The Tribune

THE CONGREGATION of St James Anglican Church is inviting the young and old to celebrate with them this weekend in their patronal festivities.

A Patronal Feast is the occasion on which a parish annually honours the saint who was chosen as the patron saint of the parish. It also affords the opportunity to celebrate the life of a parish. To this end, St James Anglican Church, Adelaide Village will celebrate its patron, St James.

On Friday, a solemn evensong, sermon and benediction will take place at St James, beginning at 7pm.

The preacher for the service will be Canon S Sebastian Campbell, Rector of St Gregory the Great on Carmichael Road. On Sunday, within the Octave of St James the Apostle, a solemn sung mass and sermon will take place at 8am.
The celebrant and preacher will be Rev Drexel W Gomez, Assistant Bishop and Retired Archbishop of the Church in the Province of the West Indies. The priest-in-charge at this service will be Father Andrew Toppin and the Associate Priest is Canon John Clarke.

St James church members explained to Tribune Religion the significance of St James.

James was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, and traditionally considered the first Apostle to be martyred. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle. He is also called James the Greater, or James the Great to distinguish him from James, son of Alphaeus.

James is also described as one of the first disciples to join Jesus. The Synoptic Gospels state that James and John were with their father by the seashore when Jesus called them to follow him. He was one of only three Apostles whom Jesus selected to bear witness to his transfiguration. James and his brother wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan town, but were rebuked by Jesus. The Acts of the Apostles records that “Herod the King” (traditionally identified with Herod Agrippa) had James executed by sword. He is the only Apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament. Thus, he is traditionally believed to be the first of the Twelve Apostles martyred for his faith.

Church members said St James is also the patron saint of Spain and, according to legend, his remains are held in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. The traditional pilgrimage to the grave of the saint, known as the “Way of St James”, has been the most popular pilgrimage for Western European Catholics from the Early Middle Ages onwards.