Saint Gregory Consecrated Bishop of Neocaesarea (Turkey)
Around the year 275, he embarked on a campaign to valiantly wage war against idolatry and hell, and to defend the cause of God. The entire region was covered with temples dedicated to demons, to whom abominable sacrifices were offered. The service of the true God was neglected, because there were very few Christians in the area.
Now, while Saint Gregory was heading towards this city with his friends, he passed by a temple of Apollo where he was forced to stop due to rain and nightfall which surprised them on the road.
He purified this temple by making the sign of the cross, and spent the entire night there praying and praising God, as was his custom. The next day, he continued his journey.
After his departure, the priest of the idols, having come to the temple to make offerings and sacrifices, heard terrible howls from the demons who were complaining that they could not re-enter this place because Gregory had stayed there.
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The priest redoubled the sacrifices and did all he could to appease them and make them return to the temple, but, seeing that his efforts were in vain, he ran after the holy bishop, threatened to denounce him to the magistrate and have him severely punished because, being a Christian and an enemy of the gods, he had entered their temple, driven them out, and caused their oracles to cease.
Saint Gregory replied modestly that he served a Lord in whose name he could cast out demons, wherever they were, and bring them to wherever he pleased.
At these words, the priest, astonished, said to him:
« Then make them return to the temple where they were, to show me this great power you have. »
Saint Gregory opened a book he was carrying and tore out a piece of a page on which he wrote these words: "Gregory to Satan: Enter." The priest took the paper, placed it on the altar, performed his sacrifice, and the demons answered him as before.
Life of Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus, by the Rev. Fr. Ribadeneira.
Conclusion
Thus it was that demons had themselves worshipped by men in the temple and under the figure of Apollo, and thus it is that they have themselves worshipped by all pagans by borrowing the names of innumerable false deities—I say innumerable, because in India alone they number no less than 330 million.
Alas! What a sad spectacle for the Catholic missionary to see still almost half of the human race groaning under the yoke of Satan and remaining plunged in the darkness of idolatry.
Considering that it has been nearly nineteen centuries since the Son of God came to pay the ransom for all men at the price of His life and His adorable Blood, and to proclaim, through His holy Gospel, our deliverance from the slavery of the devil!
Let us therefore strive to break the chains of so many unfortunate slaves and procure for them the sweet liberty of the children of God. May apostolic workers consider themselves blessed to be called to the evangelization of idolaters, even at the cost of a thousand sacrifices. May all pious persons contribute, according to their ability, to the conversion of pagans, vying in generosity to support the admirable Works of the Propagation of the Faith, the Holy Childhood, Apostolic Schools, etc.
To encourage the generous Christians who devote themselves to this noble task, we will allow ourselves to apply to them the words that Pius IX addressed to the editor of the *Missions Catholiques*:
« By lending effective support to the labors of missionaries, you appropriate for yourselves a great part of their merit »