The title ‘Doctor’ is granted by the Church to particular saints in acknowledgment of their great contributions to a deepening of the Church’s understanding of sacred doctrine and the spiritual life, or for their intellectual defence of the faith against heresy.

ST. ALBERT THE GREAT (1200-80)
St. Albert was a Dominican friar with a great knowledge of the natural sciences. He taught St. Thomas Aquinas and was the first to recognise St. Thomas’ intellectual abilities.

ST. ALPHONSUS LIGOURI (1696-1787)
St. Alphonsus founded the Redemptorist Order.

ST. AMBROSE (340-97)
Bishop of Milan renowned for his oratory and skill in fighting heresy. He was influential in the conversion of St. Augustine and fostered the vocations of many nuns.

ST. ANSELM (1033-1109)
Archbishop of Canterbury known for his ontological argument for the existence of God.

ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA (1195-1231)
Franciscan Professor of Theology renowned for his eloquence.

ST. ATHANASIUS (297-373)
Patriarch of Alexandria, attended the Council of Nicaea - known as the champion of orthodoxy as he fought against the heresy of Arius.

ST. AUGUSTINE (354-430)
Bishop of Hippo. Fighter against many heresies, including Manicheanism and Pelagianism.

ST. BASIL THE GREAT (329-79)
Bishop of Caesarea and founder of several monasteries. He was renowned for his great learning and eloquence.

ST. BEDE THE VENERABLE (673-735)
English Benedictine who wrote the Ecclesiastical History of the English People.

ST. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX (1090-1153)
Abbot of the Cistercian Monastery of Clairveaux.

ST. BONAVENTURE (1217-74)
Franciscan friend of St. Thomas Aquinas. Known as the ‘Seraphic Doctor’.

ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA (1347-80)
Dominican Tertiary who persuaded Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome from Avignon.

ST. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA (376-444)
Presided over the Council of Ephesus at which Nestorius and his doctrines were condemned.

ST. CYRIL OF JERUSALEM (315-87)
Bishop and fighter against the Arian heresy.

ST. EPHRAEM SYRUS (306-73)
Known as the Prophet of the Syrians - great orator, scholar and poet.

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES (1567-1622)
Bishop of Geneva and fighter against Calvinism. In 1610 he founded the Order of the Visitation with the help of Baroness de Chantel, now St. Jane Frances de Chantel.

ST. GREGORY THE GREAT (540-604)
A Pope known above all for his magnificent contributions to the liturgy of the Mass and Office.

ST. GREGORY NAZIANZUS (330-90)
Bishop of Constantinople renowned for his eloquence and theological knowledge.

ST. HILARY OF POITERS (315-68)
Bishop of Poitiers and fighter against the Arian heresy.

ST. ISIDORE OF SEVILLE (560-636)
Archbishop of Seville who converted the Visigoths from the Arian heresy.

ST. JEROME (343-420)
Great Scripture scholar and translator of the Gospels. Shown in art with his pet lion.

ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM (347-407)
Patriarch of Constantinople renowned for his eloquence.

ST. JOHN DAMASCENE (675-749)
Famous for his encyclopaedic knowledge and theological method which was later a source of inspiration to St. Thomas Aquinas.

ST. LAWRENCE OF BRINDIS (1559-1619)
A great Capuchin linguist renowned for his bravery at the Battle of Stuhlweissenburg when Christians were outnumbered by the Turks 4:1.

ST. LEO THE GREAT (400-61)
Pope who confirmed the doctrine of the Incarnation. Persuaded Attila the Hun not to pillage Rome.

ST. PETER CANISIUS (1521-97)
Jesuit scholar associated with the Catechism of the Council of Trent.

ST. PETER CHRYSOLOGUS (400-50)
Archbishop of Ravenna renowned for his eloquent sermons.

ST. PETER DAMIAN (1007-72)
Cardinal and Bishop of Ostia and Velletri known for his zeal for the internal reform of the Church.

ST. ROBERT BELLARMINE (1542-1621)
Jesuit scholar who composed exhaustive apologetic works against the prevailing heresies of the day.

ST. TERESA OF AVILA (1515-82)
Reformed the Carmelite Order with St. John of the Cross and wrote many works of mystical theology.

ST. THERESE OF LISIEUX (1873-1897)
Carmelite nun who devoted herself to prayer for the Missions. Her spiritual insights are contained in her Autobiography.


ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-74)
A Dominican and one of the greatest scholars in the history of the Church. Known as the ‘Angelic Doctor’. Author of many works including the Summa Theologica.

ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS (1542-1591)
Carmelite scholar who reformed the Carmelite Order with Teresa of Avila and wrote works of mystical theology.

 

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