History aside, the legend of St. Christopher continues to be a magnetic presence in the lives of many Catholics as well as on the dashboards of their cars. According to a spokeswoman for the Christian Booksellers Assn., few non-Catholic religious stores sell Christopher items.
The gift shop at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles features about 30 St. Christopher medals and pendants, as well as ceramic wall hangings, figurines and sun visor clips devoted to the saint.
The Christopher items "are the kinds of items you tend to buy in bulk and keep on hand," said Tod Tamberg, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. "They're sort of a staple. St. Christopher was a very popular saint of lots of folks growing up in the '40s, '50s and '60s. Those who rely on him as an intercessor, you can never convince them that he doesn't protect travelers. You can talk to them about historical proof till you're blue in the face, and it doesn't dissuade them."
Five Catholic parishes in California are named after St. Christopher, in West Covina, Moreno Valley, Galt, San Jose and Joshua Tree. None especially commemorated him last Sunday on his feast day.
"We mentioned him in a prayer, but we don't have a festival for him," said Father Ignatius Rasquinha, pastor of St. Christopher of the Desert Catholic Church in Joshua Tree.
Writing in the church's bulletin in February, Rasquinha reminded members of his 200-family parish that the prevalent story about St. Christopher "is based entirely on legend" and that he was removed from the church calendar "because we know so little about him, but the church has not denied Christopher's existence."
For young believers, the dichotomy between the historical man and his legend is neatly explained in a children's book, "Loyola Kids Book of Saints," which is sold in the cathedral gift shop.
In it, author Amy Wellborn writes, "We don't know much about Christopher ... but the stories we tell most often about Christopher [are] stories we've invented to help us figure out the best ways to serve God."
