Research, Study, and Writing: Exploring the Four Female Doctors of the Church
Who Are the Female Doctors of the Church?
According to a 2015 article by Father Larry Rice, then the vocations director for the Paulist Fathers, Doctors of the Church are saints who, “through their research, study, and writing … have advanced the Church’s knowledge of our faith.” There are currently 36 doctors of the Church, ranging from the ancient Church father St. Ambrose (340-397) to the modern St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
So far, four women have been named Doctors of the Church: St. Hildegard of Bingen, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Teresa of Ávila, and St. Thérèse. As women, we can learn a great deal from these four paragons of faith, all of whom led inspiring, interesting, and challenging lives. Here’s just a brief snapshot of the lessons they can teach us.
St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
“There is the music of Heaven in all things.”
St. Hildegard, who was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, was a mystic whose achievements included founding more than one monastery, writing books on topics ranging from theology and mysticism to linguistics to medicine and the natural sciences, and composing sacred music. Before the Renaissance had even occurred, this saint was a true Renaissance woman.
When he named Hildegard a Doctor of the Church, Pope Benedict said:
“In Hildegard are expressed the most noble values of womanhood: hence the presence of women in the Church and in society is also illumined by her presence, both from the perspective of scientific research and that of pastoral activity. Her ability to speak to those who were far from the faith and from the Church make Hildegard a credible witness of the new evangelization.”
St. Hildegard saw God — “the music of Heaven” — in everything, a view which likely led her to working in so many areas. In a world that often seems ugly, let’s adopt this perspective and look for that music of Heaven, because it’s all around us. We only have to listen.
St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
“We’ve had enough of exhortations to be silent. Cry out with a thousand tongues. I see the world is rotten because of silence.”
St. Catherine was a lay Dominican known for her reform efforts during a difficult time in Church history. Despite her young age (she died at 33), according to Catholic Answers, “her reputation for great holiness spread quickly, and she found herself answering letters from some of Europe’s most powerful people, seeking her advice on matters spiritual as well as political and even military (she was a supporter of the Crusading movement).”
St. Catherine teaches us that prayer and action are not at odds with one another; indeed, they can inform each other. By developing a deep spiritual life and love for Christ (she had her first mystical experience at age six), Catherine was also able to help effect change. During a time of social upheaval and injustice (both outside and, sadly, even within the Church), St. Catherine can be an inspiration for Christian women.
Summerly Sherlock, @redingtonly.
St. Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582)
“Christ is a very good friend, because we see him as a man and contemplate his weaknesses and trials, and he keeps us company and, with the help of habit, it is very easy to find him close to us.”
St. Teresa was a Carmelite nun and mystic. While St. Catherine is known for her reform within the Catholic Church, St. Teresa is known partly for her reform within the Carmelite Order. According to the Carmelite Spiritual Center, she believed her sisters were not following the Order as well as they should and “developed a desire in her heart to revert Carmel back to its original purpose: to live for God.” In collaboration with St. John of the Cross, another great Carmelite mystic and Doctor of the Church, she formed the Discalced Carmelites.
Teresa is also known for her writings, particularly The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle, which describe the contemplative life and spiritual development. In light of her great spiritual teachings, she became the first Doctor of the Church in 1970, one week and one day before Pope Paul VI named St. Catherine of Siena a Doctor.
St. Teresa’s relationship with Jesus is one we can emulate, and it’s one that’s approachable and down-to-earth. A favorite anecdote about Teresa is a great example of how we should keep Christ close to us; as Angelo Stagnaro writes for National Catholic Register:
“As the hagiographic accounts relate, as St. Teresa (1515–1582) also called St. Teresa of Jesus, made her way to her convent during a fierce rainstorm, she slipped down an embankment and fell squarely into the mud. The irrepressible nun looked up to heaven and admonished her Maker, ‘If this is how You treat Your friends, no wonder why You have so few of them!’ Only a true friend of God could speak with such familiarity and temerity. For this reason, among many others, she has endeared herself to me.”
St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897)
“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.
The youngest of the female Doctors of the Church (she died of tuberculosis at age 24), at a shallow glance, St. Thérèse does not seem obviously cut out for the part. She was not an activist, she did not write volumes of books … she never even moved away from her hometown. She entered the Carmelite convent at age 15 (with special permission from the pope to do so at such a young age), and then she never left. If her superior in the convent (also her biological sister) hadn’t asked her to write her autobiography, the world may have forgotten her.
But thanks to this writing, she left us with her “Little Way,” a teaching that guides us in humility and love. We do not need to accomplish great deeds to become saints, Thérèse believed. Indeed, most of us can’t. What we must do is rely on God to “scatter flowers,” or small deeds of love, throughout our life. By acting with childlike love toward God and to other people, we can reach Heaven.
We don’t know which women will be named Doctors of the Church in the future (maybe even you!). These four Pillars of Faith, however, will continue to inspire generations of women in growing close to the Lord and sharing His Love with everyone we meet.
Meet Taryn Oesch DeLong
Taryn Oesch DeLong is an editor and writer in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband and works in digital media. Passionate about supporting women in work, in life, and in health, she is the managing editor of Catholic Women in Business, assistant editor and contributing writer at FemCatholic, and an almost-certified fertility awareness educator. When she’s not helping writers craft stories and writing her own nonfiction and fiction, you'll find Taryn reading Jane Austen and drinking a cup of Earl Grey tea, playing the flute or the piano, or volunteering. You can follow Taryn on Instagram and Twitter @tarynmdelong, on Facebook, or on her blog.