by Rachel Hunter
St. James Catholic Church held its 150-year celebration of faith as a parish and the 100-year construction of the church building on September 28 in Gouverneur. There was an anniversary mass at 4 p.m. with Bishop Terry LaValley (Diocese of Ogdensburg) at the St. James Catholic Church, followed by a celebration at the Eldon B. Conklin Gouverneur Community Center.
The celebration opened at 5 p.m. with a cocktail hour, featuring music by Angie Miller and a photo slideshow. The Gouverneur Community Center was packed for the event. A warm welcome was given by Fr. Jay Seymour, pastor of St. James Church in Gouverneur. All joined in the prayer to St. James (on the 150th anniversary of St. James Parish), which was read as follows: “Dear Apostle James, One of the first to respond to the call of Jesus, and who left everything to follow, fill us with the fiery zeal of your faith. May St. James Parish be filled with the faith and love that would enable us to faithfully respond to our call to discipleship. Help us to leave behind our fears, our worries, our self-concern, everything that would hinder our following of Jesus. You had a privileged closeness to our Lord. Through your intercession, may our parish grow and draw ever closer to the Lord. Then, trusting in God’s love and mercy, may we sit with you in the company of the saints at the eternal banquet the Lord has prepared for us in heaven. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
A scrumptious dinner was then provided by the Casablanca Restaurant in Gouverneur, featuring their traditional Italian-style cuisine, with decorated cake and cookies for dessert.
Gouverneur Historian Joe Laurenza read the St. James Parish History, which had been adapted from the 1975 history of Saint James Parish, written by Margaret E. Nulty, a longtime history teacher in the Gouverneur Central School District, a member of the Gouverneur Historical Association and a communicant of St. James Catholic Church. It was presented as follows: “In August of 1873 Father James O’Driscoll arranged to purchase, for $1,400, a wooden structure on Park Street in Gouverneur. The building was a former Methodist church and then a public hall known as the Opera House. After purchase it was used for Catholic services on Sundays and rented out during the week for public use. On September 22, 1874, the church was dedicated by Bishop Edgar P. Wadhams to serve as a Mass station of the parish in Canton. Those attending the dedication were charged fifty cents for admission to help pay for needed repairs. The church on Park Street did not last however, as on January 13, 1875 it was completely destroyed by fire.
“Following the fire, the parishioners rallied and, after purchasing a lot on the west side of North Gordon Street, they had a new church built within six months. On November 2, 1875, even before the building was ready for use, the church was incorporated as a mission church of Canton where Father James O’Driscoll was pastor. On November 25, 1875, on Thanksgiving Day, the new church was dedicated by Bishop Wadhams who stayed afterwards to enjoy an oyster dinner with the people of the parish. The total cost of the new church was $4,000 and it served the needs of the people of St. James Parish for fifty years.
“Growing from a parish of forty families in 1875 to a parish of one hundred forty families in 1905, it became obvious that a larger church was needed. With that in mind, under the pastoral leadership of Father Michael Gallivan, pastor from 1896-1936, fundraising began spearheaded by the Promoters of the Sacred Heart. This was a group of about twenty women who began long years of suppers, dances and special events. Penny suppers were popular, as were pedro parties held in homes. Special envelopes went into every home to be filled at a rate of ten cents a week. Special objectives were set up with one group of young ladies putting on a dance to pay for the first Station of the Cross. They raised $44, which was $2 over the necessary amount but that $2 was donated too. The whole parish was involved, offering labor, donations and participating in the social events.
“After twenty years of patient fundraising by parishioners and under Father Gallivan’s guidance, an imposing structure of Gouverneur marble was soon raised on the corner of Main and South Gordon Streets. The estimated cost of building the church was about $100,000 with over half being raised beforehand and the rest coming shortly afterwards with subsequent donations and fundraisers. The cornerstone of our current church bears the date 1924. The actual construction of the church began in May 1924, and reportedly, it was a familiar sight to see Fr. Gallivan watching every stone that went into the walls, making workmen remove any one that he thought did not match or was not well-placed. The first Mass at the new church was on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1925.
“The first baptism in the new church was Alice Anne Davis, parents of Lee Davis and Julia Fortune. The first funeral was for John Shinnock and the first marriage was that of Donald Toomey and Agatha Brunet. Needless to say, there have been many baptisms funerals, and marriages since St. James Church on South Gordon St. opened in 1925. There have been quite a few changes over the years. The most recent change was just this past year, in 2023, when Sacred Heart Parish in Edwards merged as part of St. James Parish. Currently, we have about 550 families in the parish, though not all are active.
“We can’t talk about the history of St. James Parish without mentioning the history of our school. The first parochial school in Gouverneur was opened by Father Edward Laramee in 1889 with lay teacher and 60 pupils. That increased the following year to 32 boys and 65 girls. Help was needed and that is when the Sisters of St. Joseph from Watertown stepped in. Unfortunately, rising expenses beyond what the small parish could handle forced the school to close in 1896. The debt was $8,000 which was very heavy for those days.
