By Mary Knapke

DAYTON DEANERY — St. Christopher parish in Vandalia has been hopping with the feel of the ’50s.

The parish has celebrated its anniversary with a yearlong calendar of events, all of which have incorporated a theme recalling the sights and sounds of 1957, the year the parish was established.

Members of the youth ministry program dressed in poodle skirts, pedal pushers and neck scarves when they held a pancake breakfast in January. In August, the parish picnic was followed by a sock hop, attended by Elvis Presley himself (impersonated by parish staff member Gary Eldred). The annual parish festival also carried a ‘50s theme and featured an antique car show.

COURTESY PHOTO

Catholic comedian Doug Brummel performed at St. Christopher Parish in September as part of the Vandalia parish’s 50th anniversary.

The events will culminate in the parish’s anniversary Mass, scheduled for Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. by Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk. A reception will follow in the school’s dining hall.

According to Cathy Campbell, St. Christopher’s director of development and communications, one of the most successful anniversary events was a two-night "Lighten Up!" Whole Community Celebration in September. The "Lighten Up!" show features Colorado-based Catholic comedian Doug Brummel. Campbell said more than 700 people attended each evening.

"We have a vibrant and active community here at St. Chris," Campbell said. "I’m enjoying every minute of it."

Father Frank Keferl, who has been pastor of St. Christopher for seven years, said members of St. Christopher exhibit a strong sense of community within the parish by working together on the annual parish festival, supporting youth programs and being present for fellow parishioners at the time of a family death. Parishioners also extend their enthusiasm for parish life to the greater community through support of the Vandalia Food Pantry, Christmas in July for St. Vincent Hotel and the spring Appalachian collection.

Father Keferl said that during anniversary celebrations, "much enthusiasm and creativity has been generated. We have celebrated the past and set a course for the future."

Thanks to a successful capital campaign undertaken early this year, many of the parish’s facility needs for the nine buildings that comprise the parish campus can now be addressed, Father Keferl said. The parish’s debt of nearly $2 million was eliminated as a result of "generous parish members and determined campaign workers" under the leadership of Mary Lauderbach, he said.

"St. Christopher is a relatively young parish that is blessed with vitality and enthusiasm that spans the age groups," Father Keferl said. "We are grateful believers who like to celebrate the great things God has done for us!"

Virginia Worman and her husband Harry have been members of St. Christopher since it was established. Four of their children received the sacraments of baptism, first Communion, and confirmation there, and all five of their children were married at St. Chris.

"We have a lot of good memories," she said. "The parishioners are very close. I’ve always felt St. Christopher’s was a wonderful parish, and I feel very blessed that we’re members." Worman said she has enjoyed the annual parish picnic over the years and is currently involved with St. Vincent Hotel and the Resident Home Association, a residential facility in Vandalia for the mentally handicapped.

While St. Christopher was established as a parish in 1957, parishioners worshiped in the Morton Middle School Field House and Fred Krim’s Theatre until September 1959, when a combination church and school facility was opened. Mass was celebrated in the school’s gymnasium. The new parish served 250 families; parish enrollment is now more than 1,500 families. In 2006, 108 baptisms and 14 weddings were celebrated at the parish.

The former convent now houses the St. Christopher Center for Children, a preschool and day care program. A recreational facility, named Aufderheide Hall for the priest who established the parish, was built in 1979. St. Christopher School was expanded and a new church was dedicated in 1994. In 1999, the Emmaus Center was built to provide room for the parish’s school and youth ministry and religious education programs to grow.

St. Christopher’s jubilee year will close at a New Year’s Eve Mass at the parish, concelebrated by the pastors of St. Christopher and St. John the Baptist in Tipp City, St. Christopher’s sister parish in the pastoral region. The Mass will also serve to inaugurate St. John’s sesquicentennial celebrations for 2008.