The 38 Doctors of the Church

Bishop of Milan, fought excessively to end Arian heresy, led to Augustine’s conversion to Christ

“I will die at the foot of the altar rather than desert it.”

Bishop of Hippo, profound writer, shaped the Western Church’s understanding of faith and grace.

"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe."

wrote extensively defending the virginity of Mary, translated the scriptures from Hebrew and Old Latin to revised Latin to produce the Vulgate Bible

"Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ."

Pope, known for being an expert in law, his emphasis on missionary work, and giving generously to the poor

"When we administer any necessities to the poor, we give them their own. We do not bestow our goods upon them... We discharge the debt of justice."

Bishop of Alexandria, tirelessly defended the doctrine of Christ’s divinity

"If the world is against the truth, then I will be against the world."

Archbishop of Constantinople, named “Chrysostom” meaning “golden-mouthed,” known for his eloquent writings and homilies

"Prayer is the root, the fountain, the mother of a thousand blessings."

Bishop of Caesaria, wrote famously on monasticism, attributed to the victory over Arianism

"Have you slipped? Rise up. Have you sinned? Cease"

Bishop of Constantinople, helped finalize the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, defended the doctrine of the nature of Christ being a hypostatic union

"Remember God more often than you breathe!"

Dominican theologian and teacher, wrote over sixty works throughout his lifetime that continue to be some of the most influential writings of the Catholic Church

“A doctor of Catholic truth ought not only to teach the proficient, but to him pertains also to instruct beginners."

Franciscan Cardinal and Bishop of Albano, "the Seraphic Doctor"

“The proud demons flee before the lofty virtues of the humble.”

Archbishop of Canterbury, "Father of Scholasticism,” proposed the satisfaction theory of atonement

"I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For I believe this also, that unless I believe, I shall not understand."

Bishop of Seville, "the teacher of medieval Spain"

"When we pray, we talk to God; when we read, God talks to us."

Bishop of Ravenna, known as the "Doctor of Homilies" due to his simple, practical, and clear sermons

"O man, why do you think so little of yourself when God thinks so highly of you? Why dishonor yourself when God so honors you? Why be so concerned with the stuff from which you are made and so little with the purpose for which you are made?”

Pope, remembered for being a peacemaker and tirelessly fighting to preserve the unity of the Church amidst multiple heretical attacks

“No one, however weak, is denied a share in the victory of the cross. No one is beyond the help of the prayer of Christ.”

Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia, sought to abolish simony and clerical marriage, championed monastic life

“Nobody can fight properly and boldly for the faith if he clings to a fear of being stripped of earthly possessions.”

spearheaded the Cistercian monastic reform and expansion, wrote treatises establishing the ideal of Christian knighthood

"The reason for loving God is God Himself. As to how He is to be loved, there is only one measure: It is immeasurable!"

authored foundational Trinitarian texts, Championed orthodoxy during the Arian crisis, introduced hymnody to the Western Church, known as the “Athanasius of the West”

“He by Whom man was made had nothing to gain by becoming Man; it was our gain that God was incarnate and dwelt among us, making all flesh His home by taking upon Him the flesh of One.”

Bishop, founded the Redemptorists, developed the system of equiprobabilism in moral theology

“Your God is ever beside you. Indeed, He is even within you.”

Bishop of Geneva, pioneered the idea that everyday laypeople could achieve spiritual perfection, won back tens of thousands of Calvinists during the Reformation with his gentleness and patience

"One can catch more flies with a spoonful of honey than with a hundred barrels of vinegar."

successfully condemned the heresy of Nestorianism and established orthodox Christology, defined the “hypostatic union”

“Indeed the mystery of Christ runs the risk of being disbelieved precisely because it is so incredibly wonderful.”

Bishop, affirmed orthodox Trinitarian doctrine and helped finalize the Nicene Creed

“The wider our contemplation of creation, the grander is our conception of God.”

fiercely defended the veneration of religious icons, celebrated as one of the greatest poets of the Eastern Church

“The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God.”

“Father of English History,” translated portions of the Bible into Old English

“Unfurl the sails and let God steer us, where He will.”

“Harp of the Holy Spirit,” rebuked Arianism and Gnosticism through his profound poetry and hymns

“Our Lord visibly carried [Peter] on the sea to teach us that He was also invisibly carrying him on dry land.”

spearheaded the Catholic Counter-Reformation in Central Europe, “Second Apostle of Germany”

“Let my eyes take their sleep, but may my heart always keep watch for you.”

Spanish mystic, poet, and co-founder of the Discalced Carmelites

“If you do not learn to deny yourself, you can make no progress in perfection.”

Archbishop of Capua, "Prince of Apologists," defended Catholic doctrine against Protestant reformers

“Charity is that with which no man is lost, and without which no man is saved.”

Bishop of Regensburg, championed the harmony of faith and reason, mentor to Thomas Aquinas

"The greater and more persistent your confidence in God, the more abundantly you will receive all that you ask."

appointed by St. Francis of Assisi to be the first-ever theology teacher in the Franciscan Order, renowned Catholic scholar, patron saint of lost things

"Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak."

diplomat and linguistic prodigy fluent in multiple ancient and modern languages, lead a Christian imperial army to victory while armed only with a crucifix

“The word of God is a light to the mind and a fire to the will.”

mystic and co-founder of the Discalced Carmelites, authored timeless spiritual masterpieces, first woman named a Doctor of the Church

"Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours."

Mystic author, acted as an advisor to the pope, known for her impressive negotiation and peacemaking skills

"Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire."

the "Little Flower,” advocated for the "little way" to get to heaven by doing small everyday tasks with extraordinary love

"What matters in life is not great deeds, but great love"

Spanish priest and mystic, known as the "Apostle of Andalusia" for the extensive missionary work he did there

“Remember what you have done offending God and what you have failed to do in His service; go to the confessor and throw away all your sins, sweep and clean your house.”

Benedictine abbess, mystic, prolific writer, composer, and philosopher

"God hugs you. You are encircled by the arms of the mystery of God."

Armenian monk, poet, and mystic, known as the "Watchful Angel in Human Form"

"In the face of my darkness, you are light. In the face of my mortality, you are life."

Bishop of Lyon, refuted Gnosticism, established the canonical status of the four Gospels, articulated foundational concepts on Christ as the "New Adam" and Mary as the “New Eve”

"Because of his boundless love, Jesus became what we are that he might make us to be what he is."

Cardinal, convert from Anglicanism, co-patron of Catholic education, his work helped form the framework behind the Second Vatican Council

“To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.”