When anxiety will not loosen its grip, generations of Catholics have turned to Saint Dymphna, the young Irish martyr venerated as the patroness of anxiety, depression and every affliction of the mind. This page gathers her prayers in one place: a prayer written for anxious hearts, the traditional prayer, a prayer for a loved one who is suffering, and the complete nine day Saint Dymphna novena.
If you want to know who Dymphna was, and how her shrine at Geel cared for the mentally ill for seven hundred years, read her full story in our article on Saint Dymphna, patron saint of anxiety.
Prayer to Saint Dymphna for Anxiety
Saint Dymphna, you knew fear and danger, and yet you kept your heart fixed on God.
Look kindly on me now, as anxiety weighs upon my mind and unrest fills my days and nights.
Ask the Lord to quiet my racing thoughts, to steady my breathing, and to remind me that I am never alone.
When worry returns, help me return to prayer.
When fear speaks loudly, help me hear the gentle voice of Christ saying, “Peace, be still.”
Saint Dymphna, patroness of those who struggle with anxiety, pray for me. Amen.
The Prayer to Saint Dymphna for Anxiety as a free printable prayer card.SaveFree printable prayer card:
This is the classic prayer of the devotion, prayed for over a century wherever Saint Dymphna is honoured.
Good Saint Dymphna, great wonder-worker in every affliction of mind and body, I humbly implore your powerful intercession with Jesus, through Mary, the Health of the Sick, in my present need. (Mention your intention.)
Saint Dymphna, martyr of purity, patroness of those who suffer with nervous and mental afflictions, beloved child of Jesus and Mary, pray to Them for me and obtain my request.
Saint Dymphna, Virgin and Martyr, pray for us. Amen.
Prayer to Saint Dymphna for a Loved One
Saint Dymphna, I come to you today not for myself, but for someone I love who is suffering in mind and spirit.(Mention their name.)
You who were welcomed in Geel, where the suffering found a home and a family, obtain for them the care, the treatment, and the companions they need on the road to healing.
Give me patience when I am weary, wisdom when I do not know what to say, and hope when the way seems long.
Entrust them to Jesus, the Divine Physician, and to Mary, Health of the Sick.
Saint Dymphna, pray for them, and pray for me. Amen.
Saint Dymphna, patroness of those who struggle with anxiety. Contemporary painting, original artwork.Save
How to pray it: each day, begin with the Opening Prayer, read the prayer of the day, then close with one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be. The novena is traditionally prayed from May 7 to May 15, ending on her feast day, but it may be prayed at any time of need.
Opening Prayer (every day)
Lord Jesus Christ, You chose Saint Dymphna, young and pure, to be a refuge for all who suffer in mind and heart. Through her prayers, grant me the grace I seek in this novena, if it be Your holy will, and above all, grant me peace. Amen.
Day 1: Trust in God’s Presence
Saint Dymphna, when your world fell apart, you trusted that God had not abandoned you. Obtain for me the grace to believe, especially on the darkest days, that God is with me, that He sees me, and that He will not let me be lost. (Mention your intention.) Saint Dymphna, pray for us.
Day 2: Peace of Mind
Saint Dymphna, patroness of those who suffer from anxiety and depression, ask the Lord to calm the storms of my mind. Where there is confusion, bring clarity; where there is dread, bring quiet confidence; where there is despair, bring hope. Saint Dymphna, pray for us.
Day 3: Courage in Trials
Saint Dymphna, you fled your home and faced danger with a courage far beyond your fifteen years. Obtain for me the courage to face what I cannot avoid, and the strength not to face it alone. Saint Dymphna, pray for us.
Day 4: Healing of Mind and Body
Saint Dymphna, great wonder-worker of Geel, countless pilgrims have found healing through your intercession. Ask the Lord, if it be His will, to heal me, or the one I pray for, in mind, in body, and in spirit, and to give me the grace to accept healing in whatever form it comes: through prayer, through medicine, through the care of others. Saint Dymphna, pray for us.
Day 5: Deliverance from Fear
Saint Dymphna, fear followed you across the sea, and still you did not surrender to it. Break the grip of fear on my life. Remind me that perfect love casts out fear, and that nothing, neither darkness nor illness nor death itself, can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Saint Dymphna, pray for us.
