St. Dymphna

commemoration

May 15

Dymphna was born in the 8th century in Ireland to a pagan king whose wife became a Christian. She was murdered by her own father.

Attend Mass

The feast of St. Dymphna has been removed from the modern calendar.

If you would like to attend a traditional Mass for the feast, find a Traditional Latin Mass near you (click here to explore).

Read the legend of St. Dymphna

Legend says that Geel’s system of foster family care for the mentally ill was motivated by events that occurred in the 6th – 7th century, A.D. There are variations on the details of that legend as well as evidence negating the legend itself. Regardless of the veracity of Dymphna’s story, Geel’s foster family system of care for the mentally ill is a fact and it is forever linked to a legend that goes something like this…

The Celtic king Damon was married to Odilla, a beautiful Christian woman When their daughter, Dymphna, was born, the mother arranged for the child to be raised by a priest, Gereberne, and Damon had little to do with her. Then, when Dymphna was in her teens Odilla died. King Damon was overcome with grief and insisted that his aids find for him another wife as beautiful as Odilla. After an unsuccessful search, they reminded Damon that he did, in fact, have a beautiful daughter who might be a good replacement for her mother. Damon liked the idea, but Dymphna and the priest would not accept his incestuous offer and they fled across the North Sea into Belgium. There they hid in the forests outside of Geel, taking refuge in St. Maarten’s chapel. But, Damon did not give up easily and within months he and his soldiers found Dymphna and the priest. Once again, Damon demanded that Dymphna marry him—or die. However, even faced with a choice of incest or death, the young woman did not submit to her father’s madness and, near the chapel, Dymphna allowed herself to be beheaded.

Over the years, the site of her martyrdom, came to be associated with miraculous cures and, in 1247, based on a history of reported miracles and the legend of Dymphna’s determination not to yield to her father’s madness, she was canonized as the patron saint of the mentally ill. With her sainthood assuring a continued influx of pilgrims seeking religious treatment, in 1286, a guest house hospital was built near the site of the chapel to accommodate the pilgrims. As pilgrims continued to arrive in Geel, a new church building was begun in 1349. Though the church suffered fire and storm over the years, the present Church of St. Dymphna was completed in 1749 and still stands today. A sickroom was first added to the church in 1480. But, there were still more pilgrims than could be accommodated. And so, in about the 15th century, a practical solution was found.when the church canons instructed local villagers to house overflow pilgrims. Many pilgrims, even after their treatment, stayed on as long-term boarders in Geel, and a new legend was born. The legend of St. Dymphna grew from an oral history. Whatever “facts” might be associated with the start of that legend seem to be inconsequential in the face of a new documented legend: Geel’s legendary, centuries old system of foster family care for the mentally ill.

(Reprinted from https://faculty.samford.edu/~jlgoldst/dymphnalegend.html)

Read about the world’s oldest community psychiatric service

Read this scientific article about “Lessons to be learned from the oldest community psychiatric service in the world: Geel in Belgium”. St. Dymphna played a major part in it’s founding and the formation of it’s philosophy of care!

Pray the litany of St. Dymphna

There are five litanies approved for public worship: the Sacred Heart, the Precious Blood, the Saints, the Blessed Virgin, and St. Joseph. Others may be used in private devotion.

Lord have mercy on us.
Christ have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy on us.
Christ hear us.
Christ graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the World, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God, pray for us.
Health of the sick, pray for us.
Comforter of the afflicted, pray for us.
Our Lady, Help of Christians, pray for us.

St. Dymphna, virgin and Martyr, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, daughter of royal parents, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, child of great beauty of soul and body, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, docile to the lessons of thy pious mother, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, obedient to thy saintly confessor, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, who abandoned the court of thy father to escape the danger of impurity, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, who chose a life of poverty on earth so that thou might lay up treasures in Heaven, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, who sought consolation at Holy Mass, Communion and prayer, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, ardent lover of the Divine Bridegroom, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, devoted to the Mother of God, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, beheaded by thine own father, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, Martyr of holy purity, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, brilliant example of Christian youth, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, renowned for many miracles, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, glory of Ireland and Belgium, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, full of compassion for those in need, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, protectress against all nervous and mental disorders, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, consoler of the afflicted, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, friend of the helpless, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, comforter of the despondent, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, light of those in mental darkness, pray for us.
St. Dymphna, patroness of those who suffer with nervous and mental diseases, pray for us.

That we may love the lord our God with all our hearts and above all things, pray for us.
That we may hate sin and avoid all occasion of sin, pray for us.
That we may carefully preserve the virtue of purity to our state, pray for us.
That we may receive the Sacraments frequently, pray for us.
That we may obtain the spirit of prayer, pray for us.
That we may be humble and obedient, resigning ourselves to God’s Holy Will, pray for us.
That we may learn to have confidence in God during our afflictions, pray for us.
That we may obtain the grace of final perseverance, pray for us.
In moments of temptation, pray for us.
In times of sickness, disease, war, and persecution, pray for us.
In our last illness, pray for us.
And at the hour of our death, pray for us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us O Lord
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Pray for us Saint Dymphna, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us Pray.

O God, since Thou didst give St. Dymphna to Thy Church as a model of all virtues, especially holy purity, and willed that she shouldst seal her faith with her innocent blood and perform numerous miracles, grant that we who honor her as patroness of those afflicted with nervous and mental illness, may continue to enjoy her powerful intercession and protection and attain eternal life. Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Pray the novena to St. Dymphna

Say once a day for 9 days, especially beginning on 6 May and ending on 14 May, the eve of the Feast of St. Dymphna.

Day 1: For Faith

O God, Source of our salvation, in the midst of a pagan people, Thou didst enlighten St. Dymphna by the light of the true faith, which she professed under the guidance of her holy confessor, Gerebran, with such constance that she suffered martyrdom. Through the intercession of these two saints, we beg Thee to strengthen the faith which Thou hast given us, so that by wisely subjecting our souls to Thy Supreme Authority, and by faithfully conforming our lives according to our faith, we may honor Thee with our whole heart and soul until the hour of our death. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.