Mental Wellness Ministry

St Dymphna’s Disciples (StDD) welcomes all interested in serving those affected by a mental health condition. Our ministry does not provide treatment, medical assistance or behavioral health support but hopes to provide community resources and spiritual support by abiding by our primary goals:  
 
1) Raise awareness about mental health issues by providing education and helping others recognize signs and symptoms to look for when someone may be in need of help.  
2) Eliminate stigma by creating a safe place to share the issues, struggles and joys of living with a mental health condition or caring for someone with one. In addition, to equip our members with the tools, methods and insights that allow them to confidently minister to people who are affected by mental health conditions without fear or prejudice. 
3) Inspire to live in holiness and faithfulness with prayers and offer spiritual support through the Word of God to finding healthy ways of healing. 

St. DD hopes to engage our faith community in conversations about mental health and offer spiritual support. Monthly meetings are 10:00am-12:00pm in St Matthew’s Room every last Saturday of the month and begin with our rosary prayers and intentions. Currently, ministry discussions including viewing the Sanctuary Course for Catholics: Exploring the Intersection of Faith and Mental Health which is also available on FORMED.org.
 
For more information about the ministry, please send an email to mentalhealth@smdpyl.org

Born in Ireland of a pagan king in the 7th century, Dymphna was raised to the Catholic faith by her devout Christian mother. At a young age, Dymphna was taught to live a life of purity & by age fourteen, had consecrated herself to Christ & took a vow of chastity. Dymphna’s mother died soon after & her father, King Damon, became severely depressed & at the suggestion of his advisors, the king agreed to marry his own daughter.  Guided by the Holy Spirit, Dymphna sought the counsel of her priest, Father Gerebernus, after hearing about her father’s plan who advised her to flee to escape her father’s desires to marry her & save her purity. With her confessor & a few trusted servants, she traversed west through Ireland & sailed across the English Channel. After traveling over 1,400 kilometers, Dymphna eventually hid in Gheel, Belgium & used her wealth to care for the region’s people by building a hospice for the poor & the sick. Unfortunately, the Irish coins Dymphna used led the king to her & once captured, the king ordered his men to behead the pastor before demanding her hand in marriage. Unshaken in her covenant of chastity with God, she refused her father’s proposal & was struck by the king’s sword. Dymphna was beheaded by her own father & died at the age of 15. She is a patroness saint to those suffering neurological & mental conditions, emotionally disturbances, survivors of incest or sexual assault & runaways & has been attributed to numerous miracles of healing to those suffering from mental afflictions. Her Feast Day, May 15th, is the date of Dymphna’s martyrdom. Because of Saint Dymphna’s compassion to helping others, Gheel people have opened their homes to the community resulting in “moral community psychiatry” treatment. She can be a resource of inspiration & devotion to bring Christ’s light in a world of stress & anxiety & give hope to ones who remain in the darkness of their anxieties, worries & mental health issues.