Please donate to help us keep this website operating. Your donation will help further our mission to share information about Our Lady Help of Christians on site alluschurches.com. Please keep in mind, that while the site supports church-related causes, this is a directory website; this is not a Church. Your donation will also help humanitarian aid.

By helping us, you agree to terms and conditions page

Please add your review. Your comments help to get feedback and an honest opinion about the Our Lady Help of Christians.
Thanks to the reviews, other people are able to learn of mistakes or read of the warmth and delight of your gratitude. Please keep your comments--whether praise or criticism--kind and appropriate. This is not the place to ask questions, or post contact information. Inappropriate language, off-topic or duplicate comments, names of individuals criticised, phone numbers, etc will be X'd out or removed, according to the moderator's notice and discretion. Thank you for your comments and participation!

• ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

  The Chapel of Our Lady Help of Christians, also known as the Maria Hilf Chapel, is a historic and beautiful Greek Revival style Roman Catholic Church that was constructed in 1853 as a religious center for the rural Alsatian community and pilgrimage site for urban Alsatian, German, Polish, and Italian immigrants to Our Lady Help of Christians. It is the oldest church in Cheektowaga, NY and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The chapel's architecture features a barrel vault ceiling, artisan woodwork, frescos, religious paintings, and other artifacts that reflect an Alsatian village church. The best part of The Chapel has nothing to do with the wood, stones, bricks or mortar that is made of. It has everything to do with the stories and the miracles that have made it the pilgrimage destination it is today.
  
  The story starts on October 20, 1836, when Joseph Batt, his wife Barbara, and their children left their homeland in Alsace-Lorraine and departed for America. According to historic records the Batt family booked passage on a ship named "The Mary Ann." The ship set sail on November 11, 1836. On November 29th a significant occurrence took place, which had a direct bearing on the establishment of the Shrine of Maria Hilf Zu (the German words for Our Lady Help of Christians) and its subsequent establishment as a parish. On that day the ship encountered a tremendous storm of hurricane force, and was severly damaged. Joseph Batt, a man of deep faith, turned to our Blessed Mother, to safe-guard the voyage of his family. He invoked the name of Our Lady Help of Christians, Star of the Sea. Mr. Batt made a solemn promise to Our Lady that if he and his family arrived safely in America he would build a chapel in honor of the Blessed Mother of God. The storm subsided, and the ship drifted to Ireland, where it was repaired. The ship sailed again, and arrived in America on February 2, 1837, Candlemas Day - which is the Feast of the Purification of Mary.
  
  It took Joseph Batt several years to begin to fulfill his solemn promise. This allowed time to establish himself financially, acquire the land, and very importantly to acclimate himself to the American culture and language. On July 17, 1852 his promise began to be realized. Bishop Timon granted permission for the construction of the Chapel, which was completed in 1853. From its very inception the Chapel saw a steady stream of pilgrims coming to venerate the Blessed Mother. The Pilgrimage to the Chapel in Cheektowaga had its origins inspired by the great Alsatian Pilgrimages of the village of Marienthal, Alsace. In Cheektowaga, the first inclination to make the pilgrimage was prompted by the cholera epidemic in 1854. Medicine at that time did not have much to offer, so the pilgrims turned to the Blessed Mother for help and protection. These pilgrims were primarily Alsatians, Bavarians, Swiss, and Rhinelanders from Cheektowaga, Williamsville and Lancaster. Buffalo pilgrims soon joined them in this devotion to Mary.
  
  Msgr. Nelson Baker, already designated "Servant of God" in the cause for his formal canonization, was always concerned about the Chapel and its continued growth. He also laid the corner stone for the Chapel school in 1924. Msgr. Baker adamantly opposed the proposal to demolish the Chapel and build a new church. He recognized that the small chapel was too precious and must be preserved forever. The original Chapel remains intact to this day.
  
  Our Blessed Mother will not abandon us. She is, after all, Our Lady, Help of Christians!
  
  I would like to give special thanks to Rev. Richard A. Jesionowski for giving iTours 360VR the opportunity to photographically capture and preserve, both The Chapel and The Grotto, in Google Street View 360° photospheres that can instantly teleport you to both locations to experience an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) presense within the historic and holy grounds.

  Added June 24, 2017 by iTours 360VR
• ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

  A beautiful, old-world chapel. It is a step back in time.

  Added September 27, 2016 by Kevin U.V. Upen