On November 15th, catholic saint I pay my respects to St. Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Churchone of the most brilliant minds of the 13th century. Born around 1200 in Lauingen (Bavaria), he was a Dominican monk whose vast erudition earned him the nickname “Doctor Universal”. doctor expert. His life shows that faith and reason are not separate paths, but complement each other in the search for truth.
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Albert studied at the University of Padua in Italy, where he met Blessed Jordan of Saxony, which led him to join the newly founded Order of Preachers (Dominicans) in 1223, despite his family’s opposition. He continued his studies in Bologna and then taught at various schools, including Hildesheim and Freiburg.
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His intellectual genius was demonstrated at the University of Paris, where he became the first Dominican of German descent to receive the title of Master of Divinity. His fame grew exponentially and he attracted many students, including the young Thomas Aquinas, for whom he became a mentor and advocate.
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The scope of his work was truly “enormous” and covered almost all of the knowledge cultivated at the time. Theology, philosophy, geography, astronomy, chemistry, botany, zoology. He was a prolific author, and his works are considered the first Western encyclopedia of natural knowledge.
Alberto Magno is remembered not as a supernatural miracle in life, but as a miracle in his heart. His contemporaries called his erudition “a wonder of his time,” and he himself emphasized the importance of empirical observation in the study of nature, separating it from theology.
In 1260, Appointed Bishop of Regensburg by Pope Alexander IV. A notable display of his humility was his refusal to use horses and to travel on foot within the parish, a practice consistent with the rules of his order, and for which he commanded great respect.
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After resigning as bishop in 1262, he returned to his academic life in Cologne.. His later years were devoted to defending the questionable teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, a testament to his intellectual and emotional loyalty. He died peacefully on November 15, 1280.
His canonization and appointment as Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI in 1931 and his declaration as Patron of Scientists by Pope Pius XII in 1941 reinvigorated the faith in St. Albert the Great. A common prayer reads: “True God, who gave our brother Alberto the gift of uniting human wisdom with divine faith, may all human pursuits of knowledge lead us to greater knowledge and love for you.”
On this day, the saints also celebrate other martyrs and figures, such as St. Leopold the Venerable, St. Eugene of Toledo, and the African martyr St. Joseph Mukasa Balikudembe. This week is marked by devotion to the Sacred Heart and the memory of St. Gertrude the Great. St. Elizabeth of Hungary, a model of charity.
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