St. Dymphna : Virgin and Martyr : Patron of #Mental Illness and Incest - #Novena Prayers and Litany to SHARE

(Also known as Dympna and Dimpna). Virgin and martyr.
Patron of : mental disorders, neurological disorders, runaways, victims of incest, depression
The earliest historical account of the veneration of St. Dymphna dates from the middle of the thirteenth century. Under Bishop Guy I of Cambrai (1238-47), Pierre, a canon of the church of Saint Aubert at Cambrai, wrote a "Vita" of the saint, from which we learn that she had been venerated for many years in a church at Gheel (province of Antwerp, Belgium), which was devoted to her. The author expressly states that he has drawn his biography from oral tradition.
According to the narrative, Dymphna — the daughter of a pagan king of Ireland — became a Christian and was secretly baptized. After the death of her mother, who was of extraordinary beauty, her father desired to marry his own daughter, who was just as beautiful, but she fled with the priest Gerebernus and landed at Antwerp. Thence they went to the village of Gheel, where there was a chapel of St. Martin, beside which they took up their abode. The messengers of her father however, discovered their whereabouts; the father betook himself thither and renewed his offer. Seeing that all was in vain, he commanded his servants to slay the priest, while he himself struck off the head of his daughter. The corpses were put in sarcophagi and entombed in a cave where they were found later. The body of St. Dymphna was buried in the church of Gheel, and the bones of St. Gerebernus were transferred to Xanten.
This narrative is without any historical foundation, being merely a variation of the story of the king who wanted to marry his own daughter, a motif which appears frequently in popular legends. Hence we can conclude nothing from it as to the history of St. Dymphna and the time in which she lived. That she is identical with St. Damhnat of Ireland cannot be proved. There are at Gheel fragments of two simple ancient sarcophagi in which tradition says the bodies of Dymphna and Gerebernus were found. There is also a quadrangular brick, said to have been found in one of the sarcophagi, bearing two lines of letters read as DYMPNA. The discovery of this sarcophagus with the corpse and the brick was perhaps the origin of the veneration. In Christian art St. Dymphna is depicted with a sword in her hand and a fettered devil at her feet. Her feast is celebrated 15 May, under which date she is also found in the Roman martyrology.
From time immemorial, the saint was invoked as patroness against insanity. The Bollandists have published numerous accounts of miraculous cures, especially between 1604 and 1668. As a result, there has long been a colony for lunatics at Gheel; even now there are sometimes as many as fifteen hundred whose relatives invoke St. Dymphna for their cure. The insane are treated in a peculiar manner; it is only in the beginning that they are placed in an institution for observation; later they are given shelter in the homes of the inhabitants, take part in their agricultural labours, and are treated very kindly. They are watched without being conscious of it. The treatment produces good results. The old church of St. Dymphna in Gheel was destroyed by fire in 1489. The new church was consecrated in 1532 and is still standing. Every year on the feast of the saint and on the Tuesday after Pentecost numerous pilgrims visit her shrine. In Gheel there is also a fraternity under her name. Text: Catholic Encyclopedia
Prayers Below are from the National Shrine of St. Dymphna
LITANY IN HONOR OF ST.DYMPHNA
 Lord have mercy on us. 
Christ'have'mercy'on'us.
 Lord have mercy on us.
 Christ hear us.
Christ'graciously'hear'us.
God the Father of Heaven,  have'mercy'on'us. 
God the son, Redeemer of the world,  have'mercy'on'us. 
God the Holy Ghost,  have'mercy'on'us. 
Holy Trinity, one God,  have'mercy'on'us. 
Holy Mary, Virgin and Mother of God,  conceived without sin,  pray'for'us. 
St. Dymphna,  pray'for'us. 
