St. James the Apostle Catholic Church was founded when Father John Morgan was appointed as Pastor by Bishop Floyd Begin in April 1972. The first Sunday Mass was celebrated at 8:00 am in May 1972 at Patterson School Auditorium with weekday Masses held in private homes until the present church was completed.

Bishop Begin dedicated our present church in May 1976. Fr. Morgan retired in 1993 and the next pastor was Fr. Paul Cleu with Fr. Domingos Jaques saying a Mass each weekend. Fr. Paul expanded the music program and added Greeters, Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, and Acolytes and during his tenure, the parishioners paid off the building debt. A Capital Improvement Fund was started with the Finance Council providing oversight beginning in May 2007.

Father Cleu retired in 2007 and on June 9 that year, Fr. Antony arrived. Before Fr. Antony moved in, the parishioners renovated the rectory and the Parish Office. Over the next few years, many changes now began to happen in our parish.

• Since 2008, with Open Mind, Open Heart, Open Door as our motto, Mass attendance increased significantly and a noon Mass on Sunday was added. The number of families registered in the parish has risen from 300 to nearly 900 at present.
• Through the efforts of a group of parishioners, the statue of St. James moved outside and the lawn between the church and the rectory was transformed into a garden for meditation and prayer to our Mother Mary. The Grotto was dedicated in November 2007 by Bishop John Cummins. Through the generosity of many parish families, many beautiful statues have been added, including la Pietà and Our Lady of Vailankanni.
• New devotions were initiated by parishioners including Divine Mercy, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Sacred Heart of Jesus and Legion of Mary. Monthly devotions to Our Lady of Fatima began in May 2009 and to Our Lady of Vailankanni in 2010.
• Parish Ministries began forming to provide support for Father Antony and the parish as a whole with volunteers staffing the office, doing the bookkeeping and maintaining the church proper. Guided by the principle that little drops of water make an ocean, ministries took on numerous fundraising events that have included an annual Festival, Simbang Gabi at Christmas, an International Rosary, and a Dinner Dance to name a few.
•  Religious Education was begun in September 1992 under the direction of Sister Donna Marie and classes were held in the instructors’ homes. In 2007, the program was renewed under the direction of Elizabeth Flores and a cohort of dedicated volunteer catechists. The program has grown to provide faith formation to 118 children and adults this past year. These classes were held in the Church, the kitchen, the Faith Formation office, the side chapel, the parish office, the rectory conference room, the rectory kitchen and dining room – obviously outgrowing our present facilities.

The United We Build Campaign that our parishioners began in 2008 resultedf the Groundbreaking for the Mother Teresa Center in 2014 and dedication in 2016!

When Bishop Begin dedicated the present Multi-Purpose hall, it was meant to serve temporarily as the Parish Church. It has been in use for more than 40 years. The building of a new church was always the intention. Unfortunately both the founder and his successor were not able to build their dream Church. Hence, the present church continued to be the place of worship. The need for a new church has been the dream of St. James Parishioners, who desire, for example, pews to kneel and pray. Until 2016 the present church was the only gathering place. For obvious reasons, we were forced to rearrange chairs in the church for other meetings when required. By the grace of God, and by the selfless and committed efforts of the Parishioners, we were able to build a new center named after Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The Mother Teresa Center will always remain dedicated to the Parishioners of St. James. This $3 million project was paid for due to the generosity of the parishioners. Our children, the FUTURE of our Parish, are delighted to have a worthy place for their human, spiritual and religious formation today.

The Parishioners of St. James are motivated and challenged by their three Parish Maxims like:

• Open Mind, Open Heart and Open Door. This is an attitude.
• United We Build. This demands a commitment and engagement.
• Little Drops of Water make an Ocean. Everyone is important and counted.

Since 2007 the Parish community began a new era of progress and development by creating a sense of belonging and ownership among the members of the Parish. Several ministries came to be formed and worked together to serve the various needs of the Parish. As a result, the parish community grew by leaps and bounds during the last ten years. Today we number more than a thousand registered families. The Parish owes a deep debt of love and gratitude to numerous volunteers who have proved beyond doubt that they can efficiently handle different departments of the Parish with a profound sense of love, dedication and selfless service.

The families of the parish are pulling up their sleeves, digging into their purses and making their pledges to achieve their new Dream Church. If every family gets involved and engaged in the building of the Church, and if every family begins to see this project as their goal, our new Church will become a reality.