History of St. James

Before 1883, many Irish-Catholic families migrated to   Le Mars from Illinois and Wisconsin. St. James was organized in September of 1883 with 200 families.

A frame building was erected at 5th Ave and 1st St SW, a block east of the present church. Father James Barron was appointed as the first pastor. This structure was destroyed by a tornado on June 14, 1885, after existing for only two years.

The church was then moved to the present location, constructed of brick and stone with a modified Gothic front, at a cost of $17,500. The basement served as the church for two years, 1886-1888. The upper structure was built in 1892.

The basement was converted to a school in 1892. The Sisters of Charity taught for six years and then the Franciscans for four years. The school closed in 1903 after 11 years.

In 1900, one of the largest church bells in Le Mars, weighing 4,000 pounds, was mounted in the church bell tower.

Father Barron's mother built a rectory across the street from the church and he built a convent for the sisters adjacent to the church.

The convent was converted to a rectory during Father O'Farrell's pastorate. An addition was made to the rear of the church in 1922, increasing the capacity to 345 people. The present brick rectory was built in 1924.

In addition, in 1940, the church was redecorated and the stained glass windows were replaced. An addition to the church was built in 1951. It consisted of a new sanctuary, sacristy, winter chapel, kitchen, meeting room and furnace room. The project cost was $50,000. The enlarged and remodeled church was dedicated on May 2, 1954.

St. James and St. Joseph united to plan a central school program in 1951. A drive was conducted and $375,000 was pledged and paid. The school, Gehlen Catholic, was completed in 1954.

In 1961, Neptune St. Joseph's, Assumption Merrill, St. Joseph's Struble and St. Joseph's Ellendale joined the Gehlen corporation.

More renovations were completed in 1969 with the recarpeting and remodeling of the sanctuary. The communion rail was removed and the altar was updated to comply with Vatican II changes.

In April of 1988, $150,000 was raised as a three-stage improvement project was set up. Stage one included a new front entrance with a ramp to the church hall, plus new restrooms and lobby area. The entire brick exterior was renovated plus the bell tower. The general contractor was Kenneth Plueger. On Thanksgiving Day, 1988 the parish used the new entry for the first time and offered prayers of thanksgiving for this improvement.

The cornerstone, which had been in place for 102 years, yielded a tin box which was opened at a ceremony for several hundred parishioners. Msgr. Sernett found much of the contents disintegrated by moisture, but some small pieces of newspaper gave interesting information as to grain prices and interest rates from that time. New commemorative items were sealed in a new box to be opened in the year 2088.

Stage two of the improvement project included restoration of the stained glass windows, redecorating the walls, stations, altar and woodwork in the body of the church.

Stage three included installation of new pews and carpet in the sanctuary and body of the church. In the church hall, the flooring was removed and cement floor was poured. The hall was re-papered and new carpet laid. Vertical blinds were hung in the hall windows. The entire project was completed in late 1991.

The parish has grown from 200 members to having about 650 families registered.

The following are Pastors that have served St. James:

    1. Rev. James Barron (1883-1902)
    2. Father O'Farrell (1902-1923)
    3. Father Cooper (1923-1945)
    4. Father Linus LaVelle (1945-1969)
    5. Father John Turza (1969-1972)
    6. Father George McFadden (1972-1987)
    7. Msgr. Michael Sernett (1987-1994) 
    8. Father Richard Ries (1994-2002)
    9. Father Jim Tigges (2002-2009)
  10. Father Matt Hewitt (2009-2012)
  11. Father Paul Eisele (2012-2014)