#Doctor of the Church

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint Thomas Aquinas

Doctor of the Church

1225-1274

Feast Day: January 28 (new), March 7 (Trad)

Patronage: Academics; against storms; against lightning; apologists; book sellers; Catholic academies, schools, and universities; chastity; philosophers; publishers; scholars; students; theologians.

Saint Thomas Aquinas was an Italian Dominican friar and priest. Also honored as a Doctor of the Church, Thomas is considered the Church's greatest theologian and philosopher. Pope Benedict XV declared: "This (Dominican) Order ... acquired new luster when the Church declared the teaching of Thomas to be her own and that Doctor, honored with the special praises of the Pontiffs, the master, and patron of Catholic schools."

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase. (website)

[vigilantkilliforniakatholixxx]

Nothing is so strong as gentleness; nothing is so gentle as real strength. - St. Francis de Sales

"Especially beware of bad books, and for nothing in the world let your soul be carried away by certain writings which weak brains admire, because of some vain subtleties which they find therein." - St. Francis de Sales

Do not become upset when difficulty comes your way. Laugh in its face and know that you are in the hands of God. - St. Francis de Sales

"And to say that the Church has failed - what else is it but to say that all our predecessors are damned. Yes, truly; for outside the Church there is no salvation, out of this Ark every one is lost." - St. Francis De Sales

"Fits of anger, vexation, and bitterness against ourselves tend to pride, and they spring from no other source than self-love, which is disturbed and upset at seeing that it is imperfect." - St. Francis de Sales

"God is served more by suffering for Him than by working for Him." - St. Francis de Sales

[cruger2984]

THE DESCRIPTION OF SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA The Patron of Those Against Fire and Miscarriages Feast Day: April 29

"Eternal God, eternal Trinity, you have made the blood of Christ so precious through his sharing in your divine nature. You are a mystery as deep as the sea; the more I search, the more I find, and the more I find the more I search for you. But I can never be satisfied; what I receive will ever leave me desiring more. When you fill my soul I have an even greater hunger, and I grow more famished for your light. I desire above all to see you, the true light, as you really are." -excerpt from 'The Dialogue of Divine Providence'

One of the few women to be declared Doctor of the Church, Catherine, was born Caterina di Jacopo di Benincasa, on the Feast of the Annunciation of Mary - March 25, 1347, in Siena, shortly before the Black Death ravaged Europe. Her parents were Lapa Piagenti, the daughter of a local poet, and Jacopo di Benincasa, a cloth dyer who ran his enterprise with the help of his sons.

At the age of six, after experiencing a vision of our Lord, Catherine consecrated her life to God. When she reached the age of 12, to convince her parents that she would never marry, she cut off her beautiful hair.

Catherine entered the Third Order of St. Dominic in 1365, and led a life of penance and prayer in her house. She was often subjected to trials and desolation.

One day, Catherine exclaimed: 'Oh Lord, where were you when my heart was so sorely troubled with temptations?'

The Lord replied: 'Daughter, I was in your heart, fortifying you by my grace.'

While Siena was celebrating a carnival, Catherine was praying in her room when our Lord appeared to her, accompanied by the Blessed Virgin Mary and a crowd of the heavenly host. Taking the girl's hand, the Blessed Virgin held it up to her Son, who placed a ring on it and espoused Catherine to himself. Although she cared for the sick and the prisoners, she was unjustly accused of being a fanatic and a hypocrite.

In 1375, as she was praying in the church of St. Cristina in Pisa, she received the stigmata from our Lord according to Raymond of Capua's biography. Because of her holiness, she was constantly called upon to arbitrate feuds and misunderstandings.

In June 1376, Catherine went to Avignon in France, to urge Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome, whence the pope has been absent for 74 years.

She spent the rest of her days composing 'The Dialogue of Divine Providence', a book which she wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Besides, Catherine wrote about 400 letters of great interest, all of them remarkable for beauty and spirituality.

Showing a remarkable combination of respect, frankness and familiarity, she called the Pope, 'my sweet daddy,' while reminding him of his obligations as the leader of the Universal Church.

After offering herself as the victim for the Church, Catherine died peacefully in the Lord at the age of 33 on April 29, 1380, having eight days earlier suffered a massive stroke which paralyzed her from the waist down. Her last words were: 'Father, into Your Hands I commend my soul and my spirit.'

Catherine beatified on Christmas Eve 1460 and canonized by Pope Pius II in 1461, Pope Paul VI named Catherine a Doctor of the Church on October 4, 1970; this title was almost simultaneously given to Teresa of Avila, making them the first women to receive this honor.

