St. Albert the Great was a thirteenth century bishop, renowned for his brilliant contributions to theology, philosophy, and the sciences. His most famous pupil was St. Thomas Aquinas, beloved Doctor of the Church.

Albert’s collected writings span thirty-eight volumes, filled with expansive knowledge on many subjects. His work, so enlightening in his time, has been respected for centuries down to our own day. As you might expect, many schools are named for this great teacher.

He is also remembered in the fields of scientific study. Several organisms are named after him, including in their names some variant of "Albertus Magnus", which is Latin for "Albert the Great."

"Alberta Magna", (otherwise known as "Natal flame bush") is a vibrant reddish-orange flowering plant that blooms in South Africa.

The 20006 Albertus Magnus, first sighted in 1980, is one of the largest asteroids on record - with a size resembling that of the San Francisco Bay! It is one out of over a million asteroids orbiting in the densest section of the asteroid belt.

Albert the Great has even left his mark on our digital world, with the computer font, Albertus typeface. This font began in the early 1930s for a British printing company, and came to be used in a number of cases for street signs and on television. Over time, digital versions were made and distributed by companies such as Adobe, Bitstream, and SoftMaker among others.

Though he lived 800 years ago, Albert the Great is not forgotten. Nor has he forgotten us. Among his astounding achievements, the greatest of all was his sanctity. As such, his care extends to all souls, and he longs to help not only teachers and students but everyone that calls upon him.

St. Albert, pray for us!