St. James

The Church, in Christ, is like a sacrament - a sign and instrument, that is, of communion with God and of unity among all men. The Church's first purpose is to be the sacrament of the inner union of men with God. (CCC,#775) As a sacrament, the Church is Christ's instrument. "She is taken up by him also as the instrument for the salvation of all," "the universal sacrament of salvation," by which Christ is "at once manifestin and actualizing the mystery of God's love for men." (CCC,#776)

Saint James, a Roman Catholic parish for over 100 years, has been called by the Word of God to bring our cultural and generational backgrounds into one community, the Body of Christ. Nourished by the Sacraments and the Liturgy, our Church and School celebrate and live the love of Christ through worship, education, stewardship, service to others and mutual support. Moved by the need for a new evangelization and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we proclaim the light of the Gospel to share our Catholic faith with our modern world. We welcome all to join our Community.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

May the Peace of Christ be with you!

God has called different people, of diverse backgrounds, from multiple origins, races and cultures, of various ages and social status to become the one Body of Christ. At St. James - a people with more than a hundred years of rich history which is constantly renewed by our school students and the young couples moving to this area of Denver - we discover the power of Christ's grace to tear down the walls of separation and division that bring so much destruction and discouragement to our modern and sophisticated society.

According to St. Paul, "the love of Christ compels us!" (2 Co 5:20). Christ's salvation still speaks to all, it touches the lives of everyone, it shows the true dignity of the human person, it heals us and consoles us in our sorrows and failures, it forms and transforms us into the People of God, and it makes of us joyful witnesses of God's incredible power to bring about the love of Christ. This is the new and eternal life that is given, taught, proclaimed, nourished, and celebrated in St. James Catholic Parish.

God does not want us to live our Christianity in isolation, privately or individualistically. We have been blessed and redeemed with the Christian Community founded by Christ. The genuine love, unbreakable unity, and divinely inspired faith of the Catholic Church, with its long standing traditions, its life-giving teachings, and beautiful liturgies, saves the world from selfishness, materialism, confusion, and despair.

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another... if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." (Col 3:12-16).

In Christ,
Father Felix