April, 1850                   Bishop Francis Kenrick purchases ground in Hamilton Village at 38^th

                                    And Chestnut Sts.  St. James the Greater becomes the first parish in

                                    West Philadelphia and Fr. Joseph O’Keefe is the first pastor.

Aug. 4, 1850                Cornerstone for the first church is laid by Bishop Kenrick while Mass

                                    is conducted in a private house at 3631 Locust St.

Fall, 1850                     Fr. James Mullen becomes the second pastor and purchases a house

                                    on Mary St. {38^th} for a rectory.   Sunday School classes begin  at           

                                    3631 Locust St. and regular visits are made to Blockley Almshouse.

Dec. 28, 1852              First church building is dedicated by Rev. Doctor Moriarity, OSA.

July 21, 1854               Fr. Mullen dies and pastoral duties are attended to by Fr. Michael

                                    Mc Grane, Fr. James Cullen and Fr. Edward Murray.

Dec., 1854                   Fr. Richard O’Connor is named the new pastor and establishes

                                    systematized registers for sacramental records.

1857-1864                   Sisters of the Holy Cross conduct Sunday School.

1862                            Fr. Michael Martin becomes the next pastor.

1867                            Society of the Holy Child Jesus Sisters {SHCJ} acquire property at                 

                                    39th and Chestnut Sts. and open St. Leonard’s Academy.

1867-1868                   Cholera and smallpox epidemic spreads through Blockley

                                    Almshouse and St. James parish as local priests attend to the sick.

1870                           New parish grade school opens at 38^th and Sansom Sts.with teachers for the boys and

                                   the Sisters of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus as teachers for the girls.  Present rectory is

                                   completed; pastor and assistant now visit Kirkbride Insane Asylum at 44^th and Market Sts., but

                                   the Blockley Alms house now has its own chaplain.

Nov., 1874                  Fr. Francis P. O’Neill succeeds Fr. Martin.

July, 1881                    First church is demolished and services are held in the school.

Oct. 16, 1881              Cornerstone for present church is laid by Bishop Shanahan of

                                    Harrisburg.

Aug., 1882                   Fr. O’Neill dies and is replaced by Rev. Doctor Patrick Garvey.

July 27, 1884               Basement of new church is blessed by Very Rev. M.A. Walsh and

                                     liturgical services are now conducted there.      

Oct. 19, 1887              Present church is blessed by Archbishop Ryan; Memorial

                                    Altar Society dedicates main altar in honor of Fr. O’Neill.

1893                            Newman Center is established worldwide on the Penn campus.      

1895-1901                                  Brothers of the Christian Schools teach the grade school boys.

Dec., 1896                   Elaborate four-story parish hall opens at 38^th and Market for

                                    theatrical productions, sports events and meeting rooms.   The 

                                    parish has an excellent reputation for its musicals.      

Feb. 13, 1898              Doctor Garvey leaves St. James to be the rector of St. Charles

                                    Seminary and is replaced by Fr. James C. Monahan.  

1900                            50th anniversary of St. James parish.

1902                            Church exterior is repointed and crosses refinished.

1905                            Two oak confessionals are removed and replaced with shrines

                              to the Sacred Heart and St. Anthony.  Confessions are now heard in the

                              lower church.

1908                            Granite exterior of the church is renovated.

July 1, 1909                 Parish Hall is sold to the Knights of Columbus.

1912                            Electric lighting is installed in the church and the interior is

                              refrescoed with new portraits of Moses and David.  Portraits

                              of the Four Great Doctors of the Church are added in the sanctuary

                              as well as symbols of the Apostles over the side arches.

May, 1914                   New heating plant is installed in the church.

1918                            Religious sisters and priests from the community volunteer to

                                    fight the Influenza Epidemic.

c.1924                         Drexel Newman Club is established on campus.

April 30, 1927              Rev. Francis J. Ross, D.D. succeeds the deceased  Fr. Monahan as pastor.

1928                            School building is demolished and replaced on the present site;

                                    classes are held in West Catholic Girls H.S. in the interim.

1929-1930                              Rectory is renovated and the porch is added.  A house next to the

                                    rectory is taken down and a small garden is established.  New

                                    driveways and parking lots are constructed along with grilled iron fences.  

1929-1930                             Church is extensively renovated. Exterior is sandblasted and the conical tower is completely

                                    razed; two new towers are erected and a 1600 pound bell

                                    Is installed in the belfry.  In the interior, the walls are marbleized while terrazzo floors and new

                                    electric fixtures are installed.  A new baptistery is created and the great 183 pipe Kilgen Organ

                                    replaces the original.

Dec. 27, 1930              Opening of renovated church is celebrated by Card. Dougherty.

Sept., 1945                  344 members of the parish serve in WWII; 15 die in combat.

Oct. 29, 1945              At noon, Gen. Wainwright’s Parade down Chestnut St. passes in front                               

                                    of St. James Church and Rectory where all of the grade school

                                    children are enthusiastically cheering and saluting him.

April, 1947                   Fr. Ross is elevated to the rank of Domestic Prelate.

April 15, 1948              The Catholic Young Women’s Club opens at 3811 Chestnut St.,

                                    the former home of deceased parishioner Mary Donohue.

1949                            Upper church is redecorated and the lower church is totally

                                    renovated with new pews, windows, altars, floors and sacristy.

Oct. 29, 1950              Bishop Lamb celebrates the 100^th anniversary with a Solemn

                                    Pontifical Mass.

Summer, 1955              Msgr. Ross dies and is replaced by Fr. Vincent Moran.

Nov. 29, 1964             Congregation responds in English to the Mass for the first time.

