1. St. James the Great

2. Also known as…   The Galilean origin of St. James in some degree explains the energy of temper and the vehemence of character which earned for him and St. John the name of Boanerges, "sons of thunder“

3. St. James the Greater  He is the patron saint of hat makers, rheumatoid sufferers, and laborers.

4. Why is he called Greater?  James is styled "the Greater" to distinguish him from the Apostle James "the Less," who was probably shorter of stature.

5. Early Childhood  We know nothing of St. James's early life. All we know is that he was the brother of John, the beloved disciple, and probably the elder of the two. Also, he was the son of Zebedee and Salome.

6. How he started his Apostleship  The two sons of Zebedee, as well as Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew with whom they were in partnership,were called by the Lord upon the Sea of Galilee, where all four with Zebedee and his hired servants were engaged in their ordinary occupation of fishing. The sons of Zebedee "forthwith left their nets and father, and followed him", and became "fishers of men". St. James was afterwards with the other eleven called to the Apostleship.

7. Relationship with Jesus  James must have been a close and respected friend of Jesus.  He was chosen by Jesus to be one of the twelve apostles, given the mission to proclaim the good news, and authority to heal and cast out demons

8. Relationship (cont’d)  When Jesus raised Jairus' daughter when all thought her dead, he only allowed James, John, and Peter to come with him. Even more important when he went up to the mountain to pray, he wanted James, John, and Peter to go with him. And it was there on the mountain they were privileged to witness what no one else had seen -- Jesus transfigured in his glory, speaking to Moses and Elijah, as the voice of God spoke from a cloud.  it was still James, Peter, and John that Jesus chose to join him in prayer at the Garden of Gethsemane for his final prayer before his arrest

9. Some stories about James  Many stories grew up around James. In one, he brought back to life a boy who had been unjustly hanged, and had been dead for five weeks. The boy's father was notified of the miracle while he sat at supper. The father pronounced the story nonsense, and said his son was no more alive than the roasted fowl on the table; the cooked bird promptly sat up, sprouted feathers, and flew away.

10. How he died  He was one of the first Apostles to be martyred.  According to a tradition, St. James the Greater, having preached Christianity in Spain, returned to Judea and was put to death by order of King Herod Agrippa.  He was stabbed with a sword by King Herod.  There is a story that the man who arrested James became a convert after hearing James speak at his trial and was executed with him.

11. How he died (cont’d)  The legend says his body was taken by angels, and sailed in a rudderless, unattended boat to Spain where a massive rock closed around it; relics of this incident are located in Compostela, Spain  The pilgrimage to his relics in Compostela became such a popular devotion that the symbols of pilgrims have become his emblems, and he became patron of pilgrims. His work in Spain, and the housing of his relics there, led to his patronage of the country and all things Spanish; for centuries, the Spanish army rode to battle with the cry "Santiago!" ("Saint James!")

12. Memorial 25 July; formerly 5 August 25 July; formerly 5 August 25 July5 August 25 July5 August St. James the Great’s Church

13. Canonized  "Pre-Congregation"  “Pre-Congregation” is the term for the Beatification and/or Canonization of saints and/or beati prior to the institution of the modern investigations performed by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. It designates those beati who were canonized by local bishops, primates, or patriachs, often as a result of popular devotion.

14. Prayer  Saint James, pray for us that we may be willing to leave everything to follow Jesus as you did. Help us to become special friends of Jesus as you were. Amen