Catholic Healthcare Education Center:

Early Life & Vocation

Hildegard was born in 1098 in what is now Germany. From a young age she experienced visions, and by age 8 was committed to a religious life, living in a monastic setting. As she grew, she became a Benedictine nun and eventually abbess of her own convent at Rupertsberg. Her role as abbess meant she oversaw not only prayer, but the physical upkeep of the community, the sick, the gardens, the sick rooms, etc.—so her responsibility was holistic from the start.

Writings & Contributions

The domains of spiritual and bodily regimens were interconnected for Hildegard. They were acknowledged to impact each other. Her notion of living a good life was based on the concept that wellness was the natural result of the choices and actions people make every day. Hildegard’s subconscious virtues reflect a wellness lived through the pursuit of a virtuous life that is constantly seeking balance and moderation.  This belief reconciles with homeostasis, which our bodies seek in an ideal state. Our individual temperament influences our physical and emotional balance. Therefore we need vigilance and discipline to navigate through the duality of virtues and vices. Hildegard proposed 35 subconscious virtues influencing the mind and spirit’s ability to understand and solve problems. Our ability to effectively manage stress, resolve conflicts, dispel anxiety, and overcome worry is essential to overcome vices and embrace virtues in everyday living. These subconscious virtues may serve as attainable targets in setting healthy goals. By definition, self-awareness and discipline are necessary to bring these dualities into conscious contemplation. 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1804 states that virtues are “firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith.” They are not inert qualities that we possess, but are acquired through free practice of the good and perseverance purified and elevated by divine grace, forging character and facilitating ongoing goodness. Admitting flaws doesn’t negate love, it shows the strength of love. 

Her best‑known work in theology  is Scivias (“Know the Ways”), in which she describes her visions and explores God, creation, and sin. In Physica and Causae et Curae, she writes about plants, animals, minerals, the elements, anatomy, and causes of illness. Hildegard didn’t separate physical illness from spiritual or environmental causes. She composed hymns and chants (among them Ordo Virtutum), believing that music was a path to prayer and healing for both individuals and the community.

Integration of Body, Mind, Spirit

“One’s good health is the product of the right ordering of the relationship of the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions of the self into an integrated whole.” Bruce W. Hozeski, Ph.D., author and Founder of the International Society of Hildegard von Bingen Studies. Hildegard’s worldview did not compartmentalize. For her, bodily health, mental clarity, spiritual openness, and harmony with creation all fed into one another. The natural world was not an optional add‑on; it was foundational. The ways plants nurtured bodies also nurtured souls; the rhythms of prayer, song, silence shaped inner life; the community and liturgy sustained both mind and heart.

Why Her Wisdom Matters Today

We must be prudent with our health in the sense that almost all of us have obligations to others. The virtue of temperance helps us keep all things—even unhealthy things—in their proper place. Above all, we should give thanks to God, our loving Father, who “gives us all things richly to enjoy.” Living joyfully, authentically and happily in the world and taking care of ourselves allows us to have the energy and capacity to serve others.

• In an age of burnout, anxiety, and disconnectedness from nature, Hildegard’s model invites us to re‑claim a holistic path—one in which our faith, our eating, our rest, our relationship with creation, and our spiritual discipline all matter.
• When modern medicine often treats disease in isolation, Hildegard reminds us that healing is often multifaceted: spiritual, emotional, social, ecological.
• Her life challenges us to listen deeply—to our bodies, to God, to creation.
• The Eucharist feeds our entire person, in spirit, mind, and body. There is no better example of the wellness we are called to than in literally receiving God into our body to bring us back into eternal relationship with the Father!

1. How have you been encouraged to practice both spiritual and bodily control in your daily life?
2. When was the last time you felt your body, mind, and spirit all in harmony? What contributed to that?

Is there something in your life (diet, rest, prayer, work, nature) that feels out‑of‑balance, and how might Hildegard’s integrated approach help you see or shift it?

Writen by:

Crystal Hayes, MS, RD