Is there a doctor in the house?

The Doctors of the Church are great saints known for their defense and explanation of the truths of the Catholic Faith. The original eight Doctors of the Church—four Western (Saint Ambrose, Saint Augustine, Pope Saint Gregory the Great, and Saint Jerome) and four Eastern (Saint Athanasius, Saint Basil the Great, St. Gregory Nazianzen, and St. John Chrysostom)—were named by acclamation or common acknowledgment; the rest have been named by various popes, starting with the addition of St. Thomas Aquinas to the list by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568.

Today, there are 35 officially recognized Doctors of the Church:

St. Albertus Magnus (1200-80)Added by Pope Pius XI in 1931

St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)Added by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1871

Saint Ambrose (340-97)One of the original four Doctors of the Latin Church

Saint Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109)Added by Pope Clement XI in 1720

Saint Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)Added by Pope Pius XII in 1946

Saint Athanasius (297-373)One of the original four Doctors of the Eastern Church

Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430)One of the original four Doctors of the Latin Church

Saint Basil the Great (329-379)One of the original four Doctors of the Eastern Church

Saint Bede the Venerable (673-735)Added by Pope Leo XIII in 1899

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)Added by Pope Pius VIII in 1830

Saint Bonaventure (1217-74)Added by Pope Sixtus V in 1588

Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-80)Added by Pope Paul VI in 1970

Saint Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)Added by Pope Leo XIII in 1883

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (315-87)Added by Pope Leo XIII in 1883

Saint Ephrem the Syrian (306-73)Added by Pope Benedict XV in 1920

St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622)Added by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1877

Pope Saint Gregory the Great (540-604)One of the original four Doctors of the Latin Church

St. Gregory Nazianzen (330-90)One of the original four Doctors of the Eastern Church

Saint Hilary of Poitiers (315-68)Added by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1851

Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)Added by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012

Saint Isidore of Seville (560-636)Added by Pope Innocent XIII in 1722

Saint Jerome (343-420)One of the original four Doctors of the Latin Church

St. John Chrysostom (347-407)One of the original four Doctors of the Eastern Church

St. John Damascene (675-749)Added by Pope Leo XIII in 1883

Saint John of Avila (1500-69)Added by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012

Saint John of the Cross (1542-91)Added by Pope Pius XI in 1926

Saint Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619)Added by Blessed Pope John XXIII in 1959

Pope Saint Leo the Great (400-61)Added by Pope Benedict XIV in 1754

St. Peter Canisius (1521-97)Added by Pope Pius XI in 1925

St. Peter Chrysologus (400-50)Added by Pope Benedict XIII in 1729

St. Peter Damian (1007-72)Added by Pope Leo XII in 1828

St. Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621)Added by Pope Pius XI in 1931

Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-82)Added by Pope Paul VI in 1970

Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-97)Added by Pope John Paul II in 1997

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-74)Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568