​Our Faith

 Saint James

Feast day: May 3 

Also referred to as: James the Son of Alphaeus, James the Just, James the brother of the Lord 

Saint James: First century BC–c. 62 

Patron Saint of Pharmacists 

Saint James is one of the Twelve Apostles. The traditional view, from as early as the second century, is that there are only two disciples of Christ in the New Testament with the name James. The two Jameses are James the Son of Zebedee and James the Less (also referred to as James the brother of the Lord, and James the Son of Alphaeus). The title, "the Less", is used to differentiate James from other people named James. It means that he is either the younger or shorter of two. Later authors call him James the Just. If James the Less is also the James who is the Lord’s brother, then James’ father was Alphaeus and his mother was Mary of Clopas, the sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This would make James the nephew of the Blessed Virgin and a first cousin to Jesus. He is referred to as Jesus’ “brother” because it was common at that time to refer to cousins and other relatives as brothers and sisters. In Mark’s Gospel, Levi (better known as Matthew) is also referred to as the son of Alphaeus (Mark 2:14) which could make James and Matthew brothers. 

In his letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul relates that the Lord appeared to James after His Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7). After Pentecost, James became the first bishop of the Church in Jerusalem. The Acts of the Apostles relates that it was James, as the head of the Jerusalem Church, who oversaw the First Council of Jerusalem and declared the final judgment on behalf of Peter (see Acts 15). Eusebius, a fourth-century bishop, writes that James spent long hours in the Temple of Jerusalem: “…he was in the habit of entering alone into the temple, and was frequently found upon his knees begging forgiveness for the people, so that his knees became hard like those of a camel.” Traditionally, the New Testament letter of James is believed to have been written by James the Less. That letter was a general letter, most likely sent to all of the Jewish Christian communities. It begins, “James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings” (James 1:1). The letter then goes on to give encouragement in trials and persecutions, exhortations and warnings, and concludes by speaking of the power of prayer. 

St. James was a disciple and was among the Twelve Apostles. He was uniquely chosen by the Savior to continue His divine mission of evangelizing the world. He embraced his ministry heroically, establishing communities of believers, preaching the Gospel, offering the sacraments, performing miracles, and governing the early Church. 

Prayer: Saints Philip and James, you were both highly blessed to be companions of the Lord Jesus, listening to Him preach, witnessing His miracles, and receiving from Him a commission to continue His work. Please pray for me, that I will also come to know our Lord and Savior through prayer and the Holy Scriptures, so that I will be prepared for the mission that God has for me. Saints Philip and James, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen 

Information taken from: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/may-3---saints-philip-and-james-apostles/https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=35

Pastoral Plan:

2023 - 2024 St. James Catholic Global Learning Centre Pastoral Plan

Liturgical Celebrations:

Thanksgiving Liturgy: 

October 17th at 11am at St. James CGLC

Advent Mass: 

December 10th at 7pm at St. Mary Star of the Sea

Parish Family St. James and St. Luke Blessing of the Creche followed by Social 

Ash Wednesday Liturgy and Distributions of Ashes:

March 5th at 11 at St. James CGLC

Easter Mass:

April 24th at 1:30 at St. James CGLC

End of Year Mass:

June 17th at 10:15 at St. Mary Star of the Sea

Graduation Liturgy:

June 24th at 1:30 at St. Mary Star of the Sea