Almighty God,
you have blessed your servant and martyr Christopher
with a beautiful name: 
Teach us also to be true Christbearers
to those who do not know you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Christopher was born in the third century with the name Reprobus (some say his name was Offerus), and it is told that he stood well over seven feet tall.

Before he became a servant of Christ, he was a servant of the Canaanite king.  But he resolved to serve the greatest king, so he journeyed to find the greatest king of all.  He found a king who was afraid of the devil, so he went on in search of the devil.  He came across a group of thieves, and one of them called himself the devil.  But when they passed by a wayside cross, Christopher noticed that the devil feared Christ.  So he then went in search of Christ, that he might serve him.  On the journey, he met a hermit who catechized him, instructing him in the Christian faith.  He told Christopher to serve Christ by helping people cross a dangerous river, as he was a big and strong.

Once a child came to him to cross the river, and as they crossed, the child became exceedingly heavy, and it took every bit of strength Christopher had to get the child to the other side.  The child then let him know that he was Christ, and the heavy burden that weighed them down was the sin of the world.  Christ asked him to plant his staff in the ground, and it budded and turned into a flowering tree.  He was baptized and received the name Christopher, meaning Christ-bearer.

He went on to a nearby city called Lycia and comforted Christians who were being martyred.  Many were being converted to Christ, and so the king came against him and tried to force him to worship pagan gods, but he refused, and the king ordered him to be killed.  Legend says they tried to burn him at the stake, but he would not burn.  They tried to shoot him with arrows, but the arrows stopped in mid-air before piercing him.  Finally, they beheaded him, and Christopher, who had journeyed and found the greatest king of all, the King of kings, and dedicated his life to serving him, received the crown of martyrdom, placed on his head by the Son of God himself.

Behold St. Christopher, and go on your way safely.