St. John of Avila: 34th Doctor of the Church

Pope Benedict announced during WYD that he will proclaim St. John of Avila as the 34th Doctor of the Church. 

St. John of Avila was born in 1500 in the town of Almodovar del Campo, 155 miles south of Madrid. A Christian of Jewish descent, he studied law at the University of Salamanca before being ordained a priest. He went on to become a great preacher, author and mystic, writing works that influenced St. Theresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and St. Francis Borgia among others. 

His best-known works include “Audi Fili,” a tract on Christian perfection, and his collected spiritual letters to his followers. He was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1970, with his feast day falling on May 10.

The title of ‘Doctor of the Church’ is bestowed upon a saint whose writings are deemed to be of universal importance to the Church. The Pope must also declare the individual to be of “eminent learning” and “great sanctity.” Other Doctors of the Church include St. Augustine, St. John Chrysostom, St. Francis de Sales, and St. Catherine of Siena.

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So this brings the list of Doctors of the Church to (in no particular order):
St. John of Avila
St. Catherine of Siena
St. Therese of Lisieux
St. Teresa of Avila (Avila is obviously one holy place!)
St. Bede the Venerable
St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Augustine
St. Jerome
St. Ambrose
St. Gregory the Great
St. Athanasius
St. Basil the Great
St. Gregory Nazianzen
St. John Chrysostom
St. Ephraem the Deacon
St. Hilary (not Hillary - St. Hilary was a guy)
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
St. Cyril of Alexandria
St. Leo the Great
St. Peter Chrysologus
St. Isidore of Seville
St. Peter Damascene
St. Anselm
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
St. Anthony of Padua
St. Albert the Great
St. Bonaventure
St. Peter Canisius
St. John of the Cross
St. Robert Bellarmine
St. Lawrence of Brindisi
St. Francis de Sales
St. Alphonsus Ligouri
Learn more here.