St.Dymphna,noble by birth but more noble in virtue, pray'for'us. St.Dymphna,docile to the lessons of your pious mother, pray'for'us. St.Dymphna,obedient to your saintly confessor, Gerebran, pray'for'us. St.Dymphna,who abandoned the court of your father, to escape the  danger of impurity, pray'for'us. St. Dymphna,who chose a life of poverty on earth so that you might lay up Treasure in Heaven, pray'for'us. St.Dymphna, who sought consolation in prayer and devout attendance of  Holy Mass, pray'for'us. St.Dymphna, brilliant example of Christian youth, pray'for'us. St. Dymphna,who died a martyr, beheaded by your own father, pray'for'us. So that we may carefully preserve the virtue of chastity according to our  state by avoiding all dangerous occasions of sin. pray'for'us. So that we may persevere in our Faith, pray'for'us. So that we may learn to have confidence in the Lord during our afflictions, pray'for'us. So that we may obtain the spirit of prayer, the source of all graces, pray'for'us. So that we may love our Lord and God with all our hearts and above all  things, pray'for'us. So that we may receive the grace of final perseverance, pray'for'us. St.Dymphna, Patroness of Gheel, pray'for'us. St.Dymphna,Protectressagainst all nervous disorders, pray'for'us. St. Dymphna, renowned for many miracles,particularly in Gheel, pray'for'us. In monents of emptation, pray'for'us. In times of contagious diseaseds, in time of war and persecution against  the faith, pray'for'us. In our last illness, pray'for'us. At the hour of death, pray'for'us. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,  Spare'us,'O'Lord. 
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously'hear'us,'O'Lord
 Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have'mercy'on'us. 
Christ hear us, Christ'graciously'hear'us. 
Lord have mercy on us,  
Christ'have'mercy'on'us, 
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.
 Pray for us, St. Dymphna, That'we'may'be'made'worthy'of'the'promises'of'Christ. 
Let Us Pray O God, Who gave St. Dymphna to the infant Church in Brabant as a model  perfect  in  all  virtues,  and  Who  ordained  that  Thy  handmaid  should  seal  with her innocent blood and with numerous miracles the teachings of the  Gospels for the spread of the true faith, grant we beseech Thee that those  especially who honor the Holy Relics may continue to enjoyher powerful  protection so that being fortified in faith and gratefully imitating her other  virtues  may  be  able  to  gain  a  new  glory  from  Thy  infinite  and  supreme  majesty, through Christ our Lord. Amen. 
9 Day NOVENA to St. Dymphna
First Day Intention ~ Faith O God, Source of our salvation, Who in  the midst of a pagan people didst  enlighten  St.  Dymphna  by  the  faith,  which  she  professed  under  the  guidance  of  her  holy  confessor,  Gereberne,  with  such  constancy  that  she  suffered  martyrdom,  we  beseech  Thee  through  the  intercession  of  these  two  saints  that  Thou  wouldst  deign  to  strengthen  our  faith  which  Thou  hast  given  to  us  so  that  by  wisely  subjecting  our  souls  to  Thy  Supreme  Authority and by faithfully regulating our lives by our faith we may honor  Thee with  our whole  heart and  soul  until  the  hour  of  our  death,  through  Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen. Five"times:"Our"Father,"Hail"Mary,"Glory"be"to"the"Father ~~~~~ 
Second Day Intention ~ Hope O Almighty and Infinitely Good God, Who hast promised eternal salvation  to  those  who  obey  Thy Commandments  and  profit  by  Thy  grace,  we  beseech Thee, through the intercession of St. Dymphna, who fled from the  danger of sin by quitting the palace of her father and who hoping thereby  to gain eternal  salvation  fled  to Brabant  to live in  poverty, grant  that we  also who are striving for eternal happiness may overcome all obstacles in  the  pathway  of  virtue  and  may  attain  eternal  salvation  through  Jesus  Christ, Our Lord. Amen. Five"times:"Our"Father,"Hail"Mary,"Glory"be"to"the"Father 
