``Where
the Bishop is, there let the multitude of believers be;
even as where Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church'' Ignatius of
Antioch, 1st c. A.D
Feast of the Fourteen Holy Helpers
In 1346, the
most fatal epidemic in human history began to ravage Europe. For the
next seven years, people would become dreadfully ill -- first feverish
and nauseated, then tormented by the great "buboes" -- swellings of the
lymph glands -- that give us the name for what ailed them: bubonic
plague. These buboes would become as large as apples and would
sometimes burst open, oozing fetid gore. Worse than that, they would
sometimes turn black, as would the afflicted's fingers and toes as
flesh turned gangrenous and died. Then the fevers would worsen, and
blood would gush from the stomach through the mouth. Within about a
week, 80% of those who contracted the plague would be dead.
Agnolo di Tura, a shoemaker of Siena, described the horror:
The mortality
began in Siena in May 1348. It was a cruel and horrible thing and I do
not know where to
begin to tell of the cruelty and the pitiless ways. It seemed to almost
everyone that one became stupified by seeing the pain. And it was
impossible for the human tongue to recount the awful thing. Indeed one
who did not see such horribleness can be called blessed. And the
victims died almost immediately. They would swell beneath their armpits
and in their groins, and all over dead while talking. Father abandoned
child, wife husband, one brother a brother; for this illness seemed to
strike through the breath and sight. And so they died. And none could
be found to bury the dead for money or friendship. Members of a
household brought their dead to a ditch as best they could, without
priest, without divine offices. Nor did the death bell sound. And in
many places in Siena great pits were dug and piled deep with the
multitude of dead. And they died by the hundreds both day and night,
and all were thrown in those ditches and covered over with earth. And
as soon
as those ditches were filled more were dug.
And I, Agnolo di Tura,
called the Fat, buried my five children with my own hands. And there
were also those who were so sparsely covered with earth that the dogs
dragged them forth and devoured many bodies throughout the city.
There
was no one who wept for any death, for all awaited death. And so
many died that all believed that it was the end of the world...
And those that survived were like persons distraught and almost without
feeling. And many walls and other things were abandoned, and all the
mines of silver and gold and copper that existed in Sienese territory
were abandoned as is seen; for in the countryside many more people
died, many lands and villages were abandoned, and no one remained
there. I will not write of the cruelty that there was in the
countryside, of the wolves and wild beasts that ate the poorly buried
corpses, and of other cruelties that would be too painful to those who
read of them...
By the time the disease ran its course, between 75 million and 200
million people perished from the "Black Death."
It was
against this great evil that Christians turned in desperation to
fourteen Saints who became known together as the "Fourteen Holy
Helpers" or "Auxiliary Saints," all but one of whom (St. Giles) being
martyrs. In German, they're known as die
Vierzehn Nothelfer or Vierzehnheiligen;
in Italian, as i Quattordici Santi
Ausiliari or i Santi
Ausiliatori; in French, as les
Quatorze Saints Auxiliateurs or les Quatorze Secourables; and in
Spanish as los Catorce Santos
auxiliadores. They've been invoked by those in need all over the
world, but seem to be especially beloved in Spanish and German-speaking
lands. Maria Von Trapp
writes that "[i]n the old country, a picture of the Fourteen Holy
Helpers is to be found in many a little wayside
shrine..."
Each is a Saint in his own right and has his own place in the
martyrology, but they are honored collectively with a votive Mass
on August 8.
This isn't and never was a universal Church practice, but it is a good
practice, and one
we
can make use of, just as we can honor these great Saints together in
our
homes on that date,
and any time "one is in great illness or anguish or sadness, or in
whatsoever tribulation a man shall be," as the late 15th century Missal
of Bamberg says about their feast.
A brief look at each of the Fourteen Holy
Helpers, how they're depicted in art, links to brief biographies as
recounted in "Mary, Help of Christians and the Fourteen Saints Invoked
as the Holy Helpers" by Father Bonaventure Hammer, their stories in
Jacobus de Voragine's 15th century "Golden Legend" (when available),
links to novenas for
each, and any links to pages about their individual feast day customs:
St. Achathius May 8
Also known as Acathius, Achathius, Agathius, and Acacius.
German name: Achatius
Italian name: Acacio
French name: Acace
Spanish name: Acacio
Latin Name: Achatius
Patronage: soldiers; against headache
Depiction: a man, often dressed as a Roman centurion or in armor with
standard and shield, holding a bunch of thorns or wearing a crown of
thorns, holding a cross or the palm of
martyrdom; being crucified on a cross; accompanied by Theodore of Amasea
German name: Katharina von Alexandrien
Italian name: Caterina d'Alessandria
French name: Catherine d'Alexandrie
Spanish name: Catalina de Alejandría
Latin name: Catharina
Patronage: against sudden and unprovided death; women seeking husbands;
students; philosophers; librarians
Depiction: holding a wheel or sword
Note: St. Catherine of Alexandria was one of the Saints, along with St.
Margaret of Antioch (another Holy Helper) and St. Michael the Archangel,
who appeared to St. Joan of Arc.