Day 6: Comfort for Families
Saint Dymphna, your own family was the source of your deepest wound. Look with mercy on all families strained by mental illness, addiction, or grief. Bring understanding where there is hurt, forgiveness where there is anger, and unity where there is division. Saint Dymphna, pray for us.
Day 7: Strength for Caregivers
Saint Dymphna, the people of Geel opened their homes to the suffering for seven centuries. Bless all those who care for the sick in mind: families, friends, doctors, nurses, and counselors. Sustain them when they are exhausted, and let them see Christ in those they serve. Saint Dymphna, pray for us.
Day 8: Purity of Heart
Saint Dymphna, virgin and martyr, you kept your heart entirely for God. Purify my heart of all that troubles it: resentment, envy, scrupulosity, and self-hatred. Teach me to see myself as God sees me, beloved, chosen, and worth saving. Saint Dymphna, pray for us.
Day 9: Hope and Perseverance
Saint Dymphna, on this last day of my novena, I place my intention confidently in your hands. (Mention your intention.) Whatever answer God gives, obtain for me the grace to persevere in faith, to hope against hope, and to trust that He is making all things new. Saint Dymphna, virgin and martyr, patroness of those who suffer in mind and spirit, pray for us. Amen.
When to Pray These Prayers
There is no wrong time. The anxiety prayer was written for daily use, morning or evening, or in the middle of a sleepless night; many keep the pocket card in a wallet or Bible for the moments when worry strikes. The traditional prayer suits any pressing intention, and the novena is prayed over nine consecutive days, classically May 7 to 15 before her feast, in imitation of the nine days of prayer before Pentecost. If you love novenas, you may also want our Saint Michael novena.
Prayer is not a substitute for treatment, and Saint Dymphna’s own town of Geel proves the two belong together: for seven centuries its families have surrounded the suffering with both prayer and practical care. If you are struggling, pray, and also reach out to a doctor, a counselor, or someone you trust.
The best known is the traditional prayer that begins “Good Saint Dymphna, great wonder-worker in every affliction of mind and body”. It asks her powerful intercession with Jesus, through Mary, Health of the Sick, for a particular intention, and it is prayed by those suffering nervous and mental afflictions and by their families. The full text is on this page, together with a prayer for anxiety and the nine day novena.
Can Saint Dymphna’s prayer help with anxiety?
Saint Dymphna is the patroness of those who struggle with anxiety, and countless faithful testify to the peace her intercession has brought them. Prayer to her is an act of trust that God sees the anxious heart, not a replacement for therapy or medicine: at her own shrine in Geel, prayer and practical psychiatric care have gone hand in hand for centuries, and her devotees are encouraged to seek both.
What are the benefits of reciting Saint Dymphna’s prayer?
The devotion offers the anxious mind three things: a moment of calm and structure in the middle of racing thoughts, the consolation of a saint who personally knew fear and danger, and the theological hope that suffering of the mind is seen and honoured by God. Many pray her prayer daily, keep her card close, or pray the novena for a particular intention.
How do you pray the Saint Dymphna novena?
A novena is nine consecutive days of prayer. Each day of the Saint Dymphna novena, pray the opening prayer, then the short prayer of the day, then one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be. Each day has its own theme, from peace of mind to strength for caregivers. It is traditionally prayed from May 7 to May 15, the eve of her feast, but can be started at any time of need.
Where can I get a printable Saint Dymphna prayer card?
You can download a free printable Saint Dymphna prayer card at jesuschrist.pictures, on this page: the illuminated Prayer to Saint Dymphna for Anxiety is offered as a free PDF in A4, US Letter and pocket format, and the same design is available as an illuminated prayer poster in our shop, along with our original Saint Dymphna canvas.
My help comes from the Lord. Psalm 121, the pilgrim psalm, through Christian art: the Songs of Ascents, the Keeper who never sleeps, and the angel who guards the traveler.
The Hail Mary prayer in English and Latin, its meaning, and the paintings that show it line by line, from Fra Angelico and Simone Martini to Raphael and Caravaggio.
