O Pastor Animarum

O Pastor Animarum is a votive antiphon to Christ, the Redeemer by the German mystic Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179). It begins: "O Pastor animarum et O prima vox per quam omnes create sumus (O Shepherd of our souls, O primal voice, whose call created all of us)". Complete Latin text, English translation, musical score, and commentary can be found here (opens in new window). Approved by her contemporaries: St. Bernard of Clairvaux and Pope Eugene III, in 2012 Benedict XVI declared Hildegard a Doctor of the Universal Church, citing this 12th century Benedictine abbess as "an authentic teacher of theology and a profound scholar of natural science and music."