St. Hildegard’s Episcopal Community · 2025
In 2025, St. Hildegard’s Community continued to live its call through prayer, study, justice, creativity, and shared leadership. Across distance and difference, we gathered again and again to listen for Spirit-Sophia and to practice faith that is embodied, relational, and alive.
Servant Leadership School
In 2025, the Servant Leadership School gathered seekers around Encountering the Living God, by Elizabeth Johnson, exploring theology that is embodied, relational, and alive. Through art, deep conversation, and shared reflection on Zoom and Mighty Networks, participants engaged God beyond old limits. This work formed leaders who listen for Spirit-Sophia in both study and daily life.
Sacred Ground
On Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, our community came together for a healing circle rooted in truth-telling and prayer. Two different groups of Hildegardians engaged in a 10-session exploration of Sacred Ground. We took a deep dive into the U.S. history alongside our own family stories, listening for where harm still echoes and where racial healing is possible. This holy work reflected our commitment to racial justice, courage, and beloved community.
Rivers of living water are to be poured over the whole world, to ensure that people like fishes caught in a net can be restored to wholeness.
Hildegard of Bingen, Vision 111 Part III of Liber Divinorum Operum,
The Book of Divine Works
Professed Members
On the Feast of St. Hildegard, seven members made solemn vows, publicly committing their lives to prayer, justice, and community. Their profession marked years of discernment, formation, and faithful presence. We give thanks for these vows, and the gifts of these new professed members, which strengthen the heart and witness of St. Hildegard’s Community.
Songbook – Song of Earth and Heaven
This year we shared Song of Earth and Heavenwith congregations, conferences, and individuals hungry for inclusive, creation-centered liturgy. The book gathers Eucharistic prayers, original music, and reflections shaped in community and sung into being over decades. It is available for purchase on our website and continues to carry our worship beyond our circle.
So sing! The song of rejoicing softens hard hearts. It makes tears of Godly sorrow flow from them. Singing summons the Holy Spirit. Happy praise offered in simplicity and love lead the faithful to complete harmony, without discord. Don’t stop singing.
Hildegard of Bingen, Book III Vision 13, titled The Symphony of the Blessed. Scivas
(Ways of Knowing)
Earth Circle
Our monthly Earth Circle met faithfully to grieve, hope, pray, and act for the healing of creation. Guided by practices of gratitude, lament, learning, and action, we remembered that loving the Earth is one of our vows. We also continued to follow “Salt,” our adopted whale, as a living reminder of interconnection and care.
“Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars. Gaze at the beauty of earth’s greenings. Now think. What delight God gives to humankind. We are to work with it. For without it we cannot survive.”
This quotation is a modern poetic paraphrase primarily popularized by the theologian Matthew Fox. It captures the essence of St. Hildegard of Bingen’s 12th-century teachings but does not appear word-for-word in her original Latin texts.
Art Circle
The Art Circle gathered weekly on Thursdays at noon Central, offering shared time for creativity and companionship. With cameras on and expectations low, participants painted, collaged, sketched, and simply showed up. This gentle practice honored creativity as prayer and faithfulness and community as gift.
Weekly Eucharist
Our weekly Eucharist remained the heart of our life together, shaped by themes of justice, creation, healing, and inclusive language. We gathered both locally in Austin and online, with members joining from California, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, New York, Texas, and England. Across distance and difference, we continued to be formed by shared prayer and song.
We are looking forward to 2026 when we will celebrate our 30th year of community life. Come join us. There’s plenty of room in the circle for you!