Saint Dymphna, patron saint of mental illness, nervous diseases, incest victims, runaways, sleepwalkers, therapists
Feast Day May 15

America is troubled. Our innocence has been shattered. The attack by terrorists on the World Trade Center has driven citizens to hoard prozac, and its pharmacological cousins, along with Cipro and antibiotics. Many have turned to God. But for those seasoned in trials and tribuations nothing works quite as effectively as prayers to Saint Dymphna, the patron saint of mental illness and nervous diseases.

The Story
Dymphna was the daughter of an Irish king, a pagan. Against her father's wishes, and unbeknownst to him, Dymphna became a Christian and was baptized.

After the death of Dymphna's mother, the king, Dymphna's father, planned to marry her. Hip to his plans Dymphna fled to Antwerp with her priest, Gerebernus. The king found the pair, and pleaded once more with Dymphna to marry him. When she refused he drew his sword and struck off her head, while his servants likewise murdered the priest.

Barbara Walker, in "The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets," claims the legend of Saint Dymphna was inspired by a bit of grafitti on an unearthed brick found near Antwerp in the 13th century. "The words on the brick were ma dompna. "Ma Dompna" is a variation of "Ma Donna," translated as "my lady," the traditional title given by a romantic poet, often driven to distress by love, to his lady.

A large asylum near her "place of burial" was dedicated to her. Hence she became the patron saint of mental disturbances.

This story is supported by "The Catholic Encyclopedia,"

The author expressly states that he has drawn his biography from oral tradition... This narrative is without any historical foundation, being merely a variation of the story of the king who wanted to marry his own daughter, a motif which appears frequently in popular legends. Hence we can conclude nothing from it as to the history of St. Dymphna and the time in which she lived. That she is identical with St. Damhnat of Ireland cannot be proved. There are at Gheel fragments of two simple ancient sarcophagi in which tradition says the bodies of Dymphna and Gerebernus were found. There is also a quadrangular brick, said to have been found in one of the sarcophagi, bearing two lines of letters read as DYMPNA. The discovery of this sarcophagus with the corpse and the brick was perhaps the origin of the veneration."

The Catholic Encyclopedia

As with the story of many saints, Catholic embellishments thinly conceal deep pagan roots. The courtly love movement, the source of modern romance, was inspired by heresies of goddess worship, and love poetry originating in Persia.

Prayer to Saint Dymphna In Nervous or Emotional Distress
I turn to you, dear virgin and martyr, confident of your power with God and of your willingness to take my cause into your hands. I praise and bless the Lord for giving you to us as patron of the nervous and emotionally disturbed. I firmly hope that through your kind intercession He will restore my lost serenity and peace of mind. May He speak to my heart and reassure me: "My peace I give you. Let not your heart be troubled nor let it be afraid." Pray for me, dear St. Dymphna, that my nervous and emotional turmoil may cease, and that I may again know serenity and personal peace. Amen.

Many thanks to Roscoe Johnson, of Johnson Tattoos for the images of the prayer cards of Saint Dymphna.

NOTES

"The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets," by Barbara G. Walker, Castle Books 1996. From "Sain Dymphna," p. 258-259, and "Romance," p. 859-864.