Saint Dymphna is the patron saint of those suffering from mental, emotional, or nervous disorders. She is the perfect saint to turn to if you feel sad or distressed.

According to tradition, Saint Dymphna was a seventh-century princess and daughter of a pagan king in Ireland. After her mother died when she was 14, her father's mental health deteriorated. He hoped to remarry, but seeing Dymphna reminded him of his wife.

He intended to marry Dymphna, but she fled to Geel, Belgium, with her confessor, Saint Gerebernus. One year later, when she was only 15 years old, her father found her. When she refused to marry him, he killed her. After her death, many miracles occurred through her intercession.

Today, St. Dymphna is invoked not only for severe mental illness but also for anxiety, depression, trauma, neurological conditions, and emotional distress of all kinds. She is also a powerful patron for victims of abuse, those struggling with purity, and caregivers.

During times of hardship, let us turn to this powerful saint, asking her for peace in distress.

Prayer to Saint Dymphna

For the Sorrowful, the Distressed, and the Mentally Afflicted

Saint Dymphna, young and steadfast,
you knew terror in your own home
and grief that words could not carry.

When darkness pressed close,
you did not abandon Christ;
when the world failed you,
you held to Him still.

Stand now beside every soul
whose mind will not rest,
whose heart aches beneath a weight no one else can see,
whose nights are long and whose mornings come heavy.

Ask the Lord Jesus,
the gentle Physician of every wound,
to quiet what storms within them
and to send His peace where their own strength has ended.

I place before you now this particular need...
(mention your intention here)
...trusting that you who knew sorrow will carry it with me to Christ.

For the sad, obtain consolation.
For the anxious, obtain stillness.
For the broken, obtain healing in God's own time.
For those who feel forsaken, obtain the certainty that they are not.

Holy martyr of Gheel,
lamp in the long night of suffering,
pray for us, and lead us safely home
to the Heart of Christ.

Amen.

Saint Dymphna, pray for us!

On Monday, May 18, 2026, EWTN+ will launch the new series, “Fork in the Road,” in partnership with Little Fiat Studios. 

The eight-episode travel-food docuseries follows Catholic actress and entrepreneur Jessica Rey’s three homeschooled children as they explore cultures through local cuisine across several European countries.

Created and produced by Jessica Rey, who is best known for portraying the White Ranger in Disney’s Power Rangers Wild Force, Fork in the Road follows her three children–Nathanael, Estella, and Sebastian–as they visit Rome, Tuscany, Bologna, Vienna, and more.

In this unique series, the Rey kids don’t just go sightseeing–they sit down at local tables, learn from residents, and discover how food tells the story of each place they visit.

Filmed in beautiful locations across Europe, the show highlights how food connects people to history, faith, and local traditions. From Portuguese port wine to Italian soul food and Austrian Christmas classics, the episodes combine travel, culture, and family moments with an authentically Catholic perspective.

Episode Lineup for “Fork in the Road”

The eight-episode series includes:

• Episode 1: Porto – The City that Named a Country
• Episode 2: Paciano – Where Slow Travel Becomes a Way of Life
• Episode 3: Rome – When in Rome, Eat Everything
• Episode 4: Dalmatian Coast – From a Roman Palace to a Fisherman’s Table
• Episode 5 & 6: Bologna – The City that Feeds Your Soul and Your Stomach / Leave Room for Seconds
• Episode 7: Tuscany – Monks at Work and Italy’s Most Famous Butcher
• Episode 8: Vienna – Schnitzel, Strudel, and Christmas

More About Jessica Rey

Jessica Rey’s journey from White Power Ranger to modest fashion designer to producer reflects a life guided by her Catholic faith and creativity.

A homeschooling mom of three, she brings her warm personality and relatability to this family-friendly series.

Her previous work also includes the viral TED-style talk “The Evolution of the Swimsuit” and the creation of Rey Swimwear into an ethically made, USA-produced brand.

Where to Watch “Fork in the Road”

All episodes will be available to stream for free on EWTN+ and EWTN.com starting May 18.

Watch the official trailer here:

EWTN+ is available free on EWTN.com, AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, and Roku.

For those who might feel God is leading them in that direction, one Catholic priest explained three signs to look for in a viral reel published by Sydney Vocations on Instagram.

In the video, Father Daniele Russo, the Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese of Sydney, quickly breaks down signs of a potential call to the priesthood and how to recognize them. The caption also encourages the viewer to bring these signs to prayer.

