Hildegard of Bingen - New Saint and Doctor of the Catholic Church

In December, 2012, Benedictine abbess, mystical theologian, naturalist, and musician Hildegard of Bingen (1098 - 1179) will be proclaimed a saint and Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI.

The following is an excerpt about Hildegard taken from the book, Journey to the Heart: Christian Contemplation through the Centuries, by Kim Nataraja, Editor, Orbis Press, NY 2011, p.163:

Hildegard's monastery was in need of more space and farmland.  The Abbot, with whom they shared monastic space, would not yield any of the men's space.

"Can you imagine the endless meetings, the pleadings, the arguments, the counter-arguments and the endless frustrations of not being heard?

Eventually we just packed our things and left, taking our dowries with us, without waiting for the men's permission."

At present, the other woman proclaimed Doctor of the Church are Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, and Therese of Lisieux.