In April, 1972 St. James the Apostle Church, Fremont, came into existence with Fr. John Morgan as its first Pastor and Fr. Paul Cleu thereafter. Sunday Masses were celebrated at the auditorium of Patterson School, Fremont, while different families hosted daily Masses until 1976, when Bishop Begin dedicated the present Multi-Purpose hall which 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, and the newly constructed hall was to become the Parish Community Hall.
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 proven beyond doubt that they can efficiently handle different departments of the Parish with a profound sense of love, dedication and selfless service.
The next eight years are vital, as each family of the parish is going to pull up their sleeves, dig into their purses and make their pledges to offer their sacrificial offering 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 and we will have a new Church in 2025.