Here are Father Daniele Russo’s three signs you might have a vocation to the priesthood:

1) The Holy Nag

 “Sign number one, the holy nag,” he says. “So those who are called might experience thoughts of the priesthood that don't seem to leave them. Thoughts of celebrating the sacraments that seem to persist through time.”

2) An Attraction to the Sacraments

“Sign number two: an attraction to the sacraments,” Father Russo continues. “If we are at Mass or in confession and imagining ourselves as being the one to administer the sacrament– if our love for the sacraments goes beyond admiration into desire for imitation– that could be another sign that God is calling us.”

3) An Increasing Desire for Love

“Sign number three, an increasing desire for love.” 

“Saint John Paul II said, 'Every vocation is fundamentally a call to love,’" the priest says. 

“But when one is called to the priesthood, their desire to love expands beyond the normal boundaries, especially of family life. Whereas a priest in celibate love is called to love the entirety of God's family, an enlarged heart, an unrestricted love, an exclusive love for God so as to be non-exclusively available to his people.”

Here is the full video below:

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Father Russo’s reel generated approximately 117,000 views, over 10,000 likes, and almost 80 comments. Several users even expressed interest in the priesthood after watching the video.

Here’s what some people said:

“I just got back from Mass, and I prayed to God about what he wants from me… Then I saw this video. Is this a sign?” one user asked.

“You just described me,” another person said.

“Extremely blessed to have these signs,” someone else wrote.

“I've got all these signs. May thy will be done. 🙌🙌” another user said.

Let us pray for all men who are discerning a vocation to the priesthood!

“I take a moment to pray before leaving the locker room, and I always make the most of it,” Sylwestrzak says in an interview with the Polish Catholic portal Misyjne, run by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

FIFA Referee Prays Before Every Match

The Ekstraklasa referee—Poland’s top professional football division—says he always carries the Divine Mercy image with the inscription, “Jesus, I trust in You.”

“With the first whistle, I make the Sign of the Cross, giving thanks for my passion and placing everything I do into God’s hands,” he explains.

During the interview, he notes that on some occasions he has been asked to stop making the Sign of the Cross before matches. “But I’ve always done it, and I will keep doing it,” he says, unafraid of any backlash.

He adds that he prays especially to entrust the match to God—“to give thanks that I can be there, doing what I love, and that I have found something so meaningful in which I can fulfill myself.”

From a young age, he felt drawn to study theology and pursued it at the Pontifical Faculty of Theology, where he met his wife. Although he did not complete his degree, he considered teaching religion before ultimately choosing refereeing as his profession.

“I became an altar server as soon as I was old enough in my parish—maybe even a little earlier. I loved it. Sometimes on Sundays, I served at several Masses. The liturgy and service deeply captivated me,” he recalls.

A Witness of Faith Through Small Gestures

He says faith has always been part of his life, especially when making important decisions. In difficult moments—particularly after a tough match or amid controversy—he relies on his family, which he describes as “a great support and a way to decompress.”

Sylwestrzak firmly believes that “anyone can bear witness to their faith,” even a referee. “I try to do it, even through small gestures. But for me, the most important witness is within the family,” he explains.

As a father of three, he emphasizes the importance of maintaining simple practices: praying together before bed, making the Sign of the Cross before meals, and even when passing by a church.

“God Is the Hope of What Comes After Life”

The FIFA referee shares that in difficult moments, he often goes to church, where he kneels and entrusts everything to God. 

“I also go many times to give thanks or simply to reflect,” he says.

For the 34-year-old Sylwestrzak, God is “the hope of what comes after earthly life.” Despite his youth, he admits he often reflects on what happens after death.

“Sometimes I feel fear when I think about that question. But when it comes, faith brings me peace. It is my comfort and my compass in life. I know that at times, thanks to faith and the teaching of the Church, my wife and I go against the current of the world. But I am happy with our decisions—I have never regretted them, and I am even proud of many of them,” he concludes.

This article originally appeared in ACI Prensa and was adapted for ChurchPOP.

As seen in the EWTN News documentary “Pope Leo’s Peru,” his first assignment brought him to Chulucanas, a small, remote city in northwest Peru. 

Though he would remain there for just one year, what he encountered and the people he met would shape his life forever. It was 1985, and he had just turned 30.

In this rural community known for its pottery and agriculture, Father Roberto quickly became a steady presence for local youth. He focused on keeping them out of trouble while helping them grow in their relationship with God, but he did so in a way that felt personal. And his approach worked.

