From virtual pilgrimages to walking the Hildegardweg in Germany — exploring the land and legacy of Saint Hildegard von Bingen.
Walking in the Footsteps of Saint Hildegard — September 8 – 18, 2027
Our guided 10-day pilgrimage through the Rhineland runs September 8 – 18, 2027, centered on Hildegard’s Feast Day on September 17. Walk forest paths, visit medieval villages and monastery ruins, attend evening concerts and workshops, and gather at the Abbey in Eibingen for the capstone celebration. Led by filmmaker-pilgrim Michael M. Conti and Heather Boyle. Sign up for the newsletter to receive details on when reservations open. Hildegard’s 850th anniversary falls in 2029.
The Hildegard Way
The Hildegard Way was an inspiration from Dr. Annette Esser, founder of the Scivias Institute for Art and Spirituality in Germany. The official pilgrimage route — Hildegardweg — was established with EU support in 2013 and runs 140 km through the Nahe River region of the Rhineland, from Idar-Oberstein to the Abbey of Saint Hildegard in Eibingen.
Our Presenters and Collaborators
Over the years, our programs have brought together theologians, musicians, scholars, and spiritual leaders whose lives and work have been shaped by Hildegard’s legacy. The following individuals have contributed to our pilgrimages, films, and virtual programs.
Dr. Annette Esser — Scivias Institute for Art and Spirituality
Under the leadership of Dr. Annette Esser, the Scivias Institute is an ecumenical community of leaders and learners located in Bingen, Germany — a registered non-profit organization engaged in theological, artistic, and inter-religious dialogue. Dr. Esser is the theologian behind Hildegard Speaks and Hildegard spricht, the documentary films co-created with Michael M. Conti and filmed on the Hildegardweg in 2019.
There is a pilgrimage saying — the path itself is the goal. Some find that the goal of a pilgrimage is to touch a saint’s grave. Whatever works for you, just be in grace, and celebrate your journey.
Dr. Annette Esser
Dr. Beverly Mayne Kienzle — Retired Harvard Professor, Medievalist
Dr. Beverly Kienzle’s translation of Hildegard’s Homilies on the Gospels — the first English translation from Latin — represents a landmark contribution to Hildegard scholarship. Hildegard was the only medieval woman to systematically interpret the Gospels, achieving a rich and coherent presentation of Christian theology from creation to the afterlife.
Viriditas — greenness, a unifying capacity of nature — lies at the core of Hildegard’s natural science, medicine, cosmology, and theology. Her belief in the interconnectedness of all living beings influences the international movements for integrative medicine and environmental protection.
Dr. Beverly Mayne Kienzle
Rev. Dr. Shanon Sterringer — Hildegard Haus
Rev. Dr. Shanon Sterringer is a theologian and ordained priest (ARCWP) with over two decades of pastoral experience and a strong commitment to holistic health and spirituality. The Hildegard Haus in Fairport Harbor, Ohio is the home of The Community of St. Hildegard — an inclusive Christian community where all are welcome to fully participate in the sacramental celebrations.
Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox
Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox is a theologian, author, and recipient of the Abbey Courage of Conscience Peace Award — whose other recipients include the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Ernesto Cardenal, and Rosa Parks. His extensive body of work on Hildegard includes Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen, Hildegard’s Book of Divine Works with Letters and Songs, and Hildegard of Bingen, a Saint for Our Times: Unleashing Her Power in the 21st Century. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, the BBC, and many other publications and broadcasts worldwide.
Michael M. Conti — Pilgrim-Filmmaker
Michael M. Conti is the filmmaker-pilgrim behind the Unruly Mystic documentary series and the annual Saint Hildegard Way pilgrimage. His film The Unruly Mystic: Saint Hildegard explores why Hildegard is considered the patron saint of creativity and documents her continuing impact on theology, medicine, art, and music. He is the founder of Crazy Wisdom Films and divides his time between Boulder, Colorado and Cologne, Germany.
Historical Context — Virtual Pilgrimage 2020
In September 2020, over one hundred virtual pilgrims joined us online for the first Saint Hildegard virtual pilgrimage — a 12-day program beginning on September 6 and concluding on Hildegard’s Feast Day, September 17. Each day featured contemplative spiritual direction, videos filmed along the Hildegardweg, and short academic and theological talks on themes in Hildegard’s life. The program concluded with a special presentation by Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox.
