Nov. 15, 2011 Tuesday: St. Albert the Great
St. Albert the Great
This saint was born in 1206 in southwest Germany. Albert went to the University of Padua in Italy. There he decided to become a Dominican. His uncle tried to persuade him not to follow his religious vocation. Albert did anyway. He felt that this was what God wanted. His father, the count of Bollstädt, was very angry. The Dominicans thought that he might make Albert come back home. They transferred the novice to a location farther away, but his father did not come after him.
St. Albert loved to study. The natural sciences, especially physics, astronomy, geography, and biology also interested him. He wrote a great number of books on these subjects. In one of his works, he proved that the earth was round. He also wrote on philosophy, mathematics, the Bible, and theology. He was a popular teacher in different schools.
One of St. Albert’s pupils was the great St. Thomas Aquinas. These two saints became lifelong friends. St. Albert had guided St. Thomas in beginning his great works in philosophy and theology. He also defended his teachings after Thomas died.
As St. Albert grew older, he became more holy. Before, he had expressed his deep thoughts in his writings. Now he expressed them in his whole way of living for God.
Two years before his death, St. Albert’s memory failed him. His end came very peacefully, as he sat in his chair talking with his fellow Dominicans. He is the patron saint of students and of the natural sciences. He was declared a saint in 1931 by Pope Pius XI.
We can learn from St. Albert to appreciate and use our minds. Let’s pray to St. Albert, asking him to help us acquire a healthy curiosity about the world around us, and especially about God, who created all things and set the laws that govern nature.
- Daughters of St. Paul
This saint was born in 1206 in southwest Germany. Albert went to the University of Padua in Italy. There he decided to become a Dominican. His uncle tried to persuade him not to follow his religious vocation. Albert did anyway. He felt that this was what God wanted. His father, the count of Bollstädt, was very angry. The Dominicans thought that he might make Albert come back home. They transferred the novice to a location farther away, but his father did not come after him.
St. Albert loved to study. The natural sciences, especially physics, astronomy, geography, and biology also interested him. He wrote a great number of books on these subjects. In one of his works, he proved that the earth was round. He also wrote on philosophy, mathematics, the Bible, and theology. He was a popular teacher in different schools.
One of St. Albert’s pupils was the great St. Thomas Aquinas. These two saints became lifelong friends. St. Albert had guided St. Thomas in beginning his great works in philosophy and theology. He also defended his teachings after Thomas died.
As St. Albert grew older, he became more holy. Before, he had expressed his deep thoughts in his writings. Now he expressed them in his whole way of living for God.
Two years before his death, St. Albert’s memory failed him. His end came very peacefully, as he sat in his chair talking with his fellow Dominicans. He is the patron saint of students and of the natural sciences. He was declared a saint in 1931 by Pope Pius XI.
We can learn from St. Albert to appreciate and use our minds. Let’s pray to St. Albert, asking him to help us acquire a healthy curiosity about the world around us, and especially about God, who created all things and set the laws that govern nature.
- Daughters of St. Paul
