Syracuse / New York / United States
St. James parish was founded in 1925 with just 30 families and Father James Burns as its first pastor. The seven and a half acre campus was purchased that year for $18, 000 by the first trustees, Dennis H. Dwyer and Peter Byrne. The first Mass was celebrated on September 27, 1925 in a red brick house on the property. The parish continued to grow and in 1927, Father John Quirk was appointed the parishs first assistant pastor. In 1929, the parish decided to build a new church. Thomas Enright, an architect and parishioner, drew up the plans. Bishop Curley laid the cornerstone in 1934. The parishioners supplied all of the labor for the construction. In 1939, Father William Oley succeeded Father Burns as pastor. The 1940s brought two important changes. The Franciscan Sisters arrived in 1943 and set up a catechetical center. The following year, Father Francis Horrigan became pastor. In 1958 a fund drive was started to raise $250, 000 to begin building a new church which would cost around $500, 000. The present church was completed in 1960 and the old church was remodeled for use as a gymnasium in 1961. The rectory and administration building was built in 1964.
