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Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Abbess and Doctor of the Church
Saint Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

optional memorial Ordinary Time
Mass Readings → Liturgy of the Hours →

Selected Mass Reading

First Reading — 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Now I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received and wherein you stand. By which also you are saved, if you hold fast after what manner I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all, which I also received: how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures: And that he was buried: and that he rose again according to the scriptures: And that he was seen by Cephas, and after that by the eleven. Then was he seen by more than five hundred brethren at once: of whom many remain until this present, and some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen by James: then by all the apostles. And last of all, he was seen also by me, as by one born out of due tine. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace in me hath not been void: but I have laboured more abundantly than all they. Yet not I, but the grace of God with me: For whether I or they, so we preach: and so you have believed.

Saints Memorialized Today

Hildegard of Bingen
Hildegard of Bingen Abbess, Benedictine nun, Mystic, Theologian, Composer, Writer, Philosopher, Physician, Naturalist, Polymath 1098–1179

Hildegard of Bingen was born around 1098 in the Rhineland of Germany, into a noble family, and was sickly from childhood. From her earliest years she received vivid visions, which she understood as a gift of God’s “living light.” As a young girl she was entrusted to the Benedictine community at Disibodenberg, where she grew in prayer, learning, music, and service to the sick. After the death of her mentor Jutta, the sisters elected Hildegard magistra in 1136. Guided by her visions and a desire for greater freedom for her community, she founded a new monastery at Rupertsberg in 1150, and later a second at Eibingen in 1165. Hildegard became renowned as an abbess and teacher, composing sacred chant and writing works of theology, medicine, and the natural world, including her visionary Scivias and the liturgical drama Ordo Virtutum. Honored for her holiness and wisdom, she is venerated throughout the Church and was later named a Doctor of the Church. Her feast day is September 17.

 Robert Bellarmine
Robert Bellarmine Jesuit priest, Cardinal, Archbishop of Capua, Theologian, Doctor of the Church, Writer, University teacher 1542–1621

Saint Robert Bellarmine was born on October 4, 1542, in Montepulciano, Italy, to a noble but poor family. Gifted in learning from an early age, he entered the Jesuits in Rome in 1560 and pursued rigorous studies that led him to become a renowned teacher, preacher, and defender of the Catholic faith during the Counter-Reformation. After years of study and teaching in Padua and Leuven, he returned to Rome to lecture at the Roman College, where his clear and systematic theology helped form generations of clergy in the spirit of the Council of Trent. Named a cardinal in 1599, he later served as Archbishop of Capua, faithfully implementing Tridentine reforms and urging bishops to shepherd their people with presence and care. He is also remembered for his involvement in major controversies of his age, including the cases of Giordano Bruno and Galileo, where he sought to uphold both Church authority and careful reasoning. Canonized in 1930 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church, he is a patron of institutions bearing his name, including Bellarmine College Preparatory. His feast day is May 13.