Which Saint James?

         Parishes, like Christians, are most often named after a saint, and from this saint receive not only heavenly protection, but a certain character, even personality. The patron of each parish shapes the spiritual life of that parish; and nowhere is this more true than at St. James Cathedral.

         But who is Saint James? His name is familiar enough, but many of us have only a vague idea of him as one in a long list of apostles. There seems to be nothing in him to inspire particular devotion; he said little that the Gospels record, and left none of his writings behind (the New Testament’s beautiful “Letter of James” is attributed to another disciple of the name). But this self-effacing saint has inspired over the centuries an ardent devotion that has drawn millions from all corners of the earth to his great shrine in Compostela, Spain, where countless miracles have been attributed to his powerful intercession.

         In this special website feature, we will renew our acquaintance with Saint James: his life as revealed by the Gospels; and his amazing life after death, through the devotion that sprang up around his tomb.