Is St. Christopher Still an Official Saint?
How Vatican II Changes Affected Christopher's Status
Sep 3, 2009
St. Christopher is the Patron Saint of Transportation and Traveling, recognized by both Roman and Orthodox Catholics. Many popular depictions, including those on St. Christopher medals, show him carrying the Christ Child across a river.
His popularity has always been significant and many people, including non-Catholics, carry a St. Christopher medallion in the form of a keychains in the belief that he keeps travelers safe. However, many people believe that the Catholic Church no longer considers him a saint; this stems from a misunderstanding of two separate documents: the General Roman Calendar and the Roman Martyrology.
Vatican II and Changes to the Calendar of Saints
During the 1960s, the Catholic Church was undergoing several major reforms. One of these involved a review and revision to the Calendar of Saints, which ultimately resulted in the elimination of the feast days of several popular saints.
Numerous people interpreted this to mean that these saints were essentially "unsainted." This arises from a general misunderstanding of the how the Calendar of Saints functions. Rather than the definitive list of all official Roman Catholic saints, the calendar simply indicates designated feast days; not all saints have feast days, therefore, not all saints are on the calendar.
What is a feast day? A feast day is a special day dedicated to a particular saint. Many feast days are celebrated only regionally, such as Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico or St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in the United States. The General Roman Calendar is the official list of feast days that should be celebrated by all Roman Catholic churches, such as the Feast of Saint Stephen celebrated on December 26.
What is the General Roman Calendar?
The General Roman Calendar also includes major celebrations such as Christmas, Easter, the Epiphany, and the Ascension. Acting as an overall outline, the General Roman Calendar tells churches what they are expected to observe. No church that holds to the Roman Rite may eliminate Christmas, but only the National Calendar of England lists the Feast Day of Saint Aelred of Rievaulx (January 12).
Local calendars are typically established at the national, diocesan, and parish levels. These allow churches to celebrate local saints of particular importance, including the patron saints of each diocese and church. Further, each religious order and consecrated secular institute also has its own calendar, adding a greater level of detail and personal importance.
In 1969, the Church removed Saint Christopher's Feast Day (July 25), along those of with Saint Valentine and Saint Barbara, from the General Roman Calendar. Simply put, they removed his feast day from the overarching list of feast days and left the decision to celebrate to the local churches. Nothing prohibits a church to continue to celebrate Saint Christopher.
Where to Find the Official List of Saints
The primary list of saints is contained in the Roman Martyrology, begun in 1583 by Pope Gregory XIII. Updates have been made as necessary to include newly canonized saints. The major revision ordered by the Second Vatican Council to ensure that the list of saints was aligned with historical facts was finally issued in 2001 with minor updates in 2005. Saint Christopher is, indeed, still a saint in the Catholic Church.
Sources:
- Catholic.org - St. Christopher article
- NewAdvent.org - St. Christopher article
- NewAdvent.org - Martyrology article
- NewAdvent.org - Christian Calendar article
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