Who Are We?

It all started when…

The Cathedral of Saint James, founded in 1868, is the oldest Episcopal congregation in South Bend. Located at the corner of Washington Street and Lafayette Blvd., Saint James is a downtown urban parish and is committed to serving the downtown area of South Bend. As an urban parish, Saint James draws membership from the whole of the South Bend, Mishawaka and Granger areas of North-Central Indiana. In addition, a few members come from Niles, Michigan, just across the state line. By drawing members from a relatively wide area, the congregation of Saint James is comprised of a good mix of age, worship styles, ethnicity, sexual orientation, education and occupation. Our diversity reflects the affirming, open and welcoming atmosphere of the parish. Saint James has been the Cathedral for the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana since 1957. The diocese encompasses 34 congregations reaching across the northern third of Indiana. 

Who was Saint James? James, the brother of John and the son of Zebedee and Salome, was a fisherman by trade. According to the Gospel of Mark, James and John were called Boanerges, or the "Sons of Thunder". James left everything when Jesus called him to become his disciple. After Jesus' death and resurrection, he preached in Samaria, Judea, and Spain. He was the first Apostle to be martyred when, in Jerusalem at age 44, he was stabbed by King Herod Agrippa. A scallop shell is his symbol.