St. Albert the Great: Patron Saint of Scientists and Students - Life, Feast Day and Prayer
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Albertus Magnus, fresco by Tommaso da Modena, 1352, Treviso. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
St. Albert the Great was a Dominican friar, bishop and teacher who studied everything from theology to plants, stars and minerals. His learning was so wide that his own age called him the "Universal Doctor." The Church honors him as a Doctor of the Church and as the patron saint of scientists and students.
Quick Facts
Feast day: November 15
Born: About 1200, Lauingen, Bavaria
Died: November 15, 1280, Cologne
Beatified: 1622, by Pope Gregory XV
Canonized: December 16, 1931, by Pope Pius XI, who also named him a Doctor of the Church
Patron of: Scientists, natural scientists, students, philosophers, medical technicians
Symbols: Dominican habit, bishop's miter, a book and pen
His Life
Albert was born around 1200 into a noble family at Lauingen, on the Danube in Bavaria. As a young man he was sent to study at the University of Padua in Italy. There he heard the preaching of Blessed Jordan of Saxony, the successor of St. Dominic, and in 1223 he entered the young Order of Preachers despite the objections of his family.
The Dominicans quickly put his gifts to use. Albert taught in several German priories before being sent to the University of Paris, where he earned the title of master in theology around 1245. Among his students was a large, quiet young Italian whom the others mocked as "the dumb ox." Albert saw something else. "You call him a dumb ox," he is said to have told them, "but one day his bellowing will be heard throughout the world." The student was St. Thomas Aquinas. When Albert was sent to found a house of studies in Cologne in 1248, Thomas went with him.
Albert's curiosity had almost no limits. He wrote commentaries on Scripture and on the works of Aristotle, and he also observed and recorded the natural world for himself: animals, plants, minerals, the weather and the heavens. He insisted that faith and reason could not truly contradict each other, because both come from the same God. His writings fill dozens of volumes, and later scholars credited him with careful observations far ahead of his time.
He was also a skilled leader and peacemaker. He served as provincial of the Dominicans in Germany, walking from priory to priory on foot as the rule required. In 1260 the pope named him bishop of Regensburg, a troubled diocese. He worked to restore order there, but after about two years he asked to resign so he could return to teaching and prayer. Popes and princes still called on him to settle disputes and to preach.
Thomas Aquinas died in 1274, before his old master. A few years later, when some theologians attacked Thomas's teaching, the elderly Albert traveled to Paris to defend his former student. In his last years his memory failed. He died peacefully in Cologne on November 15, 1280, and was buried in the Dominican church there. He was beatified in 1622. In 1931 Pope Pius XI canonized him and declared him a Doctor of the Church, and in 1941 Pope Pius XII named him patron of those who study the natural sciences.
Legacy
St. Albert shows that a deep love for God and a deep love for learning belong together. He studied creation because it reveals its Creator, and he trained a student greater than himself without jealousy. Scientists, teachers and students still look to him as a model of humble, careful and prayerful study.
Prayer to St. Albert the Great
St. Albert the Great, you searched the heavens and the earth to praise the God who made them. Pray for all scientists, teachers and students, that they may seek the truth with humility and patience. Help us to see the hand of the Creator in all things and to use our learning in the service of others. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Original prayer by Daily Catholic Prayers. You may print and share it freely.
How to Celebrate His Feast Day
Pray the prayer above before a day of study, research or work.
Spend some time outdoors and notice the details of creation: a leaf, a stone, the night sky.
Thank a teacher or mentor who helped you learn.
Read a few lines of Scripture slowly and ask what they teach you about God's wisdom.
If you have children, explore a simple science question together and end with a prayer of thanks.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When is the feast day of St. Albert the Great?
November 15, the day he died in 1280.
What is St. Albert the Great the patron saint of?
Scientists, especially natural scientists, as well as students, philosophers and medical technicians.
Why is he called "the Great"?
His contemporaries gave him the name because of the extraordinary range of his learning. He is also called the Universal Doctor.
Was St. Albert the teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas?
Yes. He taught Thomas in Paris and Cologne and later defended his teaching.
Is St. Albert a Doctor of the Church?
Yes. Pope Pius XI declared him a Doctor of the Church when he canonized him in 1931.
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