Saint Dymphna

A Very Popular Saint

May 15th is the feast of Saint Dymphna. Since we at the Monastery of Our Lady of the Cenacle are blessed to have and to venerate a first class relic of Saint Dymphna, we decided some years ago to have a novena in her honour. We even composed a hymn for the occasion. The novena turned into one of the favourite events we have yet hosted, and for quite a number of years visitors were commenting on it.

The Lily of Éire

Ireland has long been called the ISLE OF SAINTS. Among the holy sons and daughters of Ireland is the virgin Saint Dymphna, who, on account of her purity and blazing love for Christ, even unto martyrdom, is sometimes referred to as the “Lily of Éire.”

The records of her life and martyrdom are sparse, but Saint Dymphna’s countless miracles attest to the power of her glorious intercession in heaven. She is considered the patron Saint of those who suffer from mental illnesses, emotional maladjustment, nervous disorders, and epilepsy. She is also the patron saint of runaways, and those who have suffered domestic or sexual abuse.

A Christian Child

Born in the 7th century, when Ireland was almost universally Catholic, Dymphna was the child of a minor king, a pagan named Oriel and a devout Christian mother remarkable both for her piety and beauty. Dymphna was, like her mother, lovely in every way; tenderness and attention surrounded her from birth. Baptized by the saintly priest Gerebernus, little Dymphna learned her letters along with the truths of the faith. When still young, Dymphna, like so many other Irish girls filled with love for Christ, both before and after her, chose Him for her Divine Bridegroom, consecrating her virginity to Him and to His Blessed Mother by a vow of chastity.

Mother’s Death

The unexpected death of Dymphna’s mother plunged her into sorrow. Faith in Christ and in His promises of eternal life was Dymphna’s only comfort in the grief of her immense loss.

 Flight

Dymphna’s father, driven to a kind of madness by the death of his wife, sought to force Dymphna into an incestuous relationship with himself. Horrified at the suggestion, Dymphna fled Ireland in the company of the priest Gerebernus.

Belgium

With all speed, therefore, she set out for the continent, accompanied by the priest Gerebernus, the court jester and his wife. After a favorable passage, they arrived on the coast near the present city of Antwerp. Having stopped for a short rest, they resumed their journey and came to a little village named Gheel. Here they were hospitably received and began to make plans for establishing their future abode at this place.

Martyrdom of Saint Gerebernus, Priest

The king, having discovered Dymphna’s flight, set out in search of the fugitives. After some time, their place of refuge was located by following the trail of Irish coins. At first, Dymphna’s father tried to persuade her to return with him, but when the priest Gerebernus rebuked him for his wicked intentions, the king gave orders that Gerebernus should be put to death. The king’s men laid violent hands upon the priest and, with one blow of the steel, his head was severed from his shoulders. Thus did another glorious martyr enter the kingdom of heaven in triumph.

Martyrdom of Saint Dymphna, Virgin

Further attempts on the part of Dymphna’s father to induce her to return with him proved fruitless. Infuriated by Dymphna’s resistance, her father drew his sword and beheaded his own child. Thus did Dymphna win the double crown of virginity and martyrdom in the fifteenth year of her age, on the fifteenth day of May, between 620 and 640, now kept as her feastday.

Discovery of the Relics

The records of Dymphna’s life and death say that the bodies of the two martyred saints lay on the ground until the inhabitants of Gheel removed them to a cave for burial. After several years, the Christian villagers, recalling their holy deaths, decided to give the bodies a more suitable burial. Great was their astonishment upon finding two beautiful tombs, carved from white stone, as if by the hands of angels. When the coffin of Saint Dymphna was opened,  there was found on her breast a red tile bearing the inscription: “Here lies the holy virgin and martyr, Dymphna.” The remains of the saint were placed in a small church. Later necessity obliged the erection of the magnificent “Church of St. Dymphna,” which now stands on the site where the bodies were first buried.

Miracles and cures of people afflicted with melancholy, anxiety, and other psychological pathologies and emotional maladjustments began to occur in continually increasing numbers.

The Miracle of Gheel

At first the sick pilgrims were lodged in a hostel adjacent to the church. Gradually, the families of Gheel welcomed the mentally ill into their own homes until, at length, Gheel became a town world-famous for its charitable care of the insane and mentally afflicted. Canonesses Regular of St. Augustine opened a hospital at Gheel; patients, released from the hospital, were placed in local families, where they were helped to lead a comparatively normal life.  After generations of experience, the people of Gheel have developed clinical and spiritual skills in dealing with their charges. Their Christ–like love for the afflicted members of society continues to the present day.

A Prayer

For some years, we have distributed from our Gatehouse this prayer to Saint Dymphna.

O glorious Saint Dymphna,

virgin martyr and chaste bride of Christ,
child of Ireland,
bereft of thy mother,
object of thy grief-stricken father’s unlawful desires,
pure dove who, to preserve thy purity, didst fly to foreign shores,
dauntless follower of the immolated Lamb,
willing exile from thy homeland,
spiritual daughter of the holy priest Gerebernus,
traveler through the dark of unknown forests,
treasure hidden in the shadow of Saint Martin,
lover of solitude and living sanctuary of ceaseless prayer,
compassionate handmaid of the poor and afflicted,
thou art no stranger to suffering.

O virgin nourished by the Bread of Life,
virgin strong in thy weakness,
virgin ablaze with the fire of the Holy Ghost,
victim of thy demented father’s cruel rage,
victim with the Immaculate Host,
victim mingling thy blood with the Blood of the Lamb,
turn thy gaze upon us who seek thy intercession today,
and hearken to our supplications.

Thy name, O Saint Dymphna, is spread abroad in the churches of Christ,
where the suffering faithful invoke thee
as the friend of exiles and of those in flight from persecution,
as the unfailing advocate of the mentally ill, the emotionally distraught, and the despondent,
as the light of those in the darkness of depression,
the hope of the hopeless,
the cheer and comfort of the sorrowing,
the deliverer of those in the grip of anxiety,
the courage of those stricken with panic,
the healer of confused minds,
and the solace of grieving hearts.

Confident in thy powerful intercession,
we beseech thee, Saint Dymphna
to comfort all who, burdened by mental anguish or confusion,
struggle daily to make their way in this valley of tears.
Give them a garland for ashes,
the oil of joy for sadness,
and a garment of praise for the spirit of grief.

Let no one who seeks thy help today go away empty,
for thou art powerful over the heart of Christ,
and He will heed thy pleading on our behalf
with the healing of darkened minds,
the consolation of broken hearts,
and the gracious manifestation of His merciful goodness towards all. Amen.