German name: Christophorus
Italian name: Cristoforo
French name: Christophe
Spanish name: Cristóbal
Latin Name: Christophorus
Patronage: travellers; against sudden and unprovided death; against
storms
Depiction: carrying the Christ Child. In the East, he is sometimes
shown as having the head of a dog, likely because the race of people
whence he came were believed to have been dog-headed.
German name: Erasmus
Italian name: Erasmo
French name: Érasme
Spanish name: Erasmo
Latin name: Erasmus
Patronage: against abdominal diseases; sailors; domestic animals
Depiction: a Bishop holding a winch or windlass, sometimes with his
entrails wrapped around it
Note that "St. Elmo's Fire" -- the blue or violet glowing light of
plasma emitted by a corona discharge when air is ionized in an
electrically charged
atmosphere, such as during a thunderstorm -- is named for St. Erasmus.
Sailors, who sometimes see
the weather phenomenon on ships at sea, named the glowing light after
their
patron saint.
German name:
Eustachius
Italian name: Eustachio
French name: Eustache
Spanish name: Eustaquio
Latin name: Eustachius
Patronage: firefighters; hunters; Madrid, Spain; invoked against fire,
both temporal and the fires of Hell
Depiction: with a stag or crucifix (often the crucifix will appear
between the stag's horns). Note that Eustace is shown with a stag -- a
male deer with antlers -- while Giles is shown with a female deer (hind
or doe).
German name: Ägidius
Italian name: Egidio
French name: Égide or Gilles
Spanish name: Gil
Latin name: Aegidius
Patronage: against epilepsy, insanity, nightmares, and sterility;
cripples; beggars
Depicted: an abbot in a Benedictine habit, accompanied by a female deer
(doe, hind). Note that he
is
shown with a female deer while Eustace is shown with a male deer with
antlers.
German name:
Margareta von Antiochia
Italian name: Margherita d'Antiochia
French name: Marguerite d'Antioche
Spanish name: Margarita de Antioquía
Latin name: Margaritae
Patronage: for help during pregnancy and childbirth; against back pain
Depicted: with a dragon
Note: St. Margaret was one of the Saints, along with St. Catherine of
Alexandria (another Holy Helper) and St. Michael the Archangel,
who appeared to St. Joan of Arc.
German name: Vitus
Italian name: Vito
French name: Guy or Vite
Spanish name: Vito
Latin name: Vitus
Patronage: against chorea (St. Vitus' Dance), venomous animals, and
epilepsy; dancers;
actors
Depiction: a young man in a cauldron or carrying the palm of martyrdom,
or a rooster on top of a
book; often accompanied by a dog
Note: St. Vitus's Dance is an expression of mass hysteria (and/or,
possibly, ergot poisoning) by which
people (usually women) would suddenly start dancing compulsively. They
would be joined by
others -- perhaps hundreds of others -- and move frenziedly to the
point
of exhaustion, behaving as if in a trance, sometimes
dancing until they lost consciousness. St. Vitus was prayed to as the
cure. The involuntary movements made by people with chorea caused the
disease to also have been called "St. Vitus's Dance." See also the
tarantism associated with the Feast
of SS. Peter and Paul in Taranto, Apulia, Italy to this day.
From the above, you can see that per the graphic at the top
of this page, if Our lady is at Noon, then: St. Margaret and St.
Barbara are at 12:30; St. Erasmus is at 1:00; St. Dionysius is at 2:00;
St. Vitus is at 3:00; St. Cyriacus is at 4:00; St. Giles is at 5:00;
St. Christopher is
at 6:00; St. George is at 7:00; St. Achatius is at 8:00; St. Pantaleon
and St.
Catherine are at 9:00; St. Eustace is at 10:00; and St. Blase is at
11:00.
Can you name them in the painting below? (click to enlarge) I think one
of them has been swapped for a different Saint; that sometimes happened
in old depictions of our Saints: priests or artists from places with
devotions to a particular Saint might replace one of the Holy Fourteen
with a local favorite.
This prayer to the Fourteen Holy Helpers -- the collect for the
Helpers' votive Mass, from a 15th century
Cracow Missal -- would be a good prayer for the day ---
Almighty and
merciful God, Who didst adorn Thy Saints George, Blase, Erasmus,
Pantaleon, Vitus, Christopher, Denis, Cyriacus, Acacius, Eustace,
Giles, Margaret, Barbara and Catherine with special privileges above
all others, so that all who in their necessities implore their help,
according to the grace of Thy promise, may attain the salutary effect
of their pleading, grant to us, we beseech Thee, forgiveness of our
sins, and with their merits interceding, deliver us from all
adversities, and kindly hear our prayers.
-- as would this prayer by St. Alphonsus Liguori:
Great princes of
heaven, Holy Helpers, who sacrificed to God all your earthly
possessions, wealth, preferment and even life and who now are crowned
in heaven in the secure enjoyment of eternal bliss and glory; have
compassion on me, a poor sinner in this vale of tears and obtain for me
from God, for Whom you gave up all things and Who loves you as His
servants, the strength to bear patiently all the trials of this life,
to overcome all temptations and to persevere in God’s service to the
end, that one day I too may be received into your company, to praise
and
glorify Him, the supreme Lord, Whose beatific vision you enjoy and Whom
you praise and glorify forever. Amen
The Litany of the Holy Helpers,
also written by St. Alphonsus Liguori, could also be prayed today or
any time
you are in great trouble.
