Feast Day Saint: Saint Christopher

The Feast Day of St. Christopher was celebrated on July 25th before it was taken off the liturgical calendar to make room for new saints. The medal of St. Christopher, Patron Saint of Travelers, is  the most sold medal in the world.

My devotion to St. Christopher began as a little girl. My father was in the Navy during World War Two and we lived in Navy housing growing up. A neighbor returned from a tour of duty and was fortunate enough to visit Rome, where he purchased a medal of St. Christopher.

The neighbor was not Catholic and came over to my house to give me the St. Christopher medal. I cherished the medal and read about St. Christopher, the meaning of the name, “Christ-bearer”, the extraordinary man and the story of Christopher carrying the Christ Child across the rapid river while feeling the weight of the world on his shoulder. 

In 1974, before reception into the Carmelite Sisters, we were asked to choose our religious name. Of course, I would choose CHRISTOPHER.