Some of us can remember the controversy that ensued when the Church removed St. Christopher from the calendar many years ago — more or less saying “We’re not sure if he existed, so we’re not calling him a saint anymore.”

But old habits die hard. And some are now coming back. This item appeared in this week’s Long Island Catholic:

From the 1920s to the late 60s on the Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Christopher, cars would line up in front of the Church of St. Christopher here for the “Blessing of the Cars.” Father Steven Camp, pastor of St. Christopher’s, was asked by parishioners if this tradition could resume. So after a hiatus of almost 50 years, on Sunday, July 29 after the 11 a.m. Mass cars and the entire fleet of fire apparatus from the Baldwin Fire Department passed by to receive the “Blessing of the Cars” from Father Steven Camp, Father Brian McQuade, and Father Sebastian Anokwulu, assisted by seminarian Christopher Kostigan. In the photo above, Father Camp, assisted by seminarian Christopher Kostigan, blesses one of the many cars.

Photo: by Jack Healy, The Long Island Catholic