I stopped smoking in December 1999. I have nothing against the smoker, but against the government that lets them (companies) insert all kinds of chemicals in it…
The story took place in the late afternoon at work (as a Street Outreach Worker). That shift, I didn’t feel like going out, so I decided to stay in our Cafe bar. We were at the beginning of the shift when the coffee attendant called me to take the phone; it was for me. At the other end was that woman, Carole, who, after I said “Hello,” said it would be the last time she would talk to me and that I would never hear from her again.
That triggered a help sign, so I said, “Stand by, I’m on my way to your place”. So I jumped in the car and rushed to her place.
She just moved into this new low-income housing, and the apartment is full of unpacked boxes. She is sitting on the floor with her back against the couch, and she has a butcher knife pointed at her chest. She said after I let myself in,”One more step and I’ll push it in”.
After hours of negotiation, I decided to sit on the floor as well and, at the same time, offered her a cigarette, which she accepted. Then she came to light it (the cigarette). She had a cigarette in one hand and the knife in the other; she couldn’t take the lighter unless she dropped the knife, and that’s what she did. I didn’t take time to think; I jumped on the knife and threw it over all the boxes that she had in her living room.
After more hours of talking, I left when it was clear that she won’t try again. I didn’t call for help, the police, or an ambulance. I knew that at that point, it was safe to leave.
Of course, Carole suffers from mental illness, like her peers; they do this every four to six months. I had to follow the ambulance many times to the hospital. In case of suicide, one time I was with another woman, who, when I arrived, had her head against the toilet bowl, only her underwear on, when I noticed many pills contenant were open on the top of the toilet tank. One other time, I chose to go to the hospital with a taxi; the guy I was with was a basket case, and the taxi driver stopped in the middle of the street and asked us to leave. I managed to calm down my suicidal thoughts and told the driver that he would behave…
The second vocation for the bi-vocational pastor. I did that job as a street outreach worker from 1993 to 1999, when I was grounded, due to inflammation being very bad, and it took months for the doctor to find my problem. As a matter of fact, doctors and lab reports never find what’s wrong, but my wife said, according to your symptoms, this is what you have, and she was right.
May the Lord remain with you,
in silence and in peace.
May your heart find rest in His presence,
And your path be guided gently through Mary.
In all things
May you remain in Him,
As He remains in you.
Brother Eric Michel, Chaplain. M.I. OFS
St. Dymphna, Patron Saint of Mental Health
Saint Dymphna, the 7th-century Irish martyr traditionally recognized as the patron saint of those suffering from mental, emotional, and neurological disorders
The Crown: Signifies her royal lineage as an Irish princess and her “crown of martyrdom”.
The Cross: Held close to her heart, it represents her steadfast faith.
Origin: Born in 7th-century Ireland, she was the daughter of a pagan chieftain and a Christian mother.
Martyrdom: After her mother died, her father’s grief led to mental illness, and he attempted to marry Dymphna because of her resemblance to his wife. She fled to Geel, Belgium, where her father eventually found and beheaded her when she refused his advances.
Legacy: Her burial site in Geel became a renowned place of healing for the mentally ill, giving rise to a unique tradition in which townspeople would take patients into their homes for care, a practice that continues today.
Brother Eric is a member of the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers (RCC)