Deacon’s Corner
Doctors! Generally, when we speak of or need a doctor, we think of a person licensed to practice medicine as a physician, surgeon, dentist, or specialist. Most of us have multiple doctors we rely on to maintain our physical health and needs.
Over the history of our Catholic Church, we had many men and women who received wisdom and knowledge from God (also known as doctors) to teach us how to heal and maintain our spiritual health and growth.
Doctor of the Church (Latin: doctor "teacher"), also referred to as Doctor of the Universal Church, is a title given by the Catholic Church to saints recognized as having made a significant contribution to theology or doctrine through their research, study, or writing.
As of 2025, the Catholic Church has named 38 Doctors of the Church. Among those, 28 are from the West and tenfrom the East; four are women and 34 are men; one is an abbess, three are nuns, and one is a tertiary associated with a religious order; two are popes, 19 are bishops, 13 are priests, and one is a deacon (St. Ephrem the Syrian). Twenty-eight are from Europe, three are from Africa, and seven are from Asia. More Doctors (12) lived in the fourth century than any other; eminent Christian writers of the first, second, and third centuries are usually referred to as the Ante-Nicene Fathers. The shortest period between death and nomination was that of Alphonsus Liguori, who died in 1787 and was named a Doctor in 1871 – a period of 84 years; the longest was that of Irenaeus, which took more than eighteen centuries.
Scanning the liturgical calendar, in the month of September, we celebrate the Memorials of three Doctors of the Church.
September 03 — Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
St. Gregory the Great was born in Rome in 540 A.D. Raised among saints, his father was an official in the Church and his mother and two aunts were extremely devout, later becoming canonized. The family was aristocratic, famous for owning vast estates and participating in the Roman government. St. Gregory’s education was steeped in law, religion, grammar, rhetoric, and affairs of the republic. By age 30, he held one of the most important offices for a young man, a Roman prefect, yet gave it up to become a monk. After his father’s death, he bequeathed the family’s estates, creating seven monasteries, and retreated to religious life. Within four years, the pope commissioned him to Constantinople as deacon and ambassador. Within a decade, he returned to Rome and resumed running the monasteries as abbot. But after the death of Pope Pelagius II, St. Gregory was elected his successor. At this time, church and state were at the apex of their medieval power. St. Gregory took his place to rule over the ecclesiastical sphere, a lofty task. His skills in government, estate management, finance, and staff leadership shined. St. Gregory leveraged his papal authority, forming relations with the churches in Spain, Gaul, Africa, Britain, as well as the Eastern Churches. He developed a code of life for bishops and began a rigorous preaching routine. His homilies drew massive crowds as they used rich anecdotes and practical metaphors. Diligent until the end, he wrote extensively on spiritual works, penning thousands of letters, sermons, and commentaries. St. Gregory is honored as one of the Four Great Doctors of the Church along with St. Augustine, St. Ambrose and St.Jerome.
September 13 — Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
St. John Chrysostom was born in Antioch around 347 A.D. Raised by his mother after his father’s death; St. John attended the best schools. Around age 20, St. John met Bishop Meletius who introduced him to an ascetic life. St. John joined a religious society and four years later, became a recluse. In 381, he returned to the world, becoming ordained in his late thirties. He became renowned for his brilliant preaching, which focused on individual and social morality taught by the gospels. In 398, he was consecrated Bishop of Constantinople. As bishop, he denounced lavish living and extravagance. This boldness, and his efforts at Church reform, led to him twice being exiled. He died in exile in 407. Most beloved for his preaching, St. John is remembered as being ‘Golden-mouthed’ and is a Doctor of the Church.
September 30 — Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church
St. Jerome was a Biblical scholar in the fourth century. He studied and was baptized in Rome, then returned to his native Aquileia where he lived an ascetic life. Around 374, he headed for Palestine, but was delayed in Antioch, where he heard the lectures of Apollinarius and decided to live as a hermit in the Syrian desert. He learned Hebrew, returned to Antioch and was ordained.
He spent time in Constantinople and then returned to Rome, where he became secretary to Pope Damasus. After the Pope’s death, he visited Egypt, Palestine, and Antioch, before settling in Bethlehem. There he founded a new men’s monastery, and continued his scholarly work. St. Jerome was involved in many theological controversies of the time including those regarding Arianism, the virginity of Mary, and the teachings of Origen.
Some of St. Jerome’s greatest scholarly achievements are his translations of most of the Bible into Latin, a bibliography of the ecclesiastical writers, and translations of the works of Eusebius, Origen, and Didymus. Also, he wrote many Biblical commentaries where he infused topography and linguistics into his discussions. St. Jerome is one of the four original doctors of the Western Church.
If you have an interest in learning more, there are a plethora of good books about the Doctors of the Church, I listed the one I have. It gives a short summary of their brilliance and contributions.
The 35 Doctors of the Church: Revised Edition
Author: Fr. Christopher Rengers OFMCap, Matthew E. Bunson, PhD
See you at the next Mass!
Jesus, Do in me what You must, so as to do through me, What You Will!
Dcn Matt