St James

733 Bridge St NW

^Ancona

The English speaking Irish who lived on the west side of the river did not feel comfortable in St. Mary's German Catholic Church. The Irish wanted their own church. . Father Wermers of St. Andrews purchased the land for St. James on Bridge Street in 1867. Plans were begun for a church in 1869. St. James was dedicated on 21 Jul 1872. The school was opened 1 Sept 1886. A new school was built in 1922. ^Ancona

It was built at about the same time as St. Andrews and is very similar in style particularly the ceiling which is very similar to St. Andrews before it's roof was destroyed by lightening.

I have to admit I did not trust the handicap entrance which is an outdoor-entrance elevator. The only time I used such a device was on the USS Missouri. The elevator failed and I became stuck. Hopefully, the Catholic Church is more reliable than the US government but I want a flesh and blood witness standing by just in case.

"There were never in America, from the standpoint of language" Irish parishes as there were German or Polish or Lithuanian parishes. The Church, faced with immense numbers of newly-arrived immigrants, was forced to establish foreign-language parishes ---. As each group of nationals grew sufficiently large, it received its own pastor and built its own church. The remaining immigrants were mostly Irish who spoke English". ^McGee St. James became the church of choice for the smaller groups of non-English speaking immigrants, the Romans and the Ukrainians, the Hispanics.

I could not read a date but it was recorded in Liber 1.

"In 1867, Father Wermers -- (pastor at St. Andrews) -- purchased three acres on the west side of the river, at the juncture of Bridge (St) and Caldwell streets (avenue), for the sum of $1,000. There he intended that there should be erected a third parish for the city, this one to be an English-speaking Catholics west of the river. -- complaints were lodged about the 'mud-hole' - the plot was - swampy --. Father Pulcher was to build a $45,000 church -- and later to erect a convent, a rectory, and a school. -- In the spring of 1872 -- as St James --- was nearing completion --." ^McGee

^{Sanborn 1913}