About St. James · Charlestown, Rhode Island
St. James Chapel is a Roman Catholic mission chapel located at 2079 Matunuck Schoolhouse Road in Charlestown, Rhode Island. It is a worship site of St. Mary's Parish, Carolina, RI, within the Diocese of Providence, and serves as the day-to-day hub of parish life — daily Mass, the Parish Enrichment Program, Eucharistic Adoration, and the popular monthly Healing Mass for Addictions are all centered here. The chapel sits on a tranquil property near the southern Rhode Island coast and shares its grounds with the parish center. It is pastored together with St. Mary's Church in Carolina by Rev. Paul Desmarais.
- Patron
- St. James the Greater
- Rector
- Rev. Paul Desmarais
- Diocese
- Diocese of Providence
Why belong here
St. James Chapel offers an unusually full spiritual life for a small mission chapel: daily Mass Monday through Friday, four weekend Masses in season, multi-day Eucharistic Adoration in the Adoration Chapel, and a monthly Healing Mass for Addictions celebrated by Fr. Paul Desmarais. The parish runs a family-centered Parish Enrichment Program (PEP) for faith formation, an active Confirmation program, and lay-led ministries including St. Vincent de Paul, Right to Life, music ministry, and a Parents Education Program — all supported by the modern Parish Center built in the 2010s. It is a Stewardship parish where parishioners are invited to discern and share their time, talent, and treasure in a close-knit, growing coastal-R.I. community.
Mass times at St. James
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:45–5:15 PM (before Vigil Mass)
Adoration times
- Monday 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Adoration Chapel)
- Tuesday 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Adoration Chapel)
- Wednesday 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Adoration Chapel)
- First Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Main Chapel)
About St. James Chapel
St. James Chapel is a Roman Catholic mission chapel at 2079 Matunuck Schoolhouse Road in Charlestown, Rhode Island, forming one half of the merged St. Mary's Parish (the other worship site being St. Mary's Church on Carolina Back Road in Carolina, RI). It is part of the Diocese of Providence and is pastored by Rev. Paul Desmarais. The chapel sits on a quiet property near the southern Rhode Island coast and serves as the operational heart of the parish: daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, the Parish Enrichment Program, the monthly Healing Mass for Addictions, and most parish life happens here. The building is a modern, air-conditioned worship space with a cupola admitting natural light, seating about 250 in individual royal-blue chairs, and is paired with a newer Parish Center connected by a breezeway.
- Patron: St. James the Greater (feast day July 25)
- Rite: Roman-Latin
- Diocese of Providence
- Merged parish with St. Mary's Church, Carolina, RI
History of the Chapel
St. James began in very humble form. Longtime parishioner Lita Mainelli has recalled that in the 1970s, Mass was being celebrated 'over there in a barn.' Over the years that rustic setting was replaced by the modern chapel that stands today — air-conditioned, with a cupola that fills the worship space with natural light and individual padded seating for about 250. As the parish grew through the 2000s and 2010s, leaders recognized the need for dedicated religious-education and gathering space; the parish had been renting CCD classrooms from the Chariho school system. The idea for a parish center, first discussed at the kitchen table of parishioner George Fontaine and shaped by architect Barry Goewey, became the 'A Place of Our Own' capital campaign. A 4,800-square-foot, single-level Parish Center was built on the chapel grounds — connected by a breezeway, mirroring the chapel's cupola and sloping roof, and providing four religious-education classrooms, a conference room, community rooms, and a warming kitchen for the roughly $900,000 project, funded mostly through the capital campaign and the sale of nearby parish-owned property.
- 1970s: Mass celebrated in a barn on the site
- Modern chapel built with cupola and individual royal-blue seating for ~250
- 2010s: 'A Place of Our Own' Parish Center groundbreaking and construction
- 4,800 sq ft addition connected to chapel by breezeway
- Project cost ~$900,000, funded by capital campaign and sale of parish property
- Architect: Barry Goewey
Pastor
St. James Chapel is served by Rev. Paul Desmarais, who has been pastor of St. Mary's Parish (which includes St. James Chapel) since 2005. A native of Providence, Father Paul was educated at Christ the King School in West Warwick, Our Lady of Providence Seminary High School and College in Warwick Neck, and St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, and was ordained to the priesthood on May 26, 1979 by Bishop Kenneth A. Angell at St. Matthew's Church in Central Falls. He is well known locally for his ministry of healing and celebration of the monthly Healing Mass for Addictions at St. James Chapel.
