Albert le Grand
v. 1200-1280 13th century Feast day: November 15
Seeking God with the mind: the patient study of the world as a path to its Creator.
Who was Albert le Grand?
A Swabian Dominican, teacher of Thomas Aquinas in Paris and then Cologne, he studied everything: plants, minerals, the stars, the Word. Bishop of Regensburg for two years, he obtained leave to become a simple teaching friar again. The Church declared him the universal doctor, patron of scientists.
In their own words
He could not have commanded anything more lovable, for this sacrament produces love and union. It is the mark of the greatest friendship to give oneself as food.
The aim of natural science is not simply to accept the statements of others, but to investigate the causes that are at work in nature.
We call him the dumb ox, but in his teaching he will one day produce such a bellowing that it will be heard throughout the whole world.