Friday, May 15, 2026

It is the 15th of May 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

A shout out to those of you who enjoyed the peculiar story of Robert Kirk and the fairies yesterday- and apologies to those of you who got it late- it was a server issue, not a Gillespie issue- Gillespie suggested it was the fairies who tried to keep the story from being told.

Let’s talk about “patron saints”- as with many things, it has become bureaucratic with official deliberations and pronouncements- but for much of the history of the church, these days “saints” were popularly acclaimed, and they became the “patron” of such and such because people went to their shrines and holy places to seek particular relief. Such is the case with one of the more interesting of the lesser-known saints- a dubious story, but nonetheless one that has echoed down through history, especially for those dealing with the specter and demon of mental illness.

She was Dymphna- according to the story, she’s a 7th-century Irish saint, although we don’t hear of her until the 13th century in the Low Countries and modern Belgium.

The story of Dymphna was that she was the daughter of a pagan chieftain- her mother, a Christian, had her secretly baptized by her confessor, one Gerebernus. Tragedy strikes when Dymphna’s mother dies, and her father, the Chieftain Damon, is struck with grief. In his grief, he is advised to remarry and, finding no one his widows' equal, and descending into madness, he is advised to take his daughter, Dymphna, as his wife. This wholly unnatural decision reveals his descent, and with the advice of Gerebernus, Dymphna asks for 40 days to consider the overture. In the meantime, along with a court jester and his wife (who will relay the story later), they head to the mainland, landing near Antwerp.

They take up residence near a chapel in the town of Geel, where the Chieftain Damon and his men eventually find them. Gerebernus is quickly killed, but when the men can’t take Dymphna, the made Chieftain resorts to beheading his daughter.

Dymphna’s story and the site of her gruesome death became a place for pilgrims who were victims of those suffering under similar distress, from those suffering with mental illness and those who were mentally ill. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the town of Geel became overwhelmed with those suffering from mental illness, and the townspeople decided it was their lot to take them in and care for them. Geel became a world-renowned center for the care of the mentally ill, not in asylums or hospitals but in the homes of the townspeople. Despite the decline in popularity for saints during the Reformation, the story of St. Dymphna and the people’s care for those suffering from mental illness made it a popular shrine. Vincent Van Gogh’s father considered sending his son to the famous town. By 1850, the state took over some of the administrative and financial burden but kept the town of Geel as a model system for taking care of the so-called “insane,” not by institutionalizing them but giving them homes- with families- to give them a sense of normalcy. With the rise of psychiatry in the 19th and early 20th century, the so-called “Geel Question” was posed- could such a humane approach be the best answer? Perhaps alongside counseling and medication? By the 1930s, the town, with a population of some 16,000 natives, had 4,000 “boarders”. As of recently, the number had dwindled to 300 or so, with the state paying families a stipend for taking people in. The shrine of Dymphna has remained, and she has become a popular saint for both those suffering mental illness and those who care for the mentally ill. There are shrines for the martyr across the world, one is in Northeastern Ohio in the town of Massillon.

It’s a dubious and troubling story- but heartening nonetheless: the victim of a grieving father who descends into madness and kills his own daughter would become the symbol of hope for those suffering mental maladies, and a humane approach to the so-called “insane” in homes rather than asylums has made today, the 15th of May- St. Dymphna’s Day, one worthy of remembering.

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and it’s a good one- from Ephesians 2:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 15th of May 2026, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man battling the fairies and gremlins of tech on your behalf every day. He is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who assures you- Dymphna’s a good story- but has good reason to believe you can take such maladies right to the great physician- I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.