The Parish Community of St. James

The Parish Community of St. James, The history of St. James Roman Catholic Church began in the late 17th century, when many French and Irish immigrants were drawn to Woodbridge following the discovery of a fine type of potter’s clay in the area. With no church of their own, early Catholics attended masses held at private Woodbridge homes conducted by two Jesuits priests sent from New York. Church records date the first Woodbridge celebration of Holy Mass in 1683. As the Catholic community grew, many traveled to neighboring churches in Rahway and Perth Amboy., In 1865, a small wood-frame catholic church was built along upper Main Street near Metuchen Avenue. In 1888, a second church was consecrated across the street, named for St. James the Younger, and incorporated as a parish in 1893. In 1924, the church was moved by tractor a half-mile east to the corner of Main Street and Amboy Avenue. 1924 also saw the opening of the present-day St. James School building; the school had been established in 1890 by the Sisters of Mercy by converting the original wood-frame church into a three-room schoolhouse., In 1966, ground was broken for a new 1,200-seat St. James church; the building was consecrated on June 23, 1968 and today serves some 4,000 families, one of the largest congregations in the4 Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen., More information visit www.wthpc.org , Woodbridge Township Historic Preservation Commission , Mayor John E. McCormac Woodbridge Township 2013 ,