Church of St. Christopher's

St. Christopher blesses Baldwin travelers

Established in 1915, the Church of St. Christopher’s on Merrick Road was named after the patron saint of travel. It places its blessing on travelers heading across Long Island, or west to New York City.

Each year, St. Christopher’s extends its blessings out of the Roman Catholic Church and into the streets of Baldwin. On the sidewalk, priests sprinkle holy water on passing motorists, wishing them safe travels and protection for future journeys. The ceremony is so well known — lines form for several blocks as drivers wait their turn for their vehicular baptism

With the Catholic population in Baldwin blooming to roughly 70 families in 1912, these founders petitioned Bishop Charles McDonnell, the second Bishop of Brooklyn, for a house of worship. That same year, McDonnell established a mission church in Baldwin attached to Our Holy Redeemer in Freeport.

Land at the intersection of Gale Avenue and Merrick Road was bought for $5,000 — $150,000 today — and U.S. Rep. George W. Loft, owner of nearby Loft Estates, pledged an added $5,000 to raise funds for the purchase. Loft would continue in real estate, and in 1938, would subdivide 40 acres of his Baldwin estate to build 12 luxury homes.

It was McDonnell who wanted this new

mission be named for St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, since it was situated at the western end of Merrick Road — then the road to Montauk, The automobile was rather new at the time, and McDonnell was quite fond of driving across Long Island, using Merrick Road to take him from Jamaica to Montauk.

St. Christopher was designated a shrine church. By the 1920s on every July 25, cars would line a then much narrower Merrick Road for the blessing of the automobiles. People would make a pilgrimage here from all over to have their vehicle blessed at St. Christopher’s Shrine. — Karina Kovac

Tim Baker/Herald photos

Top: Flowers thrive outside of St. Christopher's Church. Bottom: St. Christopher's School sits next to the church on Merrick Road, providing education to generations.