NEW DOCTOR FOR THE CHURCH

 

This  past week, the Holy See announced that ST. JOHN HENRY NEWMAN will be formally proclaimed a DOCTOR of the CHURCH on November 1. He will join the rank with such saints as Hildegard of Bingen, Therese of Lisieux, Teresa of Avila, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas.

There are only 38 Doctors of the Church (four are women), a title granted to saints whose theological writings are considered authoritative and of particular importance in understanding Catholic doctrine. 

The title was first given in the Middle Ages, and originally, there were four great Doctors of the Church: St. Ambrose, 4th century bishop of Milan, St. Augustine, 5th century bishop of Hippo, St. Gregory the Great, who was pope at the start of the 7th century, and St. Jerome, the 5th century biblical scholar and translator.

In recent years, we have seen saints named as doctors of the Church. Pope Benedict  understood deeply the requirements and the highly unusual nature of the doctors. He named two of them himself in 2012: the 12th-century abbess and mystic St. Hildegard of Bingen and the 16th-century priest St. John of Ávila.

Many believe St. Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) should also be added. 

 St. John Henry Newman, only recently canonized by Pope Francis in 2019, has long been a towering figure in Catholic thought. His writings on conscience, truth, faith, and reason have shaped generations of believers and stand as a bridge between faith and intellect. He is considered one of the greatest and most faithful theologians in the history of the Church

His chosen motto, Cor ad cor loquitur—“Heart speaks to heart”—reflects his conviction that authentic faith is not merely intellectual assent, but a living dialogue with Christ at the core of human life.