On May 2, 1922, the foundation was laid for the Little Chapel in the Woods, which today is known as the Heilborn Chapel. It was constructed and donated by the Gaul brothers: Herman, Jacob, and Christopher. Initially, it held statues of the Blessed Virgin, the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and some kneeling benches. It was blessed in October 1924. Who were the Fourteen Holy Helpers?
The devotion to the Fourteen Holy Helpers originated in Europe during the plague or “Black Death” from 1346 to 1349. This collective group of early Christian saints is prayed to during adversity and difficulties and invoked for protection from and the curing of various diseases such as throat ailments, headaches, stomach and intestinal disorders, epilepsy, storms, traveling, diabolical possession, fire, madness, backache, family troubles, death agony, bites from animals, lightning, sudden death, and more.
The traditional feast day of the Fourteen Holy Helpers is August 8.
They are:
Saint George, Martyr
Saint Blasé, Bishop and Martyr
Saint Pantaleon, Martyr
Saint Vitus, Martyr
Saint Erasmus, Bishop and Martyr (Saint Elmo)
Saint Christophorus, Martyr (Saint Christopher)
Saint Dionysius, Bishop and Martyr (Saint Denis)
Saint Cyriacus, Martyr (Saint Cyriac)
Saint Achatius, Martyr
Saint Eustachius, Martyr (Saint Eustace)
Saint Giles, Abbot
Saint Catherine, Virgin and Martyr
Saint Margaret, Virgin and Martyr
Saint Barbara, Virgin and Martyr
These saints represent a child in connection to the following story. A young shepherd, Herman Leicht was heading home with his sheep on September 22, 1445, when he heard what he thought to be the cry of a child. Looking around, he saw a child in a nearby field. However, when he was about to move closer to check, the child disappeared. Herman then turned back to his flock. Once more looking back to where he saw the apparition, the child appeared again but this time in a circle of light and seated between two burning candles. Once more the child disappeared. Back home, Herman told his parents what happened, and they told him not to speak of it to anyone. Still wondering what occurred, he went to the monastery and told the monks of his experience. They instructed Herman to ask the child what it wanted if he saw it again.
Nearly a year later the child appeared again to the boy, but this time there were also 13 other children. As instructed, Heman asked the child what it wanted. The child replied: “We are the Fourteen Helpers, and desire that a chapel be built for us. Be thou our servant, and we shall serve thee.”
In time, the monks began to believe in the apparitions, and a chapel was begun in 1447 and completed in 1448. It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Fourteen Holy Helpers. From here, the devotion spread throughout Europe and eventually to the United States. Two churches in the United States were dedicated to the Fourteen Holy Helpers. The one in Baltimore, Maryland in now closed and the other in West Seneca, New York, remains open.
Many believe that together these saints have proven themselves to be willing helpers in all difficulties.
By reading the biography of each saint and learning the lessons from their lives, we can invoke the assistance of these early Christian “helpers” and remember them for being patrons of many things that concern us today.
During Vatican II, many changes occurred in the Catholic Church. Among them was the removal of many saints from the Litany of Saints. Numerous legends overtook the facts regarding their lives, and truth was hard to discern, so they were “decommissioned.” This affected the Heilborn-Little Chapel on the Hill too, because when the authenticity of the Fourteen Helpers was questioned, the statues ended up at the bottom of Lake Gilbraith. Sister Mary Jo Shingler, PHJC, has told this story of the plaster statues, which disolved in the lake, and she concludes it with, “all that is left of the statues today are their eyeballs.”
Looking back to look ahead, many believers still pray to one or more of the Fourteen Holy Helpers for assistance in times of need. Who among us can determine whether their status is legitimate? In the end, it is what works that counts. It has been stated that shrines throughout the properties of Donaldson are inhabited by various saints since the Sisters – then and now – seek God’s protection through his holy ones.
