CT PHOTOS/JEFF UNROE

Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk celebrated the 50th anniversary liturgy at St. Christopher Parish in Vandalia.

Blessed hopes for another 50 years

By Mary Knapke

DAYTON DEANERY - "Abundantly blessed for 50 years!"

That was the message on a sign outside church that greeted St. Christopher parishioners as they arrived for the parish's 50th anniversary jubilee Mass. More than 700 people attended the Nov. 4 celebration at the Vandalia church.

Welcoming the congregation, Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk said he has a special connection with the parish. "I've known all the pastors - all three of them," he said. They include Father Edwin J. Aufderheide (1957-82), Father Robert J. Monnin (1982-2000) and current pastor Father Francis J. Keferl. Archbishop Pilarczyk also dedicated the parish's new church in 1994.

Theresa Smith and Nancy Hochdoerfer, left, both members of St. Christopher Parish in Vandalia and residents of Brookville review the decorative quilt celebrating the 50 years of the parish history.

"God reminds us today that we don't have to earn or deserve or merit His attention," Archbishop Pilarczyk said in his homily. "God doesn't love us because we are important or because we are holy or because we are virtuous. God loves us because God loves us, and that's all there is to it. We are important to God because God has chosen to make us important to Him and for no other reason. We are all unlikely disciples, but that doesn't make any difference to the Lord. All parishes are made up of flawed members. All parishes are constituted by unlikely disciples. But they are all manifestations nonetheless of the saving will of God. We're not saved because we're good. We're good because we're saved."

At the end of Mass, Father Keferl presented Archbishop Pilarczyk with a plaque featuring a prayer of thanksgiving. St. Christopher is one of the first parishes in the diocese to participate in the Grateful Believers program.

Father Keferl said he enjoyed every aspect of the celebration. "Everyone was in a good spirit, and all the hard work of so many paid off," he said. "The Eucharistic celebration was the perfect way to say thanks to God. The presence of the archbishop, clergy, civic leaders and the religious who have served the parish, joining with parish members, made for a vibrant liturgy."

The procession recesses from the church following the 50th anniversary liturgy at St. Christopher Parish in Vandalia.

Sister Florence Seifert, now president of the Sisters of the Precious Blood, served as principal of St. Christopher School from 1966 to 1969. She said she thought the church and jubilee liturgy were both beautiful.

"It was a big thrill for me to see how much the church has grown and flourished over the years," she said. Beginning with a parish membership of 250 families, St. Christopher now serves more than 1,500 families from Vandalia and surrounding communities.

The parish's jubilee year will close with a New Year's Eve Mass that will also serve as the opening of the sesquicentennial year for St. John the Baptist parish in Tipp City.