Gregg Koskela

Praise for Finding Hildegard

"I found Finding Hildegard to be engaging, informative, and inspiring. It's a beautifully written memoir that would appeal to everyone from the faith skeptic to the devoutly faithful. Koskela masterfully weaves his story of finding his own life uprooted with that of a medieval female saint and the result is an insightful, vulnerable, and honest look at spirituality and God. Most of us have felt disillusionment with the church and will find Koskela's honesty refreshing and inspiring as it leads us to dig deeper into our own faith and relationship with God." — NYT Bestselling author Melanie Shankle ("Sparkly Green Earrings," "Nobody's Cuter Than You," and "The Antelope in the Living Room")

"Former Quaker pastor Koskela meditates on spiritual lessons from 12th-century saint Hildegard of Bingen in this eloquent debut. When the community Koskela pastored split, he ended 27 years of ministry and turned to studying Hildegard to cope with his feelings of failure and uncertainty. He explores her life and visions in thematic chapters, weaving together snippets from her writings, an account of his pilgrimage to Germany, and his own roiling emotions. He argues that the need for community challenges modern individualistic faith, works through Hildegard’s medieval fixation on human depravity and sin to understand limits and humility, and wraps up with chapters on openness and obedience that highlight the potential of these sidelined virtues. Koskela shares vulnerable moments, including his seeking to speak in tongues, and surprising revelations, such as finding value in participating in foreign language liturgy at Hildegard’s abbey. This soul-searching account provides both a taste of Hildegard’s philosophy and a moving story of finding value and comfort in a largely overlooked Christian thinker." — Publisher's Weekly

"Gregg Koskela writes with such tender loving kindness. Trauma and agony bubble up throughout the book and are revealed delicately, yet the reader cannot escape the pain and devastation involved. Gregg’s desire to dig deep into his own motives, ego, and privilege are inspiring in a world seemingly ruled by corruption and deception.”

"Gregg Koskela bridges the gap between a medieval mystic and the modern reader making the prayerful, poetic passion of Hildegard accessible and relevant."

"As someone who has felt disillusionment with the church, I identified with his struggles and found his candor refreshing. His deeply personal revelations and willingness to be vulnerable make me reflect upon my own experiences in the church and life.”

"Gregg has an unusually clear understanding of and ability to share Hildegard’s insights. As I delved into his book, I was moved as he openly shared how Hildegard’s spiritual truths resulted in his ongoing personal healing. Gregg has written with a clarity that allows the reader to understand and act on Hildegard’s teachings.”

"This well-written, perceptive memoir not only opened me anew to the relevance of history, but also to the universal truth of the Jesus story and the cross we all bear if we seek to love. I highly recommend this book.”

"Finding Hildegard digs deep and turns “medieval wisdom” into timeless truth."