Saint Peter Damian and the Wounds of the Church, by Dawn Beutner

In 1298, Pope Boniface VIII decided to name four saints as Doctors of the Church to recognize their excellence as teachers of the Catholic faith and to honor the enduring impact of their thought on the Church.¹ Since then, eighteen other popes have conferred that same title on thirty-three other men and women.²

Some saints, such as Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas, earned the designation of Doctor of the Church through their many writings about theology and philosophy. Athanasius of Alexandria, on the other hand, was honored for his tireless defense of the faith against a wildly popular heresy. ….

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