Feast day: September 17
Patron saint of creativity — unofficially!
St. Hildegard von Bingen is actually a saint that I had come across years ago when I was studying music history. I had to take a class on Medieval and Renaissance music. Though, at the time, she was introduced to me as Hildegard. I had no idea that she was a saint, and not a saint, but one of four women Doctors of the Church.
In my studies, I did not appreciate the nuance of sacredness of the music that St. Hildegard von Bingen composed, and it wasn’t until I began researching for this episode that I began to connect the dots and appreciate her music even more. Beyond music, she is also described by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as “perennially relevant” and “an authentic teacher of theology and a profound scholar of natural science and music.”
Learn more about the life of St. Hildegard von Bingen here:
“The Word is living, being, spirit, all verdant greening, all creativity. This Word manifests itself in every creature.” — St. Hildegard von Bingen
To learn more about St. Hildegard von Bingen, take a look at some of the resources below:
https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/hildegard-bingen-no-ordinary-saint
https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=3777
https://www.classicfm.com/composers/bingen/guides/discovering-great-composers-hildegard-von-bingen/