The Hildegard of Bingen Pilgrimage Book (2022), edited by Dr. Annette Esser, grew out of this program — offering short descriptions of each of the ten stages of the trail alongside Hildegard’s theological, musical, medical, and botanical works, with biblical texts and meditative poems for reflection.
Virtual Pilgrimage Presenters
The following scholars, theologians, musicians, herbalists, and artists presented during our virtual Hildegard pilgrimage programs, first offered in September 2020. Each brings a unique and personal connection to the life and legacy of Saint Hildegard von Bingen.
Karen Cassidy — Hildegard House
Karen Cassidy is the executive director and founder of Hildegard House, Kentucky’s first and only comfort care home. The house provides shelter and compassionate end-of-life care for individuals who have no home or loved ones to care for them, so that they may die with dignity.
Rev. Mary Reaman — Tree of Life Community
Following the call of her longing, Mary has moved through uncharted territories as entrepreneur, pastor, teacher, preacher, and podcaster. After leaving traditional religion, she founded a spiritual community for seekers in 2006 called Tree of Life Community. A Reiki practitioner and host of the podcast Watering Whole with Mary, her spiritual journey is immersed in Earth spirituality expressed through Art as Meditation, poetry, and painting. She offers classes in Sacred Embodiment, Creation Spirituality, and Art as Meditation.
Carl Johann Schroeder — Mystic and Writer
Carl Johann Schroeder is a lifelong mystic whose path led him to work with Hildegard of Bingen on a spiritual teaching system. A graduate of MIT in artificial intelligence, a transformative experience in meditation led him to write ceaselessly about God and spirituality. In November 1997 he encountered Hildegard, who guided him to found a spiritual arts community at the Swedenborg Chapel in Cambridge, MA. From 2001 to 2013, Carl ran the Mystical Art and Talent Show — a gathering space for artists to share their most spiritual work and the stories behind it.
Brigette Mars — Herbalist and Author
Brigette Mars teaches Herbal Medicine at Naropa University and the School of Health Mastery in Iceland, and has taught at Omega Institute, Esalen, Kripalu, and the Mayo Clinic. A founding member of the American Herbalist Guild, she is the author of numerous books including The Natural First Aid Handbook, The Country Almanac of Home Remedies, The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine, and Beauty by Nature. She is also a psychedelic sitter and end-of-life doula.
Kathi Keville — Herbalist and Author
Kathi Keville is the director of the American Herb Association and author of 15 books on herbs, gardening, and aromatherapy. A founding member of the American Herbalist Guild, she leads spiritual-botanical journeys in Europe and maintains a herb garden of 500 species at her Green Medicine Herb School in California’s Sierra Nevada. She sings in a medieval choral group and has a specific interest in botanical and art history. Her fascination with Hildegard as a mystic and herbalist has inspired her own meditations with plants to explore the energetics of healing herbs on mind, body, and spirit.
Grace McLean — Actress, Singer, Writer
Grace McLean is a Broadway Women’s Fund 2021 Woman to Watch on Broadway and a Writer in Residence at Lincoln Center Theater, where her first original musical In the Green — inspired by the life of Hildegard von Bingen — was commissioned, produced, received a 2020 Richard Rodgers Award, and earned her a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical. Called “electrifying” by the Huffington Post and “phenomenal” by the New York Times, she also performs on Broadway and with her band Grace McLean & Them Apples.
Rev. Dr. Carol Vaccariello — Creation Spirituality
Rev. Dr. Carol Vaccariello holds ordination credentials in Disciples of Christ, United Church of Christ, Creation Spirituality, and Independent Catholic. Grounded in Creation Spirituality, she works with Native American traditions and Earth-based ritual through Heart Space Spiritual Community. She is the author of The Lion of God: Archangel Ari’El (2016), leads circle dancing and heart chants, and serves on the Prayer Team at Mount Saint Benedict’s Monastery in Erie, PA.
Sara Salvadori — Author and Musician
Italian-based Sara Salvadori encountered Hildegard von Bingen in 2011 and has focused her research on her ever since. A musician with a long interest in the role music plays in healing and education, her 2019 book Hildegard von Bingen: A Journey into the Images presents Hildegard’s prophetic text in all its inspired visual beauty.
