Rooted in the Land of St. Hildegard

Where the inspiration for our space originated!

“Hear this! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep.  And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain. And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” These are the words of the Gospel according to Mark (4: 1-9)

The photo below is from the ruins of the women’s cell at the Disibodenberg in Germany where Hildegard spent the first half of her life. This was a place of rich soil where the seeds God had planted in her germinated, rooted, and began to grow bearing rich and abundant fruit. Almost 850 years later, we are still enjoying the fruit of her St. Hildegard’s work.

It is from the fruits St. Hildegard produced centuries ago that the seeds of the Hildegard Haus have grown. Our space sprouted in May 2015 as our founding pastor, Rev. Dr. Shanon Sterringer, stood in the hallway pictured below. This is the walkway between the guestrooms and chapel at St. Hildegard of Bingen’s Abbey in Eibingen, Germany.

While working on a PhD in Ethical and Creative Leadership focused on the leadership example of a 12th century Benedictine Saint and Doctor of the Church, Hildegard of Bingen, Rev. Shanon spent a week as a guest in the Benedictine Abbey of St. Hildegard. As she stood in this hallway overlooking the gardens, she shared that she had an overwhelming feeling of the need to bring a bit of the experience of being in the Land of St. Hildegard home to Fairport Harbor, Ohio.  Within a few months, the Hildegard Haus began to unfold.

Throughout this tour, there are a number of references to connections between what is developing here in Fairport Harbor within our shrine and the German roots from which this all grew. As this space has developed, first as The Hildegarden, a retreat center focused in the charism of St. Hildegard and later as the Hildegard Haus, a shrine and church, our connection to the Land of St. Hildegard has become more evident.

What is growing here in Fairport Harbor is a small taste of the Land of St. Hildegard in Germany.  It is an honor and a vocation of ours to be able to connect our work of bringing  Hildegard’s charism to this part of the world back to its source.

Click play to listen to audio description:

The photo below is of St. Hildegard of Bingen from Abbey Gardens in Eibingen, Germany.