Holy Helpers

There was a devotion to the Fourteen Holy Helpers as early 1348 at an altar in St. Peter's Church in Munich, Germany. Because they are the patron saints against a variety of diseases, they were called upon for help during the Black Plague epidemic in Europe from 1346 to 1349.  They are:

1. St. Acatius – 4th c. Greek captain in the Roman army. Some say he was crowned with thorns. Eventually beheaded. Invoked against headaches.
2. St. Barbara – 3rd c. Virgin-martyr killed by her own father. Lightning struck him as punishment. Invoked against lightning and fire.
3. St. Blaise – 4th c. Armenian martyr-bishop. Cured a child choking on a fishbone. Invoked against throat ailments.
4. St. Catherine of Alexandria – 4th c. Egyptian virgin-martyr famous for her learning. Invoked by lawyers and against diseases of the tongue.
5. St. Christopher – “Christ-bearer.” 3rd c. Martyr who carried the Christ Child across a stream. Invoked against travel dangers and sudden death.
6. St. Cyriacus – 4th c. Roman deacon-martyr. Cured Diocletian’s daughter, possibly of blindness. Invoked against eye diseases.
7. St. Denis – 3rd c. Missionary to France. Bishop of Paris. Martyred by beheading. According to legend, at his martyrdom he picked up his head and walked; hence he is often pictured with his head in his hands. Invoked against demonic attacks and headaches.
8. St. Erasmus (Elmo) – 4th c. Italian martyr-bishop. Tortured by having his intestines pulled out. Namesake of “St. Elmo’s Fire,” electric phenomenon that precedes a storm at sea. Invoked against stomach ailments (and a favorite of sailors).
9. St. Eustace – 2nd c. General in Trajan’s army. Saw a stag with a cross between its antlers. Converted with wife and kids. Burned alive in an oven. Invoked against fires.
10. St. George – 4th c. Soldier under Diocletian. Killed a dragon. Saved a princess. Died a martyr. Invoked against skin diseases and palsy.
11. St. Giles – 7th c. Athenian monk. Founded a Benedictine community in France. Told Charles Martel to go to confession. Invoked against crippling diseases.
12. St. Margaret of Antioch – 4th c. Virgin-martyr. Converted by her holy nurse. Shepherdess. Invoked by women in childbirth and against kidney diseases.
13. St. Pantaleon – 4th c. Doctor employed by the emperor. Nailed to a tree then beheaded. Blood, preserved in Ravello, Italy, liquefies every year. Invoked by doctors and midwives, and against lung diseases.
14. St. Vitus – 4th c. Sicilian. Converted by his Christian nurse and her husband. All three martyred together. Invoked against paralysis, nervous diseases, and epilepsy.