Stacey Cabaj

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Women’s Voices: Mystics of the Middle Ages

Written by Stacey Cabaj, Faculty Fellow of Mission & Identity

As part of the Hannon Library's annual Women's Voices series and in relation to the spring 2022 exhibition, "Beneath the Banner of the Cross," we recently held an evening of dramatic readings of texts by female mystics of the Middle Ages. Dr. Anna Harrison’s (Theological Studies) selected Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, and Teresa of Avila as the voices to amplify in this year’s program. In Dr. Harrison’s opening remarks, she noted that:

From about the twelfth through the sixteenth century, western European women contributed to shaping both Catholic intellectual history and the pious practices that came to characterize this period of Catholic religiosity, with its focus on the humanity of Christ, its fierce eucharistic devotion, and its bold assertions about the role of the body in relating to God. Women did so in spite of efforts to curtail their education, public address, and writing.      

During our short rehearsal process, the student performers and I were stunned by how little we knew about these extraordinary women’s bodies of work and their lives. Here are a few things that surprised us:

Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a German polymath (or what our Gen Z students call a ‘multihyphenate.’) As an abbess-composer-mystic-playwright-pharmacist-philosopher-writer… Hildegard contained multitudes! Jenn Robbins, the actress who played Hildegard in our event, was particularly inspired by Hildegard’s description of the Holy Spirit:

I am the supreme fiery force, igniting every spark of life. My breath knows nothing of death. I see you as you are, and I judge you. I fly through the most distant galaxies of space on golden fields; I sparkle on the water; and I shine like the sun, the moon and all the stars. Together with the loving hidden power of the wind I make everything come alive. Remember that I’m also reason. I inform the wind of the first word that created all things. I’m your branch; I’m the breath of all things. And none die, because I am that life.

Wow! So, we paused to consider: what vision of the Holy Spirit resonates with me?

While little is known of the life of Julian of Norwich (1342-c. 1416), it’s likely that she was an English anchoress who survived The Black Death in the company of her cat and had some powerful visions (aka showings) in a near-death experience. Victoria Martinez, the actress reading Dame Julian’s words, and I were passingly familiar Julian through her famous phrase: “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” We had so much more to appreciate about her through Mirabai Starr’s excellent new translation of The Showings and Matthew Fox’s Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic-And Beyond. We were curious: what spiritual wisdom has buoyed you through the pandemic?

In her short life, Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) also survived a pandemic, petitioned for peace and reform, wrote hundreds of letters and theological treatises, and more. Khaleana Stell, (the graduate student who played St. Catherine) and I loved Catherine’s advice to “be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire” and “proclaim the truth and do not be silent through fear.” This invited us to reflect: Who am I meant to be? When am I silent?

We deeply valued our time learning from and listening to these visionary women. We are grateful to the Hannon Library, Rhonda Rosen, Carole Raby, and Dr. Anna Harrison for amplifying these extraordinary Women’s Voices!

What’s Up Next?

I also hope you’ll join us for a lively Zoom discussion on the interrelationship of Trauma-Effective and Ignatian Pedagogies. I’ve invited the very wise Dr. Michelle Hayford (University of Dayton), Prof. Addie Barnhart (Creighton University), and Dr. Joyce Green (LMU) to speak with us on April 8, 2022 from 12:00-1:15 pm (Pacific).