Patron Saints of Mental Illness

Today is one of my favorite feast days, a day of celebrating the fact that Heaven is not far from us, that there is a community there cheering us on, and that each one of us is called to holiness! Recently, I have realized how blessed I was to be taught from earliest childhood that I was created capable of and called to holiness. My own mental health struggles really have never shaken that core belief. Sure, anxiety and depression necessitate that my particular path of holiness looks different sometimes, that my development in virtue is often in response to the unseen internal struggles. Holiness, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, has to do with setting oneself firmly for God and directing one’s life to Him. Mental illness does not keep one from making that firm resolution towards God in any way! In celebration of today’s feast, here are snippets about seven saints who struggled with mental illness and are recognized for their holiness!

St. Louis Martin
This father of a saint is primarily known for the devotion to the Faith he taught and encouraged in his daughters, most especially Therese. In his later life, he suffered from dementia and paranoia. After many occurrences of him running away in his disorientation, he was sent to a mental asylum. In lucid moments, Louis accepted this trial as a way of growing in humility.

St. Therese of Lisieux

Much has been written about St. Therese of Lisieux, and those accounts often mention her particular sensitivities. From a young age, she showed particular distress being separated from those she loved and a tendency towards anxiety. The most thorough research on her life indicates that she may have had an anxiety disorder related to separation/perceived abandonment (see additional reading below). This very struggle was the basis for her spirituality, the “Little Way,” that earned her the title of Doctor of the Church. Gradually, over the course of her life, Therese was able to take her particular need for security in relationships into her relationship with Christ, to seek that comfort first from Him.

St. Alphonsa Muttathupadatha

Alphonsa was a religious sister. Her life was marked by suffering, but most especially the effects of a trauma disorder after her convent was invaded by a thief. For over a year after that incident, she. suffered the loss of memory, reading ability, and writing ability. Between that and other illnesses, Alphonsa was not often able to perform teaching duties. Yet, her life was marked by her uniting these sufferings and limitations with Christ’s suffering.

St. Jane Frances de Chantal

Jane suffered from depression for most of her life. The sudden, accidental death of her husband left her suffering for decades. In writing about this experience, she mentioned a variety of distressingtemptations and that she was no longer like herself. It was through Jane’s struggle that she became friends and a spiritual directee of St. Francis de Sales. Her spirituality, with his direction, provided a way of holiness that meant confronting her depression with virtue. This path never cured her depression, even if it did at times alleviate symptoms. Her struggles enabled her to extend empathy and gentleness to those around her, the virtues most accounted for in her saint biographies.

St. Benedict Joseph Labre

There is no consensus about what mental illness Benedict Joseph suffered, but given how apparent it was to others and his decision to be homeless there seem to be some parallels to the modern diagnosis of schizophrenia. This young man desired to enter religious life as a brother, but was rejected from several orders for being unstable or not fit for the life. He spent the rest of his life homeless and unknown. Labre’s mental illness determined much of the aspects of his life yet he lived a life of prayer and holiness in spite of his limitations.

Venerable Matt Talbot

Matt Talbot started drinking around age 12 or 13 and quickly became an addict. His addiction took over his life very quickly and he was not at all inclined to change it for over a decade. When he did decide to change in his 30’s, Matt realized quickly that the temptation to go back to drink was constant. He found a replacement for his old social habits by going to Mass frequently and turning to prayer. This temptation to drink remained with him for the rest of his life, despite his maintaining sobriety. His perspective was one acknowledging his own weakness and the grace available in Christ: “Never be too hard on the man who can’t give up drink. It’s as hard to give up the drink as it is to raise the dead to life again. But both are possible and even easy for our Lord. We have only to depend on him.”

St. Oscar Romero

St. Oscar Romero, archbishop of San Salvador, is the most recently canonized saint on this list. He also is the only person I have found diagnosed with a mental health disorder, according to modern standards, in his life. Oscar was noted by many for having a difficult personality. He was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. In treating this mental illness, Romero both worked on spiritual resolutions and sought long-term therapy. While his illness made him prone to excessive fear and rigidity, he methodically worked on developing opposite virtues. Despite this intense, lifelong struggle, Oscar Romero through himself into living out his call and mission as priest and bishop until his martyrdom.

May these saints be patrons to all those who struggle with mental illness. May these saints help each of us in the Church to see the good and strength of those struggling! May they be intercessors for us all, helping us in our weakness (CCC 495) and reminding us that all of us, regardless of our struggles are called to perfection through holiness (CCC 2013).

All you holy men & women, pray for us!

Further Reading: