Letter 4065: My dear Maurus, the monastery you govern is known to me, and the work of your community is something I follow with...

To Maurus the Abbot. He gives the church of Saint Pancras to the monks in perpetuity, both so that the celebration of the Masses may not henceforth be neglected, and so that the work of God may be carried out daily at the body of the martyr. Gregory to Maurus the Abbot. The care of the churches, which is plainly fixed upon the priestly offices, so compels us to be anxious that no fault of negligence may appear in them. But since we have learned that the church of Saint Pancras, which had been entrusted to presbyters, has frequently suffered neglect, so that when the people came on the Lord's day to celebrate the solemnities of the Masses, finding no presbyter, they would return murmuring, after mature deliberation it has been settled by our judgment that, with those men removed, we ought with the grace of God to establish a congregation of monks in the monastery adjoining that same church, so that the abbot who should preside there would be bound in every way to have charge and concern for the aforesaid church. Over which monastery also we have foreseen that you, Abbot Maurus, are to be set, decreeing that the lands of the aforesaid church, or whatever shall have come in there, or shall have accrued from its revenues, ought to be assigned to your aforementioned monastery, and that there, without diminution [...] the aforesaid church are to be done and repaired through you; let them without doubt be repaired. But lest, with the presbyters removed to whom the church itself had previously been entrusted, it should seem to be empty of ministrations, therefore by the tenor of this our authority we direct you that you do not cease to employ there a visiting presbyter, who may be able to celebrate the sacred solemnities of the Masses. Yet it is necessary that he both dwell in your monastery and have from there the supports of life. But let this also be your care above all things, that there, at the most sacred body of blessed Pancras, the work of God be without doubt carried out daily. These things therefore, which we appoint to be done by you in the course of this our precept, we wish not only that you yourself fulfill, but also that they be thus observed and accomplished in perpetuity by those who shall succeed in your office and place, so that henceforth no neglect can be found in the above-mentioned church.

AD MAURUM ABBATEM. Dat monachis in perpetuum ecclesiam s8anc!i Pancratii, fum ne miszarum celebratio deinceps negligatur, tum nt ad martyris corpus opus Det peragatur quotidie. Gregorius Mauro abbati. Ecclesjiarum cura, que Sacerdotalibus officiis evidenter infixa est, ita nos cogit esse sollicitos, E977 ut nulla in eis neglectus culpa appareat. Quo- niam vero * ecclesia sancti Pancratji, Þ quz erat commissa presbyleris, ſrequenter neglectum habnisse cognovimus, ita ut venientes Dominico die populi missarum solemnia celebraturi, non invento presby- lero, murmurantes redirent, hoc matura delibera- tione nostro sedit arVitrio ut, eis remotis, monacho- rum congregationem © in monaslerio eidem ecclesiz cohzxrenii constituere cum Dei gratia deberemus, quatenns abbas qui illic preesset curam et sollicitu- dinem ante faiz ecclesiz habere modis omnibus debuisset. In quo etiam monasterio te Maurum ab- batem previdimus preponendum, statuentes ut ter- ras preſalz ecclesi#, vel quidquid illuc intraverit, seu de reditibus ejus accesserit, ante dicto monaste- rio tuo debeat applicari, alque illic sine diminutione Male avtem in hoc titulo ponitur redimen{o, cum doceat epistola jam fui>se redemptum, et duodecim solidis comparatum. Quanta vero cura caplvorum redemptionem Ecclesia procuraverit, docent Sancti Patres, docent canones, docent exempla. Ob id $a- cra Ecclesiz vasa, ministeria, bona szpissime distra- cla Sunt. Di-s me deliceret recensentem. Vide 12, q. 2, can, apostolicos, ex vii Synodo, c. 15, etc. In Aurel. 1, ce. 5; Matisc. 1, c. 5; Rhem., c. 22. Gelas., .epist. 10. Gussanv, Eet>r. . X VIII. — * Prius legebatur, Ecclesiam...... mag neglectam ſuisze. Sequimur Mss. Valic., orm., Corb., etc. Hujus ecclesiie Romz via Aurelia condiiorem ſuiss2 Honor ium pontificem teslatur Ana- $lasius in ejus Vila. Ihi tamen sanctus Gregorius h0- miliam habuit ad poputum, que e$t 27 in Evang. Parilm ex Gussanv. Hoc monasteriu'n sancti Pancra- tii nunce est 8eminarium Carmeiitarum discalcealo- rum. Yide Mabill. l:ineris hal. pag. 75. Symmacho, an. 499 babita,. necuon Sub ips0 Grego- r10, an. 594, aliquando unus, aliquando duo, tres, quatuorve unius ejusdemque tituli presbyteri subscri- Pii inveniuniur. Quanquam ob-ervat Pancirolus ba- Silicze sancti Pancralii non tributum ſurss: a princi- pio tituli honorem, quod extra Urbem sita esset : tituli vero non tribuerentur basilicis extramuranis (quid de hac observatione Sit $entiendum vide in przſat. ad hom. in Evang., n. 6), neque etiain $la- tiones, nisi essent ecclesiz patriarchales. Hine ſorte dic-tur, commissa presbyteris, quod cardinalein non baberet presbyterum, neque alios ascriptos $ibi et omnino addicios. Elam in basilicis que titulorum nomine insignite non erant, miss# publice nonnun- quam celebrate; ubi scilicet populi concursus ob reliquias vel cultum mariyram id exigebat. Su>pecta itaque gratis habet ista verba Gussanvillzeus, cum miliis in Codd. aut scriptis aut excusis desiderentur. Porro Gussanvillxus cum ali.s recent. Edit. legit, missarum 8olem-ia audituri; qua-i dicere, populum sacra celebrare, periculum foret. la tamen legitur prascripta Ecclesia fienda reparandaque $unt per te Sine dubio reparentur. Sed ne remolis presbyteris quibus Ecclesia ipsa ſuerat| ante commiss3, vacare 4 ministeriis videatur, jdcirco hujus tibi auctoritatis tenore preeipimus ut * peregrinum illic non desinas adhibere presbyiterum, qui Sacra missarum possit 8olemnia celebrare. Quem tamen et in monasterio tuo habitare, et inde vitze Subsidia habere necesse est. Sed et hoc pra omnibus curz tuz $it, ut ibidem ad sacratissimum corpus beati Pancratii quotidie opus * Dei procul dubio peragatlur, lHzc igitur, que tibi precepti hujus ſacienda serie deputamus, non solum te perſicere, verum etiam et ab his qui in B ofticio locoque tuo successerint sic in perpetuum ser- vari volumus et impleri, ut nullus deinceps in Supra- dicta ecclesia possit inveniri neglectus 5.