Great Saint Dymphna

The Beheading of Saint Dymphna, by Godfried Maes (1688)

About Saint Dymphna

Saint Dymphna is the patroness of the mentally ill, those who suffer from depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders. This was because of the depression of her father, who wanted to marry her after his wife died. Because of her refusal to marry him, he beheaded her. Mental illnesses abound in our day, and we must pray for all those who suffer from such disorders. Loyola Press has this to say about Saint Dymphna's story:

Born during the 7th century to Irish royalty, St. Dymphna’s mother, the queen, had the girl baptized and raised in the faith in secret because of her husband’s pagan beliefs. When Dymphna was only fourteen, her beloved mother died and the king went mad in his great state of grief. He decided that he wanted to marry Dymphna, his own daughter, because she looked so much like her mother. Dymphna, who had made a vow of virginity before God, was horrified by her father’s proposal and adamantly refused.

To escape the king’s inevitable outrage over her rejection, Dymphna fled the kingdom. She was accompanied by her confessor, Fr. Gerebran as well as several faithful servants from her father’s court. The group settled in Belgium in a city called Gheel near a shrine of St. Martin of Tours. While there, Dymphna used her wealth to care for the sick and poor of the region.

Unfortunately, her father discovered her whereabouts and he sailed to Gheel in the hopes of bringing her back with him. Upon his arrival, the king continued his attempts to convince Dymphna to marry him, promising great wealth and esteem if she accepted his offer. Still, she would not change her mind, staying true to her vow of virginity and refusal to enter an incestuous relationship. In his anger, the king ordered his men to kill Fr. Gerebern while he himself beheaded Dymphna. She was only fifteen years old at the time.

Reason

There is an excellent novena to Saint Dymphna for those who are suffering mental illness, as well as one traditional novena to her for all the Christian world. When I pray novenas, I like to add hymns to the beginning before the prayers. To me, adding hymns to novenas is an expression of Christian joy, and it follows the precepts of Saint Paul, "be ye filled with the holy Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:18-19). I found an interesting song to Saint Dymphna, but no hymn, so I wrote a hymn of my own. It is meant to be sung to the tune Aurelia by Samuel S. Wesley (1864). The text is under copyright.

Hymn Text

1.  We hail thee, great Saint Dymphna,
O hear our fervent plea
For all the Christian people
Who now do cry to thee:
Help us attain to Heaven,
Ask God, His grace to send,
To persevere in virtue
And ordered peace within.

2.  We hail thee, great Saint Dymphna!
Please intercede for all
Who suffer great depression
And bitterness of soul.
Let us not be despondent
Who call upon thine aid,
But quell the great depressions,
And anxious minds allay.

3.  We praise thee, great Saint Dymphna,
For all thy courage bold,
Resisting thou thy father
When his own mind went cold:
When in his great depression,
And heeding ill advice,
He would not bend to reason,
And took thy youthful life.

© 2021 David Varella

Petitions to Saint Joseph

 

Ite ad Joseph! Go to Joseph!

Reason

This hymn was written as a prayer to Saint Joseph, Light of Patriarchs. The time has come for a resurgence of true Christian patriarchy, based on the Catholic Faith and the attitude of chivalry. There is a vast difference between worldly patriarchy and Christian patriarchy. When feminism proclaims to be against patriarchy, it rejects worldly patriarchy and starves for Christian patriarchy. The lack of distinction between the two is the reason feminism indiscriminately rejects all patriarchy, and it thereby starves itself of Christian patriarchy.

In this age of relativism (denial of any objective truth), feminism (rejection of patriarchy), and effeminacy (men living for pleasure and comfort), it is now more important than ever to run to Saint Joseph, the Light of the Patriarchs. We have an uphill battle in front of us to reclaim surrendered ground, but if we run to Saint Joseph, we can be confident of plenty in spite of famine.

The text is meant to be sung to the tune Ellacombe (1784) and is now under copyright in the Library of Congress.

Hymn Text

1.  Saint Joseph, as a husband,
Like thee, I made a vow
To cherish, love, and honor,
As only love knows how.
Help me be pure and faithful
And patient as thou art,
And help my understanding
The seasons of the heart.

2.  Saint Joseph, as a father,
Thou knowest my own care,
To raise my children rightly,
With strength of character,
To form in them good conscience
All pure, upright, and just;
Saint Joseph, help me to be
The father that I must.

3.  Saint Joseph, in our culture
The Christian life has waned,
And with it, shriveled manhood
Has tried to stake its claim.
The time has now arisen
For patriarchs once more –
O win us grace and virtue,
True manhood to restore.

4.  Help us to be courageous,
To stand for truth and life,
Where e’er the Spirit leads us
To shine our holy light,
To keep the flame still burning
Of our Baptismal grace,
And ne’er through sin to lose it,
Nor Holy Ghost displace.

© 2021 David Varella

The Sorrows and Joys of Saint Joseph

The child Jesus leaning into Saint Joseph for security. Source unknown to the author of this blog.

