Order of Carmelites

Feast of St. James the Greater

Today, July 25, is the feast of Saint James the Greater.

He was one of the 12 Apostles, the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of Saint John the Apostle.

He left everything when Christ called him to be a fisher of men. The Synoptic Gospels say that James and John were with their father by the seashore when Jesus called them to follow him. He was present during most of the recorded miracles of Christ. He later on preached in Samaria, Judea, and Spain.

He was the first Apostle to be martyred. The Acts of the Apostles records that “Herod the king” (traditionally identified with Herod Agrippa) had James executed by the sword. He was

He is the patron saint of Spain and, according to tradition, his remains are kept in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.