Dymphna

Saint Dymphna was born in seventh-century Ireland, the daughter of Damon, a petty king of Oriel, and a devout Christian mother. As a young teenager she consecrated herself to Christ and vowed chastity. After her mother’s death, her father’s grief gave way to a troubled obsession, and he sought to take Dymphna as his wife because she resembled her mother. Determined to remain faithful to her vow, Dymphna fled Ireland with her confessor, Father Gerebernus, and companions, crossing to the Continent and finding refuge in Geel, in present-day Belgium. Tradition says she used her resources to care for the poor and sick there. Her father eventually tracked her down. When Dymphna refused to return with him, he had Gerebernus killed and, in a final act of violence, beheaded his own daughter. The people of Geel honored her as a martyr, and devotion to her became closely linked with compassionate care for those suffering mental illness. She is patroness of mental illness and is especially associated with Geel. Her feast day is May 30.