 

Reason

During an email exchange with a priest acquaintance of mine, I shared with him my first hymn to Saint Joseph, and he mentioned that he and his friend were looking to write one on the topic of the Seven Sorrows and Joys of Saint Joseph. I had not heard from him in a while, and I thought the topic interesting for a hymn, but to my knowledge, not much more came of it.

Due to the winter storms in Texas in February this year, the house we were renting had burst pipes in several places, causing the ceiling to collapse in four different rooms. With the house flooded and most of our belongings damaged, we were living out of a hotel for one month. During that time, I asked Saint Joseph to help us quickly find a new place to stay, as our landlord let us out of the lease due to the damage in the house. I promised Saint Joseph that if he were to help us find a house quickly, I would write him a hymn on the topic of his seven sorrows and joys. The move-in date for a new lease on a new property was March 19th, his feastday. This is the poem I wrote in fulfillment of that promise. It is meant to be sung to the tune Lancashire, by Henry T. Smart (1836). The text is now under copyright through the Library of Congress.

Hymn Text

1.  O Joseph, man of silence, how heavy was thy care
When thou didst find the Virgin, by God a Son to bear.
Thy sorrow turned to joy when, at the angel’s command,
Thou welcomed her to thy home and took her sweetest hand.

2.  O Joseph, man of duty, how saddened was thy heart
When thou couldst find no dwelling, e’en though thou didst thy part;
And Christ was born in stable so lowly, crude, and bare,
But great thy joy to greet Him as angels sang Him there.

3.  O Joseph, man obedient to all the angel said,
Who, at His circumcision, witnessed His first Blood shed –
A vision of the Passion gave sorrow to thy soul,
But great thy joy when naming “Jesus” the Infant Lord.

4.  O Joseph, mighty ruler of Holy Family,
Thy sorrow was the greatest upon the prophecy
That Christ would suffer greatly and Mary’s soul pierced through,
But great thy joy to hear Christ as Light and Glory, too.

5.  O Joseph, faithful guardian of Christ, the Bread of Life,
Thou savedst God the Savior from Herod’s wicked strife;
Thy sorrow at this hatred towards God the King of all
Was turned to joy when thou didst see Egypt’s idols fall.

6.  O Joseph, man of vision, from exile to return,
The cruél Archelaus was ruling in his turn;
How great thy joy in hearing to go to Nazareth,
Where thy delight was home life until thy blesséd death.

7.  O Joseph, man of patience, how sorely wast thou tried
When thou didst lose the Christ Child, and sought the Lord to find.
How great thy joy, Him finding, and thou wast filled with awe
At Christ teaching in wisdom the doctors of the Law.

© 2021 David Varella

Hymn to Saint Joseph

Saint Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church

 

Reason

Last year, in 2020, I was working toward my consecration to Saint Joseph. I was to make the consecration on May 1st, the feastday of Saint Joseph the Worker. The day before my consecration, I could not find any suitable traditional English hymn to this wonderful man, this protector of the Holy Family and patron of the Universal Church. So I did what anyone would do: I wrote my own. It is meant to be sung to the tune Regent Square by Henry T. Smart (1867). The text is now under copyright through the Library of Congress.

Hymn Text

1. Holy Joseph, great defender
Of God’s holy Mysteries,
Who didst guard the Bread of Heaven
From the evil enemy,
Holy Joseph, holy Joseph,
Do thou guard our family. 

2. Silent Joseph, humble servant
Of the greatest plan Divine,
When the angel brought the message
Thou didst do the task assigned.
Silent Joseph, silent Joseph,
Help us all God’s will to find.

3. Noble Joseph, kingly leader
Of the Holy Family,
Thou didst rule the Virgin-Mother
And God's Son, the Prince of Peace.
Noble Joseph, noble Joseph,
Help our virtue to increase.

4. Purest Joseph, faithful husband
Of the Blesséd Virgin Queen,
Thou whose heart rejoiced to greet her
In thy fam’ly life unseen,
Purest Joseph, purest Joseph,
Help us treasure purity.

5. Skillful Joseph, clever tradesman,
Carpenter at Nazareth,
Model of all those who labor,
Teaching Christ, thy work was blest!
Skillful Joseph, skillful Joseph,
Help us always give our best.

6. Peaceful Joseph, little Jesus
Calmly sleeps upon thy breast,
Showing us that after labor,
In thine arms we’re not distressed.
Peaceful Joseph, peaceful Joseph,
Help us live the Sabbath rest.

7. Hardy Joseph, strong and valiant,
Terror to the fiends of hell,
Grasp the demons by the tail and
Cast them under Mary’s heel!
Hardy Joseph, hardy Joseph,
Help us fight temptation well.

8. Blesséd Joseph, thou didst speak with
Christ and Mary ev’ry day,
And as thou wast wont to love them,
Show us thine exalted way:
Blesséd Joseph, blesséd Joseph,
Teach us how like thee to pray.

 9. Dear Saint Joseph, to thy keeping
We entrust our family: 
Guard, protect, and lead us onward
To the final victory!
Dear Saint Joseph, dear Saint Joseph,
Bring us to eternity!

© 2021 David Varella