Church Discipline

Letter 4,5 - to Boniface, bishop of Reggio. September 593

"We wish you also to show concern for the reputation of the aforesaid clergy of yours, so that nothing evil is heard about them, and nothing that tends to be contrary to Church discipline. for their office ought to reflect their embellishment of it, not the foulness of their actions.
However, we have decreed that what we decided concerning the Sicilian subdeacons, should be observed with regard to yours also. Do not allow that decision of ours to be spoilt by anyone's arrogance or temerity. Thus, as long as you have most strictly obeyed all of our commands, you should not show yourself to be a sinner against our warning (as we also believe). Nor would the order of pastoral rule entrusted to you accuse you in any way, as being guilty of slackness."

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 290.

Wandering Monks

Letter 1,39 - to sub-deacon Peter. March 591.

"The venerable gentleman Paulinus, bishop of the city of Taurum, in the province of Calabria, has told us that his monks were dispersed by barbarian incursions, and are even now wandering through the whole of Sicily, and being without a bishop, are neither taking care of their souls nor maintaining the discipline of their habit.
On this matter, we order you to search out those same monks with all care and concern, to bring them together as one, and locate them with the aforesaid bishop and their ruler in the monastery of Saint Theodore, set in the city of Messina.
Thus those who are there now, whom we have found to lack a bishop, and those from his community, whom you will find and bring back, can with his leadership serve the almighty God in unity."

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 159.