MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF ST. JAMES THE APOSTLE

Established as a Pious Society by Richard J. cushing, Archbishop of Boston, by decree on 25 July 1958, with the encouragement of the Holy See, for the purpose of sending diocesan priests as missionaries to Latin America for a minimum of five years. The first 14 volunteers, all priests of the Archdiocese of Boston, arrived in Lima, Peru in early 1959 and began language studies. Within that year they undertook responsibility for parishes in remote areas of Peru and Bolivia. The Society also began parish work in Ecuador in 1963, and currently maintains a presence in those three countries, with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to supplying missionary personnel, the Society has provided funds for the erection of numerous churches, pastoral centers, clinics, rectories, and language schools in the areas where its members have labored. The St. James Society, now organized as a Clerical Association of the Christian Faithful, in conformity with the 1983 Code of Canon Law, under the presidency of the Archbishop of Boston and a priest-director elected by the members, is made up of English speaking diocesan priests from approximately six nations. Over 300 diocesan priests from more than 100 dioceses have been members since its foundation. While there were slightly more than 100 volunteers at the peak of membership, in 1967, by 2000, only about 50 priest-members from over 30 different dioceses were affiliated.

[j. f. garneau]