Rev. Father Christian Mondor, O.F.M., was known as the "Surfing Padre," and garnered national attention starting in 2007 for the annual Blessing of the Waves interfaith prayer service, which was held at the pier in Huntington Beach, California, where he had served (and surfed) as a priest at Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Church since 1990. Born Richard Mondor, the son of Leo and Myra (Biscay) Mondor, his family moved from Hollywood to Westwood, California, and he started bodysurfing and competitive swimming in the late 1930s. He joined the Franciscan Order at Santa Barbara in 1944, and was ordained in 1951. He taught in Arizona, and in 1954 he began 19 years of service in Salem, Oregon. He was a teacher and later assistant principal at Serra High School, a teacher at St. Francis Seminary, and then the president of Mt. Angel College, from 1970 to 1973. He earned his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Portland in 1969. He returned to California and served at the Serra Retreat Center in Malibu for two years. He was then the superior and a teacher at the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, and he served at the St. Clare Retreat Center in Santa Cruz, before starting his 28 year assignment as pastor and pastor emeritus at Sts. Simon and Jude Parish. Well known for his love of surfing, he was also an accomplished banjo player. Father Christian will long be remembered for the great care he gave to all the people he met, as well as his concern for the environment, social justice, and world peace.
Rev. Father Christian Mondor, O.F.M., was known as the "Surfing Padre," and garnered national attention starting in 2007 for the annual Blessing of the Waves interfaith prayer service, which was held at the pier in Huntington Beach, California, where he had served (and surfed) as a priest at Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Church since 1990. Born Richard Mondor, the son of Leo and Myra (Biscay) Mondor, his family moved from Hollywood to Westwood, California, and he started bodysurfing and competitive swimming in the late 1930s. He joined the Franciscan Order at Santa Barbara in 1944, and was ordained in 1951. He taught in Arizona, and in 1954 he began 19 years of service in Salem, Oregon. He was a teacher and later assistant principal at Serra High School, a teacher at St. Francis Seminary, and then the president of Mt. Angel College, from 1970 to 1973. He earned his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Portland in 1969. He returned to California and served at the Serra Retreat Center in Malibu for two years. He was then the superior and a teacher at the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, and he served at the St. Clare Retreat Center in Santa Cruz, before starting his 28 year assignment as pastor and pastor emeritus at Sts. Simon and Jude Parish. Well known for his love of surfing, he was also an accomplished banjo player. Father Christian will long be remembered for the great care he gave to all the people he met, as well as his concern for the environment, social justice, and world peace.
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