- Ordained May 26, 1979 by Bishop Kenneth A. Angell
- Pastor of St. Mary's Parish / St. James Chapel since 2005
- Previously pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Pawtucket (1997–2005)
Parish Staff
Day-to-day operations of the parish — covering both St. Mary's Church and St. James Chapel — are carried out by a small team reporting to the pastor.
- Pastor: Rev. Paul Desmarais — [email protected]
- Director of Religious Education / Pastoral Associate: Sally Lambert — (401) 213-6276 — [email protected]
- Parish Manager: Janice Beaudreau — (401) 364-7214 — [email protected]
- Accountant / Bookkeeper: Brenda Demerchant — (401) 364-7214 — [email protected]
Healing Mass & Special Devotions
A distinctive feature of St. James Chapel is its ongoing ministry of healing, led by Fr. Paul Desmarais. A monthly Healing Mass for Addictions is offered on the first Sunday of each month at 1:00 PM, October through June, open to anyone seeking prayer and healing — spiritual, emotional, or physical. Father Paul has also presided over general healing Masses and has spoken publicly about the cures and healings he has witnessed at the chapel. The parish has also hosted an annual multi-day Tent Revival culminating in a healing Mass.
- Healing Mass for Addictions — First Sunday of each month, 1:00 PM (Oct.–June)
- General Healing Masses (physical, spiritual, emotional healing)
- Annual Tent Revival
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation for the parish is coordinated through the Parish Enrichment Program (PEP), a community model that brings students and parents together one Sunday a month, September through April, beginning with the 10:00 AM Mass and ending at noon. Children preparing for First Communion and Confirmation attend an additional monthly class at the St. Mary's Parish Center. The Confirmation program uses the Dynamic Catholic Confirmation curriculum and expects candidates to commit to regular Mass attendance, service hours (including assisting at Healing Masses, the Parish Christmas Party, and Christmas light decorating at St. James), a retreat, and a personal letter to Fr. Paul. All adult volunteers working with children must complete Safe Environment training and a BCI background check every three years, and the parish uses the Circle of Grace children's safety curriculum.
- Parish Enrichment Program (PEP) — one Sunday a month, Sept.–April
- First Communion and Confirmation preparation (additional monthly class)
- Dynamic Catholic Confirmation Program
- Safe Environment training and BCI background check for adult volunteers
- Circle of Grace children's safety curriculum
Parish Ministries & Outreach
The Parish Center built in the 2010s gave the parish dedicated space for its lay ministries, which gather under one roof just off the chapel. The parish identifies itself as a Stewardship community inspired by the lived faith of the Apostles and 'open to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.'
- Music Ministry
- St. Vincent de Paul Conference (charitable outreach)
- Right to Life Ministry
- Parents Education Program
- Healing Mass / Healing Mass for Addictions ministry
Parish Center & Facilities
The Parish Center, located on the grounds of St. James Chapel at 2079 Matunuck Schoolhouse Road, is a 4,800-square-foot single-level building connected to the chapel by a breezeway. Beyond its primary use for religious education and parish life, it is available for parishioners and the general public to rent for private events. Reservations are coordinated through the Parish Manager.
- 4,800 sq ft single-level building connected to chapel by breezeway
- Four religious-education classrooms, conference room, community rooms, warming kitchen
- Available for private event rentals — contact Parish Manager Janice Beaudreau at (401) 364-7214 or [email protected]
- Event insurance available through Catholic Mutual
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish through the rectory, the parish website, or in person. The mailing address for St. James Chapel is 2079 Matunuck Schoolhouse Road, Charlestown, RI 02813.
- Address: 2079 Matunuck Schoolhouse Road, Charlestown, RI 02813
- Phone: (401) 364-7214
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://stmjparish.org
- Directions: Take US-1A to Matunuck Schoolhouse Road; chapel is about 1 mile on the right
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Paul Desmarais2005–present
Born in Providence; educated at Christ the King School (West Warwick), Our Lady of Providence Seminary High School and College (Warwick Neck), and St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore. Ordained May 26, 1979 by Bishop Kenneth A. Angell at St. Matthew's Church, Central Falls. Previously served as assistant pastor of Sacred Heart, Pawtucket; spiritual director for Blackstone Valley and East Bay CYO; Director of Spiritual Formation at the Seminary of Our Lady of Providence; chaplain for Boy Scouts (Camp Yawgoo) and the Youth Ministry Team in Pawtucket; pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Pawtucket (1997–2005); named pastor of St. Mary's Parish (which includes St. James Chapel) in 2005.