Many of his former altar servers gathered with EWTN News to reminisce on serving with Pope Leo 40 years earlier. 

Martin Feijo remembers, “Father Roberto would call us to meetings on Saturday evenings, but we, as young people, wanted to go out to the disco and all those things typical of our age.” 

Fernando Garcia adds, “But we didn't go out anymore because we stayed with him.”

Father Roberto didn’t just ask for their time; he filled it with purpose and joy. 

He organized sports tournaments, group activities, and trips to the beach, creating a sense of community that made faith something lived, not just taught. And sometimes, his methods were unexpected.

Rodolfo Yepez Castro recalls that on one occasion, the young missionary took the group of boys for a somewhat surprising outing… a rock concert of a Peruvian band named “Grupo Rio”. 

“He took us to the concert and got tickets as a way of rewarding us for something we did. And he didn't want to come in, but we encouraged him, and he came in with us and stayed at the concert.” 

The boys didn’t just see a priest that day; they saw someone willing to step into their world. And they say Pope Leo had fun!

But what stayed with them wasn’t just the fun. It was the friendship, the trust, the authenticity of a priest who chose to be present.

He took his altar servers to see Grupo Río not to be “cool,” but to keep them close, building relationships that opened the door to lasting faith.

Years later, some of those same boys would discern a call to the priesthood, a quiet testament to the impact of one missionary who understood that sometimes the most powerful way to lead is simply to walk alongside.

Check out the EWTN News documentary “Pope Leo’s Peru,” below:

Saint John Paul II credited his providential survival to the miraculous hand of Our Lady, saying, "One hand shot, and another guided the bullet.”

This attempt on his life gave us the blood-stained undershirt he was wearing–now a relic the Church preserves and venerates in Rome. 

The Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul preserve this important relic at the Regina Mundi Figlie Della Carità house in Rome. People without resources, single mothers, and immigrants go to this home for help.

The house is also a pilgrimage site, preserving Saint John Paul II’s blood-stained undershirt. It is viewable upon request.

“You can still see the pope’s blood stains on the relic, and you can make out three distinct holes,” Sister Maria Rosario of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul told Rome Reports.

“They are holes caused by bullets. Not because there were three bullets, but since the shirt was folded over itself, because of how he was standing.”

Sister Maria also explained how the relic came to them: through nurse Anna Stanghellini, who had preserved the undershirt in her closet for many years.

“In the operating room, they cut his shirt into two pieces and threw it on the floor because they had to operate on the Pope,” Sister Rosario explained. “When they finished, she realized that the shirt was still there and would probably end up in the garbage. So she decided to pick it up.”

Stanghellini felt close to the Daughters of Charity, so she donated the shirt to their community. The relic’s display attracts many visitors for veneration.

The sisters say many share stories of Saint John Paul II’s miraculous intercession.

Miracle After Venerating Saint John Paul II's Shirt Relic

Sister Rosario said a woman wanted a child but could not become pregnant. When she eventually became pregnant, the doctors said, "she and her child were in great danger."

"She came here to pray almost every day. Finally, she became pregnant, but the doctors told her that she and her child were in great danger.

“She and her husband asked Saint John Paul II for a miracle. In the end, the child was born and is in good health. So is she. They named him John Paul.”

Saint John Paul II, pray for us!

Sister Lucia was the oldest of the three Fatima seers. She outlived her two younger cousins, Jacinta and Francisco, who died within a couple of years of the 1917 apparitions.

As of June 22, 2023, Sister Lucia is on a path to canonization after Pope Francis announced the advancement of her cause.

Sister Lucia experienced visions of both Our Lady and Our Lord in her convent for many years following the initial 1917 apparitions.

The National Catholic Register reported,

"In 1943, Our Lord appeared to Sister Lucia and told her that what he desired was the fulfillment of one’s duties in life and sacrifices that fell in accord with adherence to his Law. This type of penance, he said, was possible for everyone."

In 1948, World Apostolate of Fatima co-founder John Haffert interviewed Sister Lucia.

She told him that the most important request of Fatima is the fulfillment of one's daily duties and the sacrifices required according to God's law. She said praying the Rosary will help one fulfill this obligation.

"Furthermore, she told him, observance of the Five First Saturdays helps one to free oneself from sin and reawakens the commitment to fulfill one’s daily duties," The National Catholic Register reported.

