How St. Albert The Great Integrated Religion And Science

by Will Wright

Who Is Albertus Magnus?

One of the greatest saints in the History of the intellectual tradition of the Church is St. Thomas Aquinas. The Angelic Doctor, however, did not arise from a vacuum. Even the greatest teachers once had great teachers. The most famous teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas is St. Albert the Great (known in Latin as “Albertus Magnus”).

St. Albert the Great was a Thirteenth Century Dominican bishop, philosopher, and teacher at the universities of Paris and Cologne who was one of the first in the Church to explore and spread the Greek philosophy of Aristotle. This is one of the defining factors of his student, St. Thomas, as well.

St. Albert was interested in many topics. He studied theology, astronomy, biology, logic, philosophy, and math. He also liked cartography and hiked in his area to learn about geography. He was brilliant and his philosophical treatises still influence the Church today. In fact, he was canonized a saint and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1931 by Pope Pius XI. He is also known as the patron saint of natural sciences.

Lest we think that St. Albert was boastful, the moniker of “the Great” was given to him by his contemporaries: clergyman, professors, students, and kings.

How Does the Church View the Relationship of Religion and Science?

The Church is not opposed to science. In fact, science is the study of the natural order created by God. So, there is a real desire to investigate everything seen and unseen around us to learn more about ourselves and our Creator.

Scientific inquiry exists as a tool for exploration. There are many different types of science, too. Science is the study of nature and the behavior of natural things and the knowledge that we obtain about them. Just like philosophy and theology, science relies on the tools of logic, analysis of concepts, and argumentation.

If we open the toolbox of inquiry, we will see philosophy, scientific experimentation, observation, faith, Sacred Scripture, the life of the Church, biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, and the like. Faith and science are no more opposed than a hammer is opposed to slip joint pliers or a speed square. Religion answers certain questions, and science answers different questions.

How did St. Albert Approach Religion and Science?

Kevin Vost in a 2011 biography of the great saint wrote: “St. Albert has been described as a scientist by temperament, a philosopher by choice, and a theologian by mood.” St. Albert did not see any conflict between faith and reason. The created order speaks to the majesty and wonder of God. Faith and reason both serve as ways to God.

Unlike the modern practice of science in most circles, St. Albert the Great understood that philosophy is necessary for good science. The philosophy of science is underrated in most academic circles today but was assumed as necessary in the 13thCentury. So, on the one hand, revelation and faith were a way to knowledge, and, on the other hand, philosophy and science were a way to knowledge.

We would do well to ask for the intercession of Albertus Magnus and recapture our sense of wonder at the created order. God created all things, visible and invisible. He gave us our mind and allowed us to contemplate all things. To ignore whole realms of knowledge because of a contemporary blindness is a mistake. Let us recollect our preconceptions and broaden our vision. Then, we will be able to love God with our whole mind.

On Union With God | St. Albert The Great

 

4 Reasons Authentic Catholic Healthcare Matters (And How To Find It!)

by Dr. Kathleen Berchelmann

In 2018, Greg and Dr. Kathleen Berchelmann sold their house and farm in Saint Louis, moved to Connecticut with their 7 children, and with the support of the Catholic Medical Association started-the not-for-profit MyCatholicDoctor Foundation – a virtual hospital that is pro-life and pro eternal life, the only nationwide faithful Catholic telehealth service. 

Who We Are

MyCatholicDoctor brings a network of faithful medical professionals to patients through video visits/telehealth. When COVID-19 changed the world we live in, MyCatholicDoctor was ready with their telehealth platform to diagnose and treat COVID cases with a quick response rate, drastically growing our organization and our call to serve. 

In addition to extensive COVID care, we provide many specialty areas of service, including fertility care, dementia, and geriatric care management, abortion pill reversal, and so much more. What started as a small network of physicians has turned into over 100 faithful providers in a variety of specialties, treating patients nationwide. 

We serve people of all ages, genders, and health concerns. 

Women who have been infertile for 2+ years, a caregiver distraught on the end-of-life care decisions to make for their parents, a worried mother about her son’s spiked fever, and others, have all come to us for Christ-centered care and have been served by our faithful providers. Whether someone is insured, uninsured, or underinsured, we treat all individuals who come to us seeking Catholic health services. We meet every patient where they are in their suffering and accompany them on a path to healing. 

Why does authentic Catholic healthcare matter?

It matters because: 

• The ability of Catholic doctors to practice medicine consistent with their faith is disappearing. 
• Catholic hospitals are closing, and those that remain open are unable to hire professionals that are trained and experienced in Catholic healthcare.
• Access to medical services which incorporate a patient’s Catholic faith principles is almost invisible. 
• Despite 2000 years of Catholic leadership in healthcare, there is no national Catholic group of health care professionals committed to providing virtual care in accordance with Catholic teaching. 

Without access to Catholic healthcare, our sick and vulnerable population are left suffering. The dying are led to euthanasia (now called “medical assistance in dying”), the mentally ill are not told of God’s great love for them, the young are led to contraception and abortion, the infertile are led to in vitro fertilization, and very few of our sick recognize the power of their suffering for the redemption of mankind. Now more than ever, we need intentional Catholic healthcare and faithful providers to be God’s hands here on Earth. Our mission video explains it best that our team works to serve each son and daughter of Christ with individualized, Catholic healthcare. 

 

Telehealth is here to stay, and so is MyCatholicDoctor. 

Catholic medical care has become difficult to access in many geographic areas. Telehealth provides the opportunity to meet with a provider in the comfort of your own home, in a convenient and private appointment, with easy-to-use technology. Instead of wasting half of a day traveling to an appointment and waiting to be seen by a physician, a patient just needs to hop on 10 minutes before the appointment time. Patients have immediate access to board-certified, faithful physicians, right from their smartphones. Moreover, as prescriptions or labs are needed, they can be done locally, at the patient’s convenience. 

For more than 2000 years, the Catholic Church has led the world in healthcare, and by His grace, we hope to continue that mission. Using strong diagnostics to identify the root cause of disease, we treat the disease, not just the symptoms. If you’ve had difficulty finding a doctor who listens to you, cares for you, or morally respects your faith in regard to your health, MyCatholicDoctor may be the solution for you.  

To learn more about our organization, meet our team of clinicians, or make an appointment, please visit mycatholicdoctor.com.

My Catholic Doctor was a finalist in the 2021 OSV Challenge, a contest designed to accelerate project ideas that will make a profound impact on the Catholic Church and the world.