Susan Lincoln — Singer and Founder of Hilde Girls
Susan Lincoln is a classically trained musician and former opera singer whose passions have led her into the healing arts. She is the founder of Hilde Girls — song circles for women using Hildegard’s wisdom and music to strengthen and enrich their lives — active for over 20 years throughout the US and Europe. A featured singer at the Abbey of St. Hildegard’s 100th Anniversary celebration in Eibingen, her recording of Karitas was selected for inclusion on Eckhart Tolle’s Music for Inner Stillness CD. Her relationship with Hildegard began in 1981 and she has been singing and teaching her music ever since.
Lauren Cole — PhD Researcher, Northwestern University
Lauren Cole is a longtime student of Hildegard with a particular interest in the relationship between her medicine and theology. Having studied Hildegard for six years in the UK, Lauren is a PhD student at Northwestern University working with Hildegard scholar Professor Barbara Newman. She speaks internationally on Hildegard and has forthcoming publications on her medicine. Lauren brings Hildegard to new audiences on TikTok, where she founded the hashtag #HildegardTok.
Thomas Edward Morgan — Conductor, Ars Nova Singers
Thomas Edward Morgan has led the evolution of Ars Nova Singers from a local choral treasure to a nationally acclaimed professional choir. Under his leadership the ensemble has pursued daring repertoire, innovative collaborations, and numerous commissioning projects with national and international touring. Morgan served as Music Director of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Boulder for more than 30 years and received the Dairy Center Honors Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts in 2016 and the University of Colorado–Boulder Distinguished Alumnus award in 2019.
Chris Piorkowski — Composer and Educator
Chris Piorkowski is an award-winning composer, artist, and educator holding an MFA in Music Composition for Film and Multimedia from Vermont College of Fine Arts. He has performed for Pope John Paul II, scored over 40 feature and short films, and composed music appearing on Showtime and PBS. He composed music for Michael Conti’s The Unruly Mystic Series and worked at the legendary Sound City Studios in Los Angeles.
Joyce Ray — Author, Feathers & Trumpets
Joyce Ray is the author of the award-winning YA historical novel Feathers & Trumpets: A Story of Hildegard of Bingen, which imagines the life of the 12th-century mystic and abbess. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and received an artist’s grant in poetry from the Vermont Studio Center in 2008. When Hildegard was canonized in 2012, Joyce became a hagiographer — an author of the lives of saints.
David M. Dupuis — Author
David M. Dupuis has published numerous local and historical non-fiction books. His fascination with world history, papal history, and prophecy culminates in The Seven Keys of Hildegard: Of Mercy & Of Death — a genre series spanning two world wars, from the Vatican in Rome to New York City and small-town Canada, in which two knowing popes and an unsuspecting archbishop become entangled in Hildegard’s ancient web of prophecies.
Sarah Riehm — Writer and Musician
Sarah Riehm is a lifelong creative artist — working musician, playwright, journalist, and author. She holds an MBA and an MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen. Her plays have been produced across the South, at the Soho Theater in New York, and the Kennedy Center. She writes daily at LivingHildegard.com — a free blog on Hildegard’s teachings that represents 4–6 hours of daily research and writing. She also works as a church music director and soloist on piano, organ, and harp.
Mary Sharratt — Historical Novelist
American writer Mary Sharratt is on a mission to write women back into history. Her award-winning novel Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen explores the life of the 12th-century Benedictine abbess and polymath — winner of the 2013 Nautilus Gold Award. Her other novels include Revelations (Margery Kempe), Ecstasy (Alma Mahler — praised by NPR as “historical fiction at its best”), and Daughters of the Witching Hill. Her articles and essays have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Publisher’s Weekly, and Lit Hub. She now lives in Portugal.
Rev. Susan Woodward Springer — St. John’s Episcopal Church
Rev. Susan Springer is the retired rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in downtown Boulder, Colorado — a progressive and historic parish deeply engaged in social justice and contemplative practice. A theologian-writer, she has written an essay to her congregation every week for nine years. She lived off the road system in Alaska for nearly twenty years before following a call to ordained ministry. More at susanwspringer.com.
