My oldest daughter introduced our family to St. Dymphna during her struggles with anxiety as a preteen. She spent many days praying to God and also asking for St. Dymphna’s prayers for a sound mind, peace, and calm. We then also sought the intercession of St. Dymphna as my grandmother suffered from Dementia/Alzheimer’s. (Learn more about Why Catholics Pray to Saints.)
Do you know St. Dymphna?
St. Dymphna, the Patron Saint of Mental Illness, was born in 7th Century Ireland. She fled from her father after he became mentally unstable when her mother died. In his delusional grief, he demanded Dymphna marry him (her father!) He eventually discovered her living in Belgium and murdered Dymphna at the age of 15 for her refusal to marry him. The townspeople of Geel, Belgium, where St. Dymphna died, is known to this day for their tradition of caring for the mentally ill. You can read more of St. Dymphna’s story at Catholic Online.
As the stigma behind mental illness has lessened and people are sharing more about their own struggles with emotional well-being, St. Dymphna is becoming more well-known for her patronage to mental health. In 2021, I shared how the book, “St. Dymphna’s Playbook: A Catholic Guide to Finding Mental and Emotional Well-Being.” by Tommy Tighe helped me with my own mental wellness and enabled me to better support those around me who are also struggling with their emotional well-being.
As we celebrate the Feast of St. Dymphna today, I want to share a prayer for a sound mind that encapsulates what so many of us seek – calm and peace in our days.
Prayer for a Sound Mind
Almighty God, We bless you for our lives, we give you praise or your abundant mercy and grace we receive . We thank you for your faithfulness even though we are not that faithful to you.
Author Unkown
Lord Jesus, we ask you to give us all around peace in our mind, body, soul, and spirit. We want you to heal and remove everything that is causing stress, grief, and sorrow in our lives.
Please guide our path through life and make our enemies be at peace with us. Let your peace reign in our family, at our place of work, businesses and everything we lay our hands on.
Let your angels of peace go ahead of us when we go out and stay by our side when we return.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
St. Dymphna, Pray for Us.
Prayer Items – St. Dymphna
St. Dymphna Figurine
