Category: St. Dymphna

A listing of prayers and devotions to St. Dymphna for her powerful prayers and intercession. As Catholics, we believe in the intercession of the saints, who readily pray and assist us from Heaven.

St. Dymphna

About St. Dymphna

St. Dymphna was a 7th-century Irish princess whose tragic story made her the patron saint of those suffering from mental illness and emotional distress. The daughter of a pagan Irish king and Christian mother, she secretly became a Christian and took a vow of virginity. After her mother’s death, her father became mentally unstable and developed an unnatural obsession with Dymphna due to her resemblance to her mother. To escape his incestuous advances, she fled to Geel, Belgium, with her confessor, Father Gerebernus. Her father eventually tracked them down, killed the priest when he tried to protect her, and then beheaded Dymphna when she refused to return with him. She was only 15 years old. The town of Geel became a sanctuary for the mentally ill during the Middle Ages, developing a unique community-care model that continues today, where residents take mentally ill patients into their homes. A church was built in her honor where she was martyred, and many miraculous cures of mental illness have been attributed to her intercession. Her feast day is May 15th, and she is often depicted holding a sword, the instrument of her martyrdom.

Prayers & Devotions

Intercession of the Saints

St. Dymphna Novena

The St. Dymphna Novena is a novena venerating St. Dymphna as the patron saint of those suffering from mental and emotional distress. This association arose because of the circumstances of her own life, including her mother’s death and her father’s mental illness, as well as the violent end to her own life.

Prayer Video – St Dymphna Novena Prayer

O God, we humbly beseech You through Your servant, St. Dymphna, who sealed with her blood the love she bore You, to grant relief to those who suffer from mental afflictions and nervous disorders, especially…

(Mention your request here…).

You graciously chose St. Dymphna as patroness of those afflicted with mental and emotional illnesses. She is an inspiration and a symbol of charity to all who ask for her intercession. 

Grant through the prayers of this pure youthful martyr consolation and healing to all who suffer such trials. We beg you, Lord, to hear the prayers of St. Dymphna on our behalf. Grant us patience in suffering and acceptance of Your Divine Will. Fill our hearts with hope, and grant us the relief and strength we so much desire. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen! 

St. Dymphna, helper of the mentally afflicted, pray for us.

St. Dymphna Chaplet

The St. Dymphna Chaplet seeks the intercession of St. Dymphna, the patron saint of those suffering from mental illness, anxiety, depression, and nervous disorders. The chaplet is prayed for those struggling with mental health issues, their families, and caregivers, asking for St. Dymphna’s prayers and God’s grace, strength, and healing. It serves as a source of comfort and support for those facing mental health challenges, helping them to find hope, peace, and solace through faith and the compassionate intercession of St. Dymphna.

St. Dymphna Chaplet

Prayer Video – Chaplet of St. Dymphna

St. Dymphna Chaplet
(For the intentions of the Holy Father)
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. 

(For the intentions of all Christians)
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.  Amen.

(Pray the “Glory Be” 15 times in honor of the fifteen years of St. Dymphna’s life)
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 

(Closing Prayer)
Lord, our God, you graciously chose St. Dymphna as patroness of those afflicted with mental and nervous disorders. She is thus an inspiration and a symbol of charity to the thousands who ask her intercession.

Please grant, Lord, through the prayers of this pure youthful martyr, relief and consolation to all suffering such trials, and especially those for whom we pray.

[Mention your petitions now]

We beg You, Lord, to hear the prayers of St. Dymphna on our behalf. Grant all those for whom we pray patience in their sufferings and resignation to Your Divine Will. Please fill them with hope, and grant them the relief and cure they so much desire. We ask this through Christ our Lord, who suffered agony in the Garden. Amen.