To prepare for this feast (by starting on July 30 and ending on August
7) or, as always, in times of trouble, you can pray the Novena to All the
Fourteen Holy Helpers, also written by St. Alphonsus Liguori, and
whence the prayer and litany above come.
As for music, we are blessed: Engelbert Humperdinck -- not the British
singer famous in the 1970s,
but the German composer who was born in 1854 -- includes mention of the
Fourteen Holy Helpers in his opera "Hänsel und Gretel." The second act
includes a beautiful duet called "Abendsegen" (Evening Prayer) which
refers to
our Auxiliary Saints as "fourteen angels" (when the opera is staged,
the Fourteen are dressed as angels, too, alas1). Here is
this beautiful song in both German and English.
Abendsegen English:
Evening Prayer (When At Night I Go to Sleep)
Abends, will ich
schlafen gehn,
Vierzehn Engel um mich stehn:
Zwei zu meinen Häupten,
Zwei zu meinen Füßen,
Zwei zu meiner Rechten,
Zwei zu meiner Linken,
Zwei die mich decken,
Zwei, die mich wecken,
Zwei, die mich weisen
Zu Himmels Paradeisen.
When at night I
go to sleep,
Fourteen angels watch do keep,
Two my head are guarding,
Two my feet are guiding;
Two upon my right hand,
Two upon my left hand.
Two who warmly cover
Two who o'er me hover,
Two to whom 'tis given
To guide my steps to heaven.
If you want to learn to sing this song in English (you'll need two
voices -- one for Hansel and one for Gretel, both parts being usually
sung by sopranos), download the sheet music: Abendsegen
(Evening Prayer) (pdf)
Bavarian Church
Built in Honor of The Fourteen Holy Helpers
In Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany, you can visit the very Baroque-Rococo
Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (Basilika
Vierzehnheiligen). Situated on a hillside facing the River Main,
it was built in response to a vision: in the
autumn of 1445, a young shepherd named Hermann Leicht saw a Child
crying in a field near the
Cistercian monastery. He walked over to the Child and bent down to pick
Him up -- but the Child disappeared. The shepherd returned to his
sheep, puzzled,
but when he looked back, he saw the Child again, this time with the
light of two candles burning near Him. Then the Child again
disappeared.
The next year, on the eve of the Feast
of SS Peter and Paul, the shepherd saw the Child once more, this
time with a red cross on His chest, and not only with the lights
overhead, but accompanied by other children, all enveloped in a golden
halo. The Child said that they were
the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and that they wanted a church built on the
site.
The shepherd told the Bishop about what happened, but was ignored --
until
others learned of the visions, went to the field where the apparitions
took place, and received miracles. So a church was built. At its very
center is a plaque marking the spot where the Child and His Fourteen
Holy Helpers
appeared. It reads, In Medio XIV
Auxiliatorum Jesus Christus Hic Apparuit 1446 ("Here appeared
amid the Fourteen Helpers Jesus Christ in 1446"). The altar of the
church is adorned with life-sized white and gold statues of each of the
Holy Helpers.
Speaking of Bavaria, the Germans have a mnemonic to learn the names and
patronages of the die Vierzehn
Nothelfer:
S. Blasius
bringt wegen Halsweh Fürbitt dar
S. Georgius ist anzurufen in Kriegs-Gefahr
S. Erasmus für Darm und Leibesschmerzen
S. Vitus ein großer Freund der Kinder-Herzen
S. Pantaleon Patron der Ärzten, bei Gott mächtig
S. Christoph für Hagel und Wetter beschützt er kräftig
S. Dionysus in Hauptweh wird gerufen an
S. Cyriacus von Teufel Beseßnen helfen kann
S. Achatius dem christlichen Kriegsvolk hilft er behend
S. Eustachius Betrübniß in der Ehe abwendt
S. Ägidius hilft zu Erkenntniß heimlicher Sünd
S. Margaretha wo Teufelslist ein Zugang findt
S. Katharina wenn Weisheit im Studiren mangelt
S. Barbara im Tod die Sackrament erlangt
St. Blaise is
for when your throat is sore
St. George is invoked in times of war
Erasmus is good when your belly hurts
St. Vitus is a friend of children's hearts
St. Pantaleon prays for those who heal
St. Christopher's a help when the weather's surreal
Dionysius is for when your head is bad aching
Cyriacus is a friend when the devil's soul-shaking
Acathius helps those who defend
Eustachius helps the married stay friends
St. Giles lets us know the times we are flagging
St. Margaret is good when there there be dragons
St. Catherine helps us our studies embrace
St. Barbara helps us to die in good grace
Footnotes
1 I have to laugh at the reality that many
Protestant church choirs sing Humperdinck's "Evening Song (When at
Night I Go to Sleep)" not realizing that the "angels" are actually
Catholic Saints. Let's pray they all formally enter into the Church
Christ built on the rock of St. Peter!
