St. Christopher’s Inn capped off National Recovery Month in a big way, hosting its inaugural Be the Bridge: Walk for Recovery.
The event was a success, as Friars, St. Christopher’s Inn leaders and staff, and hundreds of community members flocked to the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie on Sunday, September 25. Those who participated walked the expanse across the Hudson River to raise awareness that recovery from addiction is possible. Teaming with the Mission Support department, St. Christopher’s Inn raised close to $50,000. 
All proceeds went towards assisting men in crisis at St. Christopher’s Inn, a ministry of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. St. Christopher’s Inn has been a leader in providing addiction treatment and rehabilitation for men ages 18 years and older for more than 114 years.
Last year, more than 117,000 people died from drug overdoses. St. Christopher’s Inn’s mission is to offer a continuum of quality health care services that facilitate physical, emotional and spiritual healing by providing chemical dependency treatment, primary healthcare and temporary housing.
Servant of God Father Paul Wattson, SA, and Mother Lurana White, SA, graciously assisted weary and tired wanderers after their arrival at the Holy Mountain of Graymoor. A group of those nomads later built a chicken coup out of fallen trees, and Father Paul then decided to transform the makeshift shed into a home for the “pilgrims of the road.”
We know it today as St. Christopher’s Inn, as Father Paul named the shelter after the patron saint of travelers. The Inn has since evolved, becoming a haven where men can recover from drug addiction and alcoholism.