You may wonder about the title “Doctor of the Church” and how it is determined to award someone that title.
In the Roman Catholic Church, a Doctor of the Church (Latin: docere, to teach) is a saint recognized as having made significant contribution to theology or doctrine through their research, study, or writing. It is an official designation that is bestowed by the Pope. This honor is given rarely, only posthumously, and only after canonization. The Roman Catholic Church has, up until 2024, named 37 Doctors of the Church.
There are three requirements that must be fulfilled by a person in order to merit being included in the ranks of the “Doctors of the Catholic Church”
1. Outstanding Holiness – The individual must possess a holiness that is truly exceptional, even among saints. This means living a life of deep virtue, obedience to God, and service to the Church, which is a prerequisite for canonization.
2. Depth of Doctrinal Insight – The person must have made significant and lasting contributions to the understanding and interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures and the development of Christian doctrine. Their theological work should be of high quality, faithful to Church teaching, and influential in shaping Catholic thought.
3. Extensive and Authentically Catholic Writings – The individual must have left behind a substantial body of writings that the Church can recommend as an expression of the authentic and life-giving Catholic Tradition. These writings should reflect their doctrinal insight and holiness, and may include theological treatises, sermons, spiritual works, or other writings that have had a lasting impact on the Church.
Note: The proclamation of a pope about naming a Doctor of the Church does not mean to declare that the teaching of any Doctor is free from error. The Church acknowledges that all human teaching, even from saints, can contain mistakes or limitations.
All these Doctors of the Church advanced the knowledge of God through their writing on theology, spirituality, mysticism, or through their defense of the faith in the face of heresy and schism.
The list below includes all the doctors of the Church and where their shrines are located, if any.
Four Great Doctors of the Church:
The title was first given in the Middle Ages, and originally, there were four great Doctors of the Church. Here are their Shrines:
St. Ambrose (Milan, Italy) 4th century bishop of Milan
St. Augustine (Pavia, Italy) 5th century bishop of Hippo
St. Gregory the Great (Rome, Italy), who was pope at the start of the 7th century
St. Jerome: (St. Mary Major, Rome, Italy) & (Cave of St. Jerome in Bethlehem) the 5th century biblical scholar and translator.
Over the years the church has added additional saints with the title “Doctor of the Church” . These include:
St. Albertus Magnus (Cologne, Germany)
St. Alphonsus Liguori (Salerno, Italy) (Also, Baltimore, Maryland: Shrine of St. Alphonsus Liguori
St. Anselm of Canterbury
St. Anthony of Padua (Padua, Italy)
St. Athanasius
St. Basil the Great
St. Bede the Venerable
St. Bernard of Clairvaux (Troyes, France)
St. Bonaventure
St. Catherine of Siena (Siena, Italy)
St. Cyril of Alexandria
St. Ephrem
St. Francis de Sales (Annecy, France)
St. Gregory Nazianzus
St. Gregory of Narek
St. Hilary of Poitiers
St. Hildegard of Bingen (Eibingen, Germany)
St. Isidore of Seville
St. John Damascene
St. John of Avila
St. John of the Cross
St. John Chrysostom
St. Lawrence of Brindisi
St. Leo the Great
St. Peter Canisius
St. Peter Chrysologus
St. Peter Damian
St. Robert Bellarmine
Great article.