Many saints also believed that fulfilling daily duties led to holiness.

Saint Therese of Lisieux's famous "Little Way" models this Christian obligation.

“Holiness consists simply in doing God's will and being just what God wants us to be,” she said.

Saint John Paul II also emphasized the importance of daily duties in his encyclical, Christifideles Laici, citing Pope Paul VI:

"The lay faithful, in fact, 'are called by God so that they, led by the spirit of the Gospel, might contribute to the sanctification of the world, as from within like leaven, by fulfilling their own particular duties.'"

The Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Our Lord and Our Lady also requested that we devote ourselves to Our Lady's Immaculate Heart:

"Have pity on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother. It is covered with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to remove them with an act of reparation." (Jesus to Sister Lucia in 1939)

Therefore, Our Lady and Our Lord provided the Five First Saturdays Devotion, which consoles the Immaculate Heart of Mary and makes reparation for the blasphemies committed against her. This devotion also helps "free oneself from sin and reawakens the commitment to fulfill one’s daily duties."

Let us respond to Our Lady of Fatima's call to fulfill our daily duties, pray the Rosary daily, and practice her Five First Saturdays devotion.

Our Lady of Fatima, please pray for us!

The Bishop of Orihuela-Alicante shared this reflection during the Rebeldes Podcast, hosted by Ignacio Amorós and Marcos Rodríguez. There, he offered a profound analysis of the spiritual and anthropological crisis facing today’s youth in the digital age.

“We Base Our Self-Esteem on the Gaze of Others”

During the conversation, Bishop Munilla explained that the main problem with social media is not merely technological, but deeply spiritual.

“Our biggest problem on social media is that we are replacing the presence of God with the gaze of others.”

According to the bishop, many people end up building their self-esteem entirely on how they are perceived by others—leading to insecurity and a loss of authenticity.

“We base our self-esteem on how we are perceived by others… it is very easy to end up acting inauthentically because you want to be accepted.”

This constant need for approval, he warned, empties a person internally and makes it difficult to face the future. Without what he calls a “vocational vision of life”—in which the future is discovered through God’s guidance—anxiety takes hold.

“If I have to invent my future instead of discovering it, it is anguish… because in reality I am playing at being God.”

From Prometheus to Narcissus

The bishop also reflected on how modern culture has shifted from pride to fragility.

Drawing on figures from Greek mythology, he explained that society once mirrored Prometheus—the man who defies God and determines for himself what is good and evil. Today, however, it resembles Narcissus: a person absorbed in self-image and the gaze of others.

“Narcissism is the image of someone who does nothing but look at himself… I look at myself through others and feel envy… we have gone from that self-sufficient and arrogant image to someone broken inside.”

He also warned that this crisis unfolds within what he called a “dictatorship of relativism,” where anything outside the dominant cultural narrative is often silenced.

“We are no longer just fighting against ideologies, but against the loss of our own human nature.”

A Testimony Marked by Suffering

During the interview, Bishop Munilla recalled his early years as a priest in Zumárraga, Spain, at the height of the heroin and AIDS crisis in the 1990s. He accompanied more than a hundred young people through Proyecto Hombre—many of whom died from addiction or illness.

“At a time like that, there is no room for illusions, no room for giving false hope.”

He especially remembered one young man with AIDS who, after his brother’s funeral, asked him:

“Have you already thought about what you are going to preach at my funeral?”

These experiences, he said, helped him understand more deeply the meaning of life and true freedom.

“Those young people knew they were going to die. But it mattered how they died. It is not the same to die enslaved by addiction as to die free. It is not the same to die after causing pain to your family as to die after bringing them joy by showing how you fought to begin again.”

For the bishop, the conclusion is clear:

“To die in God’s grace, to go to heaven—that is ultimately the success of this life.”

“Being a Saint and Being Happy Are the Same Thing”

In the final part of the interview, Bishop Munilla challenged the idea that holiness and happiness are two different paths.

“Saying that God wants you to be holy and that He wants you to be happy is the same thing. Holiness is seen from God’s perspective; happiness from yours.”

He explained that the problem arises when people think they must choose between the two.

“As long as you think there are two paths, you have a problem.”

True happiness, he concluded, is not the absence of suffering, but learning to embrace the Cross with Christ.

“I don’t believe in a ‘happy’ kind of happiness. I believe that happiness consists in embracing the Cross and seeing that it is glorious.”

