Peter Damian is considered one of the great church reformers during a time of crisis. He reluctantly left a hermit’s life to take charge of his religious community and establish five hermitages in Italy. Later, as bishop of Ostia, he was involved in important church events, yet he pleaded to be allowed to return to the solitary prayer life. Peter is credited with many spiritual writings. To a bishop he once wrote, “let your lips continually ruminate something from the scriptures.” He was declared a doctor of the church in 1828.