of God appeared. Upon arriving in Omirit, Saint Gregory began to restore Christian shrines and preach the truth to pagans and Jews.
He anointed the new king Abraham, who commanded all his subjects to be baptized. The noble Jews proposed a contest of faith, promising to accept baptism if the Christians won. Saint Gregory refuted the arguments of the rabbi Ervan, and in a vision, Ervan saw the holy prophet Moses bowing to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The saint, praying, called upon the Lord to reveal Himself, and after his prayer, the heavens opened in the east, and the Lord Jesus Christ descended to earth, healing all who asked. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Levi. After this, Saint Gregory shepherded the Omirit flock for more than thirty years and reposed in 552, being buried in the tomb of the Great Church.