The children received many messages, mostly calling for personal conversion and prayer, as well as the words of five new prayers.

The first prayer is one many Catholics are likely already familiar with, but the other four are not as well known.

Here are the five prayers given to the three shepherd children at Fatima:

1) The Fatima Prayer/Decade Prayer

“O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. Amen.”

Mary told the children that people should add this prayer to the end of each decade of the Rosary.

2) The Pardon Prayer

“My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love Thee! I beg pardon for all those that do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love Thee.”

This prayer was given to the children by the angel who visited them in 1916, the year before Mary appeared to them.

3) The Angel’s Prayer

“O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners.”

This is another prayer the angel gave them. There was a Eucharistic host and chalice suspended in the air, and the angel led them in kneeling before it and praying this prayer.

4) The Eucharistic Prayer

“Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee! My God, my God, I love Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament.”

When Mary appeared to the children for the first time on May 13, 1917, she said,

“You will have much to suffer, but the grace of God will be your comfort.”

According to Lucia, one of the children, a bright light shone all around them, and without thinking about it, they all started reciting this prayer.

5) The Sacrifice Prayer

“O Jesus, it is for the love of Thee, in reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and for the conversion of poor sinners [that I do this].”

Mary gave the children this prayer, as well as the Fatima Prayer/Decade Prayer, on June 13, 1917. The prayer is meant to be recited when offering up suffering to God.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

Born in Valparaíso, Olguín grew up in a family of Catholic artists. At the age of two, her family moved to Spain. She studied Graphic Design and, at 25, began an evangelizing mission in the media with her parents and siblings, collaborating with EWTN.

“I learned that Jesus was alive in the Tabernacle when I was 26. It changed my life. He healed my wounds. Working to make Him and His Mother known is what makes me happiest,” she shares on her website.

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“May! What joy! The month of the Virgin!”

In May, Olguín shared an illustration on social media of a young woman bringing flowers to the Virgin Mary. Along with the video, she posted a testimony in which she clearly recognizes Mary’s presence throughout her life.

She recalled that much of her childhood was spent at the “Corazón de María” school in Barcelona, where not all students lived the faith with the same intensity.

“I loved that school! It was a convent school—run by nuns who made me feel very, very loved. My family was one of the few practicing Catholic families there. In fact, we were practically the only ones who went to Mass on Sundays. Maybe that’s why the nuns were especially fond of us.

“I must admit that, as a child, I often felt like ‘the odd one out’—the one who knew all the answers at the few school Masses, the one who spoke up in religion class (always turning bright red).”

However, there was one time of year when everything changed: the month of May.

“In May, we all brought flowers to the Virgin. I don’t remember how often—maybe once a week. And we sang: ‘Come, let us all go, with flowers to Mary, with flowers to Mary, for she is our Mother.’”

An Encounter That Changed Everything

Years later, at age 26, Olguín had a personal encounter with Christ that marked a turning point in her life—a moment of grace that profoundly renewed her faith.

Over time, she came to understand something she had not seen clearly before: the Virgin Mary had been present throughout her journey.

“There was a miracle in my heart. Later, I realized how important the Virgin Mary had been in that encounter. She had been behind it all. Whoever draws near to Mary will encounter Jesus. She is the quickest, shortest, and surest way to reach Him.”

Today, through her vocation as an illustrator, she seeks to share this truth and inspire others to draw close to the Virgin with confidence.

“This month, let’s bring her flowers! Let’s sing her a thousand songs! She is waiting to give us her love.”

Her story has touched thousands on social media, where the post has received more than 405,000 views and over 35,000 likes. In the comments, many users shared similar memories and experiences.

“When I was little, we always brought flowers to Mary in May. Our classroom was filled with flowers. I remember it with so much love. Dear Mother, now I want to pray to you with that same affection, that my prayers may become the roses you love so much. Thank you, Mary, for your illustrations; in their simplicity, they reflect the greatness of humility. 🙏🌹”

“Everything is so beautiful—your illustrations and what you share. I relate so much 🤭. I also went to a Catholic school with nuns throughout my childhood and adolescence. And the church we attended was called ‘Heart of Mary’—those songs you mention are so beautiful 💖.”

“May, the month of the Mother of Heaven… I feel called to offer her flowers along with my heart. My mother and I have an altar that we decorate with many flowers. May she, the Mother of my Jesus, always accompany us. 🙏🏽💚”

The Virgin Mary always leads us to love Jesus more.