Reverend Christian Mondor, known as the “Surfing Padre”, died on April 25th, two days before his 93rd birthday. Image: AP
Reverend Christian Mondor, known as the “Surfing Padre”, died on April 25th, two days before his 93rd birthday. Mondor, who was well-known for presiding over an annual wave blessing ceremony in Huntington Beach, succumbed to his battle against pneumonia.
After joining a church near the beach in his mid-60s, Mondor began surfing in the ’90s. “He figured that if he lived near the beach, he better learn how to surf,” Rev. Ryan Thornton told the L.A. Times. It wasn’t long before people began calling him the Surfing Priest, which turned into the Surfing Padre over time.
According to reports, he would bless surfers before they paddled out in the mornings. Within a few years of moving to Huntington Beach, he began a prayer service on the beach—which included religious leaders of many different faiths—that was called the Blessing of the Waves. Thousands of people attended the annual service. “We find that the ocean can bring people of all faiths together,” Mondor said to The Associated Press in 2010. “And since this is Surf City USA, it’s the perfect place to gather.”
The Blessing of the Waves, according to Mondor, was in honor of the patron saint of the environment, St. Francis of Assisi.
Our condolences to the friends, family, and anyone affected by the passing of Reverend Mondor’s passing.
