Deacon Tom Lambert
Today we celebrate the feast of St Dymphna, patroness of people with mental illness. She was buried in Geel Belgium.
The site became a pilgrimage center in the 13th Century. A new church was built, the Church of St Dymphna, a makeshift hospital was located at the Church and soon people were coming to find comfort and care for their loved ones with mental illness. The church soon was overwhelmed with patients and the parish priest began to ask people to take patients into their homes. In the way of life in the Middle Ages, this meant that the person accepted into the home was involved in the cooking, cleaning, farming, and total way of life. For those who were too sick to work, there was a hospital that the townspeople supported but most were cared for in the homes of the villagers. Thus what we know today as “foster care” began in 13th Century Geel.
One of the many remarkable things about this story is that during this period of time in Europe, people who exhibited symptoms of mental illness were often thought to be possessed by demons. They were either locked away in prisons or banished from their homes and communities. Yet in Geel, truly a miracle of understanding and acceptance was taking place as people with mental illness were treated with dignity and compassion that enabled them to experience recovery from their illness.
It should also be noted that in the early 19th Century, Napoleon ordered that all people who were mentally ill be committed to asylums. Despite that order, the people of Geel refused to hand over the ones they considered to be part of their family.
Today in Geel, there are over 700 hundred families hosting over 800 individuals in their homes. For over 8 Centuries Geel has maintained a history of compassionate loving care for those society often ignores or shuns. A symbol of the town of Geel’s outreach is a clock with no hands. This means that you have care for as long as you need!
Unfortunately, in the state of Illinois, we are still living in a dark age mentality. Our state is ranked among the worst in the country for our dysfunctional system of care for people with mental illness. Families looking for help often run into a system that is underfunded and overwhelmed. While there are pockets of excellence, tragically the systemic problems are not being adequately addressed.
I believe in miracles. God’s grace works within us and we too like the people of Geel can do great things. People like Jim and Shirley and Teresa Weber (sponsors of this celebration) and many others who, through God’s grace, experience the healing power of God by using the circumstances of their lives to give honor to God by making the lives of others better.
So today, as we ask St Dympna to intercede for us, let us pray that we are able to experience the love and comfort of God and the grace to make the lives of others better by bringing them the comfort of a God who loves us and wants to walk with us. And let us pray and work for justice -- that people with mental illness and their families find a healthcare system that works for them - not against them.
Just as the paschal candle symbolizes the light of Christ. You and I are called to be the light of Christ to a world filled with the darkness of stigma and misunderstanding. May God bless you for all you do.