Fourteen Holy Helpers
Fourteen Holy Helpers
Saints having special power of invoking help from God in time of sickness, want, or peril. The group includes
Saint Achatius
Saint Barbara
Saint Blaise
Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Saint Christopher
Saint Cyriacus
Saint Denis
Saint Erasmus
Saint Eustachius
Saint George
Saint Giles
Saint Margaret
Saint Pantaleon
Saint Vitus
In various localities the Blessed Virgin or Saint Magnus are added to the list, and in some places other favorite saints are substituted for the fourteen mentioned, e.g., Saint Quirinus and Saint Pancratius. The earliest mention of the cult occurred in 1284 with reference to an altar built in honor of the Fourteen Helpers at the parish church of Krems, Austria . The veneration of these saints collectively probably arose from the religious practises of the people at the time when the Black Death was raging throughout Europe and causing great distress. Its origin is usually traced to Germany , there having appeared to the shepherd-boy of the Cistercian Abbey of Langheim in Frankenthal, 1445 -1446 , apparitions accompanied by the command to build a church there in honor of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. This order was executed and in 1448 the chapel was consecrated and became a place of pilgrimage; a brotherhood devoted to the cult was established, 1466 , and sanctioned by Pope Paul V, 1618 . The cult spread rapidly to Bohemia, Moravia, Galicia, Switzerland, Austria , Italy , and America . Shrines, holy articles, hospitals, and celebrations were dedicated to these saints. In 1890 the Congregation of Rites gave permission for a Mass in their honor to be celebrated on the fourth Sunday after Easter at Langheim and also at Hammelburg in the Diocese of Wrzburg, renowned for observance of the devotion.