Who are the Fourteen Holy Helpers? - Get Fed™

Who are the Fourteen Holy Helpers? - Get Fed™ These saints are mostly drawn from the ranks of the early Church martyrs. Each one is invoked against a particular affliction, often related to the means of their martyrdom. Here they are: St. Acatius – 4th c. Greek captain in the Roman army. Some say he was crowned with thorns. Eventually beheaded. Invoked against headaches. St. Barbara – 3rd c. Virgin-martyr killed by her own father. Lightning struck him as punishment. Invoked against lightning and fire. St. Blaise – 4th c. Armenian martyr-bishop. Cured a child choking on a fishbone. Invoked against throat ailments. St. Catherine of Alexandria – 4th c. Egyptian virgin-martyr famous for her learning. Invoked by lawyers and against diseases of the tongue. St. Christopher – “Christ-bearer.” 3rd c. Martyr who carried the Christ Child across a stream. Invoked against travel dangers and sudden death. St. Cyriacus – 4th c. Roman deacon-martyr. Cured Diocletian’s daughter, possibly of blindness. Invoked against eye diseases. 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. 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). 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. St. George – 4th c. Soldier under Diocletian. Killed a dragon. Saved a princess. Died a martyr. Invoked against skin diseases and palsy. St. Giles – 7th c. Athenian monk. Founded a Benedictine community in France. Told Charles Martel to go to confession. Invoked against crippling diseases. St. Margaret of Antioch – 4th c. Virgin-martyr. Converted by her holy nurse. Shepherdess. Invoked by women in childbirth and against kidney diseases. 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. St. Vitus – 4th c. Sicilian. Converted by his Christian nurse and her husband. All three martyred together. Invoked against paralysis, nervous diseases, and epilepsy.