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The Order of Hildegard began to take shape following shared painful experiences in religious communities and the resulting awareness of the loss so many carry. Those who came together brought vast experience in spiritual communities with some common themes of disillusionment. We combined passion with gifts for rebuilding a vision absent of unchecked oppressive ideologies.

Our founder:

Our founder, Frances, is a former UMC pastor who also served in the United Kingdom. Frances, our "Wilderness Abbess," grew up in the wilds of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains, studied Celtic Spirituality, Reiki, Meditation, Yoga, Leadership, Social Work, Martial Arts, Trauma, Civil Rights, Mysticism, Feminism, Queer Spirituality and even Reconciliation with Archbishop Desmond Tutu at Emory University.  She later worked more extensively in crisis work and nonprofit leadership while facilitating Dr. Brené Brown's shame research for her Independent Facilitator Team.

All of these pieces provided elements for what was to be important for healthy spiritual community building - the kind that changes the landscape and roots out oppressive institutional frameworks. Then the teamwork began. Please see the bios of our team and wisdom council on the website. Updates to be made in Spring 2025. Our community is growing in diversity and already represents the life-giving intersections of courage and reconciliation.