[dzgrizzle]

Hilary de Poitiers, 4th Century Celtic Theologian, Bishop of Poitiers

[helloparkerrose]

[catholics-world]

Check out this post… "Saint Teresa of Avila: The Incorruptible Mystic and Her Miraculous Fragrant Oil".

http://marianne346.blogspot.com/2025/02/saint-teresa-of-avila-incorruptible.html

[northemoonduringthenight]

Bernardino Poccetti, Sant'Agostino, Santo Spirito, Firenze

[allaboutyoupostnthings]

Celebrating the Feast of Saint Ambrose

On December 7th, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Ambrose, a day dedicated to honoring one of the greatest bishops and theologians in the history of the Catholic Church. Known for his intellect, faith, and charity, Saint Ambrose has left a lasting legacy that continues to inspire Christians around the world. A Brief History: Saint Ambrose, the 4th-century Catholic bishop of Milan, was known for…

[carfleo]

St. Teresa of Avila

October 15 is the Memorial of St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church. St. Teresa of Avila by Peter Paul Rubens St. Teresa was born in Ávila in Spain and entered the Carmelite convent there at the age of 20, not because of any great attraction to the religious life but because it seemed the most sensible thing to do. At this time Carmelite convents were comfortable places. One was well looked…

[vepxv1]

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint Catherine of Siena

Doctor of the Church

1347-1380

Feast Day: April 29, (New), April 30 (Trad)

Patronage: against fire, bodily ills, firefighters, illness, Italy, miscarriages, people ridiculed for their piety, sexual temptation, sick people, sickness

Catherine was the youngest of 25 children. She started having mystical experiences and visions when she was only 6. She became a Dominican tertiary at 16. A brilliant theologian, although she never had any formal education, she persuaded the Pope to go back to Rome from Avignon, in 1377, and when she died she was endeavoring to heal the Great Western Schism. In 1375 she received the Stigmata, which was visible only after her death. She died when she was only 33, and her body was found incorrupt in 1430.

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase. (website)

[vigilantkilliforniakatholixxx]

[cruger2984]

THE DESCRIPTION OF SAINT PETER CANISIUS The Jesuit Priest and Holy Apostle of the Catholic Press Feast Day: December 21

"Better that only a few Catholics should be left, staunch and sincere in their religion, than that they should, remaining many, desire as it were, to be in collusion with the Church’s enemies and in conformity with the open foes of our faith."

Peter Canisius, who is one of the major figures during the Protestant Reformation, called the 'Apostle of the Catholic Press' and known as the Second Apostle of Germany, was born in Nijmegen (located in Gelderland province), Holland (The Netherlands), on May 8, 1521, his mother died shortly after he was born.

In order to please his father Jacob, who is a burgomaster, he studied law for a few months at the University of Louvain. Realizing however, that he was not called to this career, he took a vow of celibacy and went to study theology in Cologne, Germany, where he earned a master's degree at the age of 19. There, while attending a retreat preached by St. Peter Faber, one of the first disciples of Ignatius of Loyola, he decided to enter the Society of Jesus.

After his ordination to the priesthood, he became famous for his talent in preaching. Ignatius considered him a model religious, prepared to go anywhere and to do anything. From Rome, Peter was sent to Germany, where he counteracted the Protestant doctrines and effected a religious revival among the people.

In 1552, Peter was called to Vienna, Austria, where 90% of the people had abandoned the Catholic faith. Many monasteries lay desolate, and not a single priest had been ordained for 20 years. Peter won the heart of the people by his works of charity. He ministered to the sick, visited the prisoners, and cared for the poor.

Realizing the great importance of mass media, he promoted the Catholic press to the best of his ability. During his lifetime, his catechism was reprinted over 200 times and translated into 15 languages.

Despite his success and popularity, Peter remained humble and submissive. He refused to be consecrated bishop of Vienna and Provincial of his order. He died at the age of 76 due to a stroke in Fribourg, Switzerland on December 21, 1597.

Canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1925 and declared a Doctor of the Church the same year, his major shrine can be found in Fribourg.

[ohmysaint]

On this day, we remember Saint Robert Bellarmine, a renowned bishop and Doctor of the Church, whose dedication to defending the faith shaped Catholic theology. His deep intellectual rigor and pastoral care continue to guide us in understanding God’s truth. May his example inspire us to deepen our knowledge and love for Christ.

[thelvadams]

DOCTOR WHO • 'The Church on Ruby Road'

#they were over 2000 years old #they should have been at the club

[monument-of-anxiety]

Ruby Sunday is the perfect gen Z companion. No hesitation on anything. Will not listen to her superiors. Optimistically apathetic in the face of obscurities. Political assassin. Would die for a gay romance she isn't apart of. No one has ever done it like her