“Under Bishop James J. Navagh when Father Joseph Bailey was pastor, a large corner property on Gordon Street opposite the church was purchased in 1958 for the new St. James School. A fund drive was started and $150,000 was pledged, allowing construction to begin in the spring of 1960. Even before the building was completed, the school opened in September of that year with 90 students in grades on through three with three Sisters of St. Joseph. In June of 1961 Bishop Navagh dedicated and blessed the building in a formal ceremony. A grade was added to the school each year until 1965 when there were eight grades. Kindergarten was later added in 1972. In 1968, there were 235 students, seven Sisters of St. Joseph and one lay teacher. In 1972, there were 176 students in grades 1-8, five Sisters of St. Joseph and three lay teachers. Today, there are no religious sisters, but a very dedicated staff of lay teachers with an enrollment of 93 students in grades Pre-K through 6.”
Fr. Jay Seymour of St. James Church in Gouverneur the read the following: “From a little band of people watching their hand-me down church on Park St. smoldering in ashes on a cold winter morning to well over 1,000 souls with a substantial property. From a far distanced mission and the services of traveling priests or a pastor living many miles away to its own pastorate and resident sisters. From a wide inherited gulf of misunderstanding and misconceptions to an honorable place for peace and friendship among local citizens. St. James Parish can well be proud of its century of achievement. It has adapted from the world 100 years ago to the modern world without destroying its facing – Catholicism. Every step has been accomplished by faith, devotion under fine spiritual leadership. Every step has required hard work and sacrifice. This evening, St. James is celebrating our 150 years of heritage, faith as a parish and the 100-year construction of our beautiful church made out of Gouverneur marble. This is an occasion to honor all dedicated parishioners, and others who continue to sacrifice to preserve our faith and our place of worship. We are grateful to those who made sacrifices before us, as well as the many who continue to sacrifice to preserve our church building and our faith tradition. As was stated so eloquently in 1975: “With renewed faith and continued devotion to God and the welfare of humanity, the parish can face any problem, any changes that the future may bring with complete confidence.” Amen to that.” Thunderous applause sounded.
The Sisters of St. Joseph (Watertown, NY) then provided their recollections and reflections from their time teaching at St. James School in Gouverneur. “One of the things that came to me while we were praying the prayer of St. James is that J. That J is your joy that has permeated and penetrated the parish of St. James. And that joy certainly penetrated and permeated within the school. Our charism and mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph continue to be carried forward by the very dedicated staff at St. James School. They are to be commended for more than 60 years of their commitment to Catholic education. That is due to the commitment and dedication of this parish. It cannot exist without you. And you have continued to bring the faith, the excellent education and formation of the students at St. James Parish…” Thunderous applause sounded in appreciation of the address given by the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Fr. Jay Seymour of St. James Church in Gouverneur then recognized parishioners for their decades of dedication and involvement. Those tributed included the following parishioners who have passed away: Joe and Carolyn Pistolesi, Mario and Judy DeCastro, Dale and Kay Bush, and Mary and John Cook. Flowers were given to Lillian Legacy of Gouverneur for her 95 years with St. James Parish, and were also presented for Evelyn Mary Washburn of Hailesboro who celebrated her 108th birthday in 2024.
Bishop Terry LaValley (Diocese of Ogdensburg) reminisced about moments of humility while at St. James Parish in Gouverneur. The first was when he was helped by a sixth-grade student during a rollerskating activity at St. James School. A photo was taken, and it appeared on the front page of the Gouverneur Tribune Press in November 1999. Bishop LaValley also mentioned the powerful Christian example of Sister Ronald Marie Hax (SSJ) who was devoted to Catholic education during her 27 years at St. James School in Gouverneur. Bishop LaValley also talked about other humbling experiences and obediently falling God’s call to service.
“This is a wonderful family of faith,” he said. “I cannot give you a higher accolade. We all are disciples in mission. And let me tell you, the folks at St. James, the folks at Star Lake and Edwards and everywhere in between… They are blessed to have a wonderful pastor, a remarkable school… Thank you for your prayerful support. God bless you all.” Thunderous applause sounded in appreciation of the bishop’s address.
The celebration closed in prayer. Much gratitude was extended to all those who contributed any type of service towards the events success. This includes the celebration committee (Julie Wainwright, Tricia Bush, Lori Weekes, Laurel Bartholomew), decorating committee (Bridgette LaPierre and Brandy Parshley), youth servers, and others. A special word of appreciation was extended to the Casablanca Restaurant in Gouverneur for providing the meal, and for the sense of family that they bring to the family of faith. Also recognized was the hospitality of Dave Spilman, Jr. and Lisa Wood of the Gouverneur Community Center.
For more information about St. James Church and School, call 315-287-0114 (parish office) or 315-287-0130 (school office).