History of St. James

Our Spiritual Home
Our campus mingles comfortably with the surrounding neighborhood, quietly bearing its steeple and stained glass. This is St. James on the Parkway, an Episcopal parish that is the spiritual home to more than 120 households from Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding communities.
 

The First St. James
St. James was founded in 1926 when members of All Saints, Grace, and St. Ansgarius parishes began meeting in homes near Lake Nokomis, then on the outskirts of Minneapolis. In response to the city’s growth, the Episcopal Diocese established the St. James Mission in a refurbished carriage house at 39th Avenue South and East 49th Street. The new church was consecrated in May 1926.
 

A Community Growing in Christ
In 1937 Father George Huefner was named rector. Under his leadership, St. James had so many parisioners that children had to be turned away from church school. Father Huefner's visionary guidance led to the move to our current location and a period of dramatic growth.

St. James during World War II
The new church – now the Chapel and Hall at the corner of the property – was consecrated by Bishop Stephen Keeler on May 26, 1940. During the years of World War II, St. James prayed for peace while working to meet the physical and spiritual needs of people in a country galvanized for war. St. James was known as “The Little Church Around the Corner of the Northwest” and became a favorite wedding spot for wartime couples. It provided atmosphere for wedding couples away from home. Many church members cheerfully pitched in to arrange all the details that make a wedding memorable.
 

St. James in the 1950s
After the war, St. James began to grow again and the campus as we now see it began to take shape. A bequest from St. Ansgarius Church, which was closing, provided the financial resources to get the project started. In 1951 and 1952, the present church was constructed on top of the Great Hall.

A Period of Many Changes
The final addition to the St. James campus was the Education Wing, built in 1966 through the generosity of the Klammerer family of St. Paul and dedicated to Fidelia Cargill, the Parish’s longtime Director of Christian Education.

As the community around the church has grown and changed, St. James has responded to new needs within the parish. The 1980s saw the core population of St. James maturing, so handicapped accessibility was made a priority. Now St. James is fully accessible to every member, from the gardens to the communion rail. The ‘90s, saw many young families join the congregation so St. James made our traditional services “family friendly.” We installed a quiet play and infant feeding area at the back of the church, re-instituted a Children’s Chapel and expanded educational opportunities for all ages.
 

Now and to the future
In 2002, St. James celebrated it's 75th anniversary. A highlight of the anniversary year was a new worship setting, “A Mass for St. James,” commissioned from former Music Director Tom White. This continues a tradition that values the best of both the Anglican-Episcopal tradition and newer additions to the liturgical repertoire, including our annual Dixieland service. Never afraid to try something new, St. James is creating music for the entire community of Christ.

Today it is hard to imagine St. James without seeing the striking red doors of the church flung wide open. The grounds of St. James provide room for family plots growing flowers and vegetables, an herb garden, the recent addition of a meditation labyrinth, and many trees old and new. The beauty of St. James pleases the souls and eyes of everyone who passes by the church.

Note: A special thanks to Katie Fox and Steph Pederson for their contributions to this article.