About St James · Newark, New Jersey
St. James is a Roman Catholic parish at 143 Madison Street in the Ironbound section of Newark, New Jersey, served by the Redemptorist Missionaries (C.Ss.R.). Once an Irish immigrant parish founded in the 1850s, it is today a vibrant Portuguese-language and English-language parish with six Sunday Masses, daily Mass, perpetual-help devotions, faith formation for children and adults, a food pantry, and a youth ministry. The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Newark and is also a Redemptorist community house staffed by clergy from the Baltimore Province.
- Established
- 1853
- Patron
- St. James the Less
- Rector
- Rev. Clement Krug, C.Ss.R.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Newark (Metropolitan Archdiocese)
Why belong here
St. James is a bilingual English-Portuguese Catholic parish in the Ironbound, where Mass is celebrated six times on Sunday and daily in the week, plus a weekly Wednesday novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help — making it a spiritual home for Portuguese-speaking families and longtime neighborhood residents alike. The parish runs catechesis for adults, baptisms and baptism-prep classes, a youth ministry, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and a twice-monthly food pantry through its Social Ministry. As a Redemptorist mission church, St. James pairs a neighborhood feel with the preaching and missionary charism of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.
Mass times at St James
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday–Tuesday & Friday: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 – 5:00 PM (Parish Office / Confession service)
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 – 5:00 PM (Parish Office / Confession service)
Adoration times
- Monday 8:00 PM (Adoration of the Most Holy — first week of the month)
- Wednesday 8:00 AM (Adoration of the Most Holy — third week of the month)
Parish History & Heritage
St. James was organized in 1853 by the Rev. Louis D. Senez of St. Patrick's Pro-Cathedral, making it the first parish established in what was then the new Diocese of Newark and the third-oldest Catholic parish in the city. The cornerstone was laid on June 19, 1854, by Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley, and from these modest 19th-century beginnings the parish grew to dominate a full block of the Ironbound / "Down Neck" neighborhood with a Gothic brownstone church (designed by Patrick C. Keely, dedicated 1866, with a 250-foot spire), a free parish school (founded 1854), a high school, and St. James Hospital (opened 1900). The historic Gothic church was demolished by the Archdiocese in 1979 for hospital parking; the Redemptorists now staff the surviving parish at 143 Madison Street and have given it a Portuguese-language missionary character.
- Organized 1853; cornerstone laid June 19, 1854
- Patron: St. James the Less
- Past pastors involved at founding: Rev. Louis D. Senez (land purchaser), Rev. Benjamin F. Allaire (first pastor, March 16, 1854), Rev. James Callan, Rev. John Mary Gervais, Rev. Patrick Cody (built the hospital)
- Architect: Patrick C. Keely (Gothic Revival brownstone church, 1866)
- Hospital: St. James Hospital, founded 1900 — administered by the Sisters of St. Joseph
Faith Formation & Catechesis
St. James provides ongoing religious education for children, teens, and adults, including catechumenate preparation and Sunday morning sessions.
- Catechesis for Adults — Wednesday 10:00 AM and Thursday 10:00 AM
- Catechesis (children) — Thursday/Friday/Saturday evenings 7:00–9:00 PM (per weekly schedule)
- Baptism Preparation Class — second Tuesday of the month, 8:00 PM
Youth Ministry
A weekly parish youth ministry gathers teens for faith, fellowship, and formation.
- Saturday 8:00 PM — Youth Ministry meeting
Social Ministry & Food Pantry
St. James continues the parish's long tradition of caring for the neighborhood through a Social Ministry that distributes food twice a month to those in need.
- Food Pantry — Monday 5:00 PM, twice a month (Social Ministry)
Prayer Groups & Organizations
Lay faithful gather in several parish groups for prayer, formation, and pastoral planning.
- Prayer Group Meeting — Monday 8:30 PM
- Men's Rosary — last Tuesday of the month, 8:00 PM
- Pastoral Meeting — Tuesday 8:00 PM
Portuguese Community & Language Classes
As a Portuguese-language mission parish in Newark's Ironbound, St. James hosts Portuguese language classes for parishioners and neighbors who wish to strengthen literacy in the language of their worship and heritage.
- Portuguese Classes — Wednesday 9:30–11:30 AM
Sacraments
Information about the celebration of the sacraments at St. James is published in the parish schedule.
- Baptism — first Sunday of the month at 10:00 AM; preparation second Tuesday of the month at 8:00 PM
- Eucharist — see Mass schedule
- Confession — Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri during Parish Office hours
- Other sacraments (anointing, matrimony, etc.) — by arrangement through the Parish Office, (973) 344-8322
Clergy, Staff & Religious Community
St. James is staffed by the Redemptorist Fathers (C.Ss.R.) of the Baltimore Province, who run the parish as one of the men's religious communities of the Archdiocese of Newark.
- Rev. Clement Krug, C.Ss.R. — Pastor
- Rev. Pedro Hélio de Oliveira, C.Ss.R. — Vocation Director
- Parish Office — (973) 344-8322; Fax (973) 344-6158; saintjamesrc@optonline.net
- Website — http://www.stjameschurchrc.com
Visiting & Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. James by phone, email, or in person during Parish Office hours.
- Address: 143 Madison Street, Newark, NJ 07105
- Phone: (973) 344-8322
- Fax: (973) 344-6158
- Email: saintjamesrc@optonline.net
- Website: http://www.stjameschurchrc.com/index.html
- Parish Office hours: Mon–Tue & Fri 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 – 5:00 PM; Wed 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 – 5:00 PM