Adrienne von Speyr

Adrienne von Speyr (1902-1967) was a contemporary Swiss convert, mystic, wife, medical doctor, and author of over sixty books on spirituality and theology. She entered the Church under the direction of the great theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar. Raised in a Protestant family, she began having mystical experiences at young age and always displayed a unique sensitivity to spiritual matters. Intent upon becoming a doctor, she struggled with serious physical ailments and the harsh criticisms of her mother. Married and then widowed in her thirties, she met Fr. von Balthasar in 1940. Months later she entered the Catholic Church. Soon after her conversion Adrienne began to dictate works to Balthasar, including her interpretations of several books of Scripture (the Johannine writings, some of Paul, the Catholic Epistles, the Apocalypse, and parts of the Old Testament). By 1954 she was so ill that she had to discontinue her successful medical practice. From her mid-fifties on, she was so ill that physicians wondered how she could remain alive. In 1964 she went blind; her last months were filled with "continuous, merciless torture," said Balthsar, "which she bore with great equanimity, always concerned about the others and constantly apologetic about causing me so much trouble." She died on September 17, 1967, the feast of St. Hildegard, also a mystic and a physician. A longer bio, including links to her books and excerpts from her writings, is available on her IgnatiusInsigtht.com author page.