St. Dymphna was the daughter of a Celtic chieftain, Damon, and his beautiful wife, a devoted Christian. Damon loved and admired his holy wife, who was popular and beloved amongst their people. She raised Dymphna as a Christian. In her spiritual development, Dymphna had a friend and confidant, an elderly priest named, Gerebran.

Tradition tells this story of Dymphna’s martyrdom: When she was fourteen, her mother died. Her father, Damon, fell into a state of mental illness brought on by grief from his wife’s passing. To help bring Damon out of his grief and illness, his advisers recommended he find another wife.

A search began to find another righteous, noble, and beautiful woman who would consent to marry Damon. Unfortunately no one could be found and Damon goaded by evil advisers to marry his daughter, Dymphna because she was as pure and beautiful as her mother. Horrified by the idea of this union, Dymphna vehemently refused and fought off her insanity-ridden father. With the assistance of her priest, Gerebran, Dymphna fled the castle and headed across the sea to Belgium. Damon found them in Gheel and had Gerebran beheaded.

The mad chieftain again attempted to persuade her to return with him to Ireland. Again Dymphna refused. In a fit of rage, Damon drew his sword and cut off Dymphna’s head. Dymphna was fifteen years old. Circa 620, Dymphna received the crown of martyrdom in defense of her purity and chastity.

In Gheel, Belgium, the spot where Dymphna and Gerebran were murdered has become a holy shrine. Fragments of two sarcophagi and a block bearing Dymphna’s name are at the shrine. Countless miracles have taken place at this shrine and as the result of invocations to St. Dymphna. A fire destroyed an old church of St. Dymphna in Gheel in 1489. A new church was consecrated in 1532 and still stands.

Dymphna is the patron saint of those suffering from mental and emotional illnesses, and sometimes referred to as the Patroness of Abuse and Incest Victims. Highly successful treatment centers for the emotionally disturbed and fraternities are named for St. Dymphna.

St. Dymphna’s Feast Day is May 15. Every year on her feast day and on the Tuesday after Pentecost, pilgrims visit her shrine in Gheel. In art, Dymphna is often depicted with a sword in her hand and a fettered devil at her feet. St. Dymphna is an encouragement to all who face and deal with emotional and mental illness, stress, tension, frustration, abuse and incest. As a victim of one possessed by insanity, Dymphna remained faithful to her beliefs, her purity, and her love for God and Jesus Christ.

Prayers to St. Dymphna are potent and have been proven to result in miracles, because she is a powerful intercessor for those who invoke her help and guidance.

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34 COMMENTS

  1. I have medals of St. Dymphna as two of my children have mental health issues. I need her interscession still today. Please help me pray for her help with my family. God bless you.

  2. St. Dymphna, please pray for me and my family. My heart is broken and some of my family including myself suffer from emotional problems. please intercede for us. Thank you

  3. Dear St. Dymphna,please pray for my brother who has suffered from mental illness for 20+ years. Intercede for him for cures of his mental problem and other related infirmities owing to the long-term medication and emotinal issues. Pray to God to restore and renew his life. And save us & protect him and our family from all evils and to live in good health, peace and security. Amen.

  4. St. Dymphna please assist to pray for my mother who is bedridden for speedy recovery and peace of mind for this stressful condition she is suffering now. Amen

  5. Dear St. Dymphna, thank you for what you have endured. Through your pain and suffering you held steadfast to God and trusted him. I am happy to have learned about your life and courage you had. Thank you St. Dymphna, praise you St. Dymphna. Please watch over my family.

  6. Dear St Dymphna, several of my family and friends are mentally ill and troubled in mind and spirit. Of your charity, pray for us.

  7. Dear St. Dymphna,

    please help me and intercede my prayers for my daughter. As she gets older it gets harder for me to understand her illness and to cope. I ask for you to intercede for my patience, understanding and gentleness with her and to help us both cope with the struggles that she has. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

  8. St. Dymphna, please pray for my father who is in a depression right now from abuse suffered as a child. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

  9. Please St. Dymphna, this petition of prayer is for my mother she suffers from fribromialgya. Also she is going to go in for surgery, Please I pray for her health.

  10. St. Dymphna I pray to you to intercede on my behalf, I am unemployed and suffering from depression at not having a job. Please help me to get through this tough time.

  11. St Dymphna I pray to you to help me from suffering with depression and worrying about everything.Please help me to overcome these problems.Amen

  12. Dear St. Dymohna,

    I humbly ask your intercession of healing from all anxiety, depression, tensions, all emotional and psychological abnormalities I am facing.
    Please heal my brother, my parents and all that are dear to me.
    Thank you and I believe you are hearing our prayers and helping us in this distress. AMEN

  13. dear st Dymphona,
    I humbly ask your intercession for me,plzhelp me to recover from my illness.
    Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering me . Amen

  14. i present to you St Dymphna my brother kwame amankwa who has suffered mental illness all his life . i pray for your powerful intercession for him for his healing. i commit myself and my entire family also to protect us from all emotional illnesses . amen

  15. St. Dympha, please intercede for me as I have suffered from depression, anxiety and at times anxiety attacks,and for all those who suffer for over 46 years.
    Fran

  16. My beloved daughter, raised in the church has fallen victim to both serious mental illness and a reprobate morality. I beg St. Dymphna to intercede on her behalf for the healing of her mind and to return her to that state of faith and innocence of spirit she exemplified for so many years. I pray for all those who are also begging assistance for their loved ones, that they be of courageous faith in the merits of our sister Dymphna and those of our Lord Jesus, the ultimate source of all healing.
    St Dymphna pray for us.
    Holy martyr Gerebran pray for us
    All angels and saints pray for us

  17. She is one of my patrons and has helped me with her prayers and assistance. St. Dymphna continue to pray for me. St. Dymphna pray for my nephew Alex, he needs them desperately.

  18. St Dymphna, you know what it is like to suffer immense abuse at the hands of you father, someone who is suppose to love you and care for you wellbeing. Like yourself, my mother is about to pass away, leaving me at the hands of an diabolical father who fools everyone into thinking he is in charge and highly capable, while inflicting abuse on me behind closed doors and expecting me to look after and pick up the pieces after him, because he knows I have no one to turn to and no where to go. Please intercede that people will no longer believe him but will see my father for the sick abusive man he is, that he will get help and I will approach things with intelligence and clarity and have the protection and support I need to survive and recover from all the emotional trauma and abuse he has inflicted on me.

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