Third Day Intention ~ Charity O  God  of  Love,  Most  Perfect  Being,  Creator  of  All  That  is  Good  and  Beautiful, deign to help us by Thy powerful grace through the intercession  of St. Dymphna, who in her youth loved Thee above all Creatures and loved  her neighbor as herself for Thy Sake as the Image and Likeness of Thee, as  the  price  of  the  Blood  of  Jesus  and  as  coheir  of  heaven,  so  that  we  may  faithfully  adhere  to  the  two  great  commandments  of  charity  not  only  in  word, but in action and in truth, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen. Five"times:"Our"Father,"Hail"Mary,"Glory"be"to"the"Father ~~~~~ 
Fourth Day Intention ~ Piety O  God,  Our  Creator  and  Supreme  Master,  we  beseech  Thee  through  the  intercession of St. Dymphna, who served Thee with great zeal even in her  childhood,  hearing  Thy  word  with  great  delight,  assisting  at  Holy  Mass  with  great  respect,  and  receiving  Holy  Communion  from  the  hand  of  St.  Gerebran with tender devotion that Thou wouldst grant us the same virtue  of piety so that having honored Thee during this life as our Creator we may  possess Thee hereafter as our final reward through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.  Amen Five"times:"Our"Father,"Hail"Mary,"Glory"be"to"the"Father
 Fifth Day Intention ~ Prudence O  God,  Ruler  of  the  universe,  Who  allowed  St.  Dymphna  to  discover  an  efficacious means of avoiding the criminal intentions of her father, deign to  grant through the merits of Thy Holy  servant, that we may become simple  as doves and wise as serpents so  that  through prudent advice and sound  judgment we may perceive that which is to be avoided and that which is to  be  followed  in  order  to  happily  achieve  the  great  work  of  our  salvation  through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen. Five"times:"Our"Father,"Hail"Mary,"Glory"be"to"the"Father ~~~~~ 
Sixth Day Intention ~ Justice O  God,  Source  of  eternal  justice,  we  supplicate  Thee  through  the  intercession of St. Dymphna, who in order to render to Thee that which is  Thine,  fled  from  her  country  and  her  father,  that  Thou  wouldst  deign  to  make  us  seek  after  justice  so  that  we  may  perform  rightly  our  duties  toward Thee as we see them, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.  Amen. Five"times:"Our"Father,"Hail"Mary,"Glory"be"to"the"Father ~~~~~ 
Seventh Day Intention ~ Fortitude O  God,  rewarder  of  those  who  remain  firm in  their  good  resolutions,  we  beseech  Thee  through  the meditation  of  the merits  of  St. Dymphna,  who  through love of virtue had the courage to suffer privation, persecution and  even  martyrdom,  that  Thou  wouldst  grant  us  fortitude  so  that  we  may  courageously  and  perseveringly  overcome  ourselves  and  finally  conquer  the enemy of our salvation through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.  Amen. Five"times:"Our"Father,"Hail"Mary,"Glory"be"to"the"Father 
Eighth Day Intention ~ Temperance O  God,  who  hast  made  St.  Dymphna  resplendent  in  the  virtue  of  temperance so that she mastered sensual inclination and tempered the use  of earthly goods, uniting with this the beautiful virtues of modesty, docility  and humility which is called  the  foundation of all virtue because humility  banishes  from  the  soul  pride  which  is  an  obstacle  to  grace,  we  beseech  Thee through the intercession of St. Dymphna that Thou wouldst deign to  guide and direct us so that being preserved from all nervous disorders we  may  come  to  a  happy  end in  the good  counsels  Thou  hast given  through  Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen Five"times:"Our"Father,"Hail"Mary,"Glory"be"to"the"Father ~~~~~ 
Ninth Day Intention ~ Chastity O  God,  Lover  of  innocent  souls,  Who  gave  to  St.  Dymphna  the  virtue  of  angelic purity which rendered her reserved in all her actions, so modest in  her dress, so attentive in her conversation, so circumspect in her bearing  that she shed her blood to preserve this precious virtue, we beseech Thee  that  Thou  bestow  upon  us  the  virtue  of  chastity  so  that  we  may  enjoy  peace  of  conscience  in  this  life  and  the  pure  eternal  joys  of  heaven  hereafter through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen. Five"times:"Our"Father,"Hail"Mary,"Glory"b