June 14, 1967              St. James School closes with a projected enrollment of 55 students and

                                    St. Francis de Sales becomes the grade school for the parish.  Suburban

                                    flight and federally funded expansions by eminent domain of Drexel and

                                    Penn are the main reasons. The building is soon rented by the Phila. School Board as an

                                    auxiliary to Sayre Jr. High until June, 1977.

1968                            Fr. Moran becomes Pastor Emeritus and is succeeded by Fr. John J.

                                    Lynch.  The first Holy Child Shrine is installed in the back of the Church.

1970                            Cornerstone is laid for the Penn Newman Center {3720 Chestnut St}.

1971                            Cornerstone is laid for the Drexel Newman Center at 33^rd & Chestnut.

1971                            A new Holy Child statue is given to the parish by the SHCJ sisters to

                                    replace the original which broke; it becomes the center piece of the

                                    shrine dedicated in 2007. In the church, a new sound system is added            

                                    and green carpet covers the terrazzo floors, while the exterior is

                                    repointed.  The lower church is dismantled and replaced by a new

                                    parish hall; rest rooms are installed for the first time in the church.

June, 1972                   The Church roof is re-slated.  Fr. Lynch announces that the church

                                    will be locked at all times except for Mass and Confessions.

1973                            Plaster repairs are made in the church and the interior is painted.

Feb. 9, 1975                Bishop John J. Graham celebrates the 125^th anniversary of the parish;  

                                    reception is held at Pagano’s Restaurant.

June, 1976                   Rev. Joseph Sikora replaces Fr. Lynch as pastor.

Aug. 12, 1976              Card. Krol decrees that St. Agatha will consolidate with St. James.

Sept. 25, 1976             Fr. Sikora welcomes the parishioners from St. Agatha as St. Agatha-

                                    St. James Parish is officially recognized; the altar from St. Agatha’s

                                    renovated lower church eventually becomes the main altar in the

                                    present church here.  Also, the baptismal font from St. Agatha’s

                                    is later installed in front of the St. Anthony Shrine.

Nov. 1, 1977               St. Agatha-St. James School is forced to move to the former St.

                                    James School building at 111 S. 38^th Street due to a boiler

                                    room fire in the 3815 Spring Garden St. building; classes resume

                                    the following week. The fire takes the life of George Cole, the

                                    resident janitor. 

Sept., 1978                  The IHM Sisters leave their convent at 3837 Spring Garden St.

                                     for convenience and safety and move to St. Francis de Sales .

1979                            St. A-J is noted for its spiritual and pastoral care to area hospitals and           

                                    nursing homes, to university students and to a diversified group of parishioners.

1980 -1981                  SHCJ Sisters return to teach CCD for 2 years.        

June, 1983                   Rev. Daniel Devine replaces Fr. Sikora as pastor.

June, 1987                   St. Agatha-St. James Grade School closes; students transfer to St.

                                     Francis de Sales.  The building is rented by the University of  

                                    Pennsylvania for postal needs.  Later, it is renovated for the use

                                    of two Archdiocesan Offices.

May 2, 1993                St. Agatha-St. James Reunion is celebrated.

July, 1993                    Fr. Karl A. Zeuner replaces Fr. Devine as pastor.  Pastoral care visits

                                    increase as the area hospitals expand dramatically.

Feb. 6, 2000                Cardinal Bevilacqua celebrates the 150^th anniversary of the parish.

July, 2001                    Rev. Steven J. Marinucci replaces Fr. Zeuner as pastor.

2001                            A new slate roof, new lower roofs, new upper roof drainage system

                                    and masonry pointing of upper walls is completed.

Spring, 2003                Interior restoration of the church includes plastering, painting and

                                    renovation of sacred art and worship space as well as a new sound

                                    system.  All services are held at the Penn Newman Center.

Fall, 2003                     Gothic towers are cleaned and repaired.

Oct. 19, 2003              Bishop Robert Maginnis celebrates the reopening of the Church.

2004-2006                   Stained glass windows are restored and the Sacred Heart Shrine

                                    now includes memorial candles. The confessional on the 38^th

                                    St. side is renovated.

Apr. 14, 2007              The new Shrine of the Holy Child is blessed by Card. Rigali.

Sept., 2007                  The confessional on the rectory side of the Church is converted

                                    into the Parish Heritage Room.

Spring, 2008                Renovation and installation of Church bathrooms.

Summer, 2009             Completion of the professional cleaning of five marble statues.

                                    Creation of a gathering space on both sides of the rear, center aisle.

Nov., 2009                   First replacement window installed in the lower church.

Spring 2010                 Two additional replacement windows are installed in the lower church building.

                                    The Nord C2, a portable baroque organ, is acquired for the choir loft.

                                    BVM and St. Altars are professionally cleaned.

                                    Decorated glass for the Heritage Room is installed.

June 21, 2010               Fr. James McGuinn replaces Fr. Steven Marinucci as pastor; Archdiocese designates Fr. McGuinn as Pastor and Director

                                    of Newman Apostolates at Drexel University and University of Pennsylvania.

Summer, 2010              All rectory offices are moved to the Newman Center (3720 Chestnut Street); Rectory and Penn Newman are extensively

                                    renovated.

PARISH BOUNDARY LINES {April, 1927- Aug., 1976}

Race St., from 31^st St. to 36^th St.; to Lancaster Ave.; to Powelton Ave.; to 42^nd St.; to Market St.; to 45^th St.; to Locust St.; to 42^nd St.; to Schuylkill River.

ST.  AGATHA- ST. JAMES PRESENT BOUNDARY LINES

Aspen St. from 39^th St. projected to Schuylkill River; to 42^nd St.; to Locust St.; to 45^th St.; to Market St.; to 42^nd St.; to Powelton Ave; 39^th St.; to Spring Garden St.; to 39^th St.; to Aspen St.