Franciscans deserting the Shrine of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Utter catastrophe.

The Franciscans have been looking after the Upper Franconian pilgrimage site of Vierzehnheiligen for around 200 years. Now their presence there is in jeopardy. The archdiocese and the order are working together to find solutions.

The presence of the Franciscan Order at the pilgrimage site of Vierzehnheiligen in Bad Staffelstein is uncertain. As the Archdiocese of Bamberg announced (Tuesday), the provincial leadership wants to decide at the beginning of 2026 whether and how the order can continue to be present after around 200 years. However, a continuation beyond 2028 is currently rather unrealistic. Nevertheless, the archdiocese and the order want to continue to ensure local pastoral care.

At the centre of the devotion is the Infant Jesus

Due to recruitment problems, the Franciscans will no longer be able to provide care on their own in future, the statement continued. The Archdiocese and the leadership of the order had therefore held "intensive talks" in recent weeks. Archbishop Herwig Gössl is concerned with preserving Vierzehnheiligen as a place of encounter, hope and faith for future generations.

According to the information, eight Franciscans currently live in Vierzehnheiligen, one of the most important places of pilgrimage in the Archdiocese of Bamberg. Around 180 groups of pilgrims and around 800,000 visitors come there every year. 

Source

If the modern church cannot protect this holy shrine, they cannot protect anything.  A few more years, we will be picking over a devastated wasteland.