The patron saint of St. James Church is formally known as St. James the Greater. He is called the Greater to distinguish him from another apostle, also named James, who is called the Lesser. Relatively little is known for sure about either of the two St. James, but there are some generally undisputed facts about our patron:

• He was one of the sons of Zebedee, along with another apostle, John;
• He was the third apostle after Peter and Andrew to be chosen by Jesus;
• There are several mentions of him in the Gospels, so he must have been a favorite of Jesus, or at least the Evangelists;
• He was put to death by Herod Agrippa in 44 AD;
• He is generally held to be the first of the apostles to be martyred. 

While these are the few known facts about him and his life, there are many stories and legends, but most of them were not documented until at least the Middle Ages. Regardless, he is considered one of the greatest of saints. Of churches named after a saint, James is the 5th most popular with 1270, and his feast day is celebrated on July 25.

St. James has been adopted as the patron saint of Spain, equestrians, blacksmiths, tanners and veterinarians.

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Personal Reflection by Chris Forbes

St. James, "Santiago" in Spanish, was the first apostle to be martyred, apparently in Jerusalem, but legend says his miraculously preserved body was discovered in the ninth century in a field located in Galicia in northwest Spain. How his body ended up in Spain is a mystery, but miracles began to happen and the faithful have flocked to the site ever since. A church was built there, and the town of Santiago de Compostela grew up around it. The grave of St. James became an important Christian pilgrimage site in Europe, but what set it apart from all the others for me is that it has always been a walking pilgrimage.

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