Convinced of the profound ability of each person to shape the future, Father James Keller, M.M., founded The Christophers in 1945. The Maryknoll priest believed that God has given each individual a special task in life which belongs to no one else. This sense of personal mission and the power of goodness is the heart of the Christopher message. It is summed up by the ancient Chinese proverb which has become our motto: "It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."