The Diocese of Lafayette, Ind., celebrated the feast day of Saint Peter Damian, a Doctor of the Church, on Feb. 21.

"Saint of the Day: Peter Damian emerged as a voice of truth and reform at a time when the Church was struggling with corruption and immorality," the Diocese said on Facebook. "Called 'the soul of the Gregorian reform' by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, his prolific writing and zealous call to popes, bishops and prelates to lead lives of purity, poverty and prayer were significant elements of Church reform in the 11th century."

Saint Peter Damian was born in Italy in the year 1007, according to Britannica. Little is known about his early life except that his parents died when he was young, and he was raised by an older brother. Peter Damian worked as a rhetoric teacher at Ravenna for about five years before entering the hermitage of Fonte Avellana. He went on to found and reform other monasteries, eventually catching the attention of the Pope, as well as German emperor Henry III. Peter Damian eventually became a key figure in the Gregorian Reform movement.

Saint Peter Damian was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1828, Catholic.com said. His feast day is celebrated on Feb. 21.  

“Doctor of the Church” is an official title that a Pope can bestow upon a person who has made significant and lasting contributions to the church," Crossroads Initiative said. "Throughout the history of the Catholic Church, only 36 people have ever been granted this title."

 There are three requirements to becoming a Doctor of the Church: “holiness that is truly outstanding, even among saints”; “depth of doctrinal insight”; and “an extensive body of writings which the church can recommend as an expression of the authentic and life-giving Catholic tradition,” the initiative said.