St. James - A New Chapter

A New Chapter

On the evening of May 14, 2025, a devastating fire caused extensive damage to St. James the Greater Catholic Church. While the loss of our beloved worship space was heartbreaking, the fire did not diminish the faith or spirit of the St. James community. Our parish family continued to gather, worship, serve, and support one another as plans began for the restoration of our historic church.

Today, a new chapter in the history of St. James is being written. Reconstruction is now underway, with the goal of restoring our church as a beautiful and welcoming home for generations of Catholics to come. The project is currently anticipated to be completed in late 2027.

This page will follow that journey. As reconstruction progresses, we will share photos, milestones, construction updates, and stories from our parish community so that everyone can watch St. James rise again. We invite you to return often and join us in prayer as we look forward with hope and gratitude to the day when we can once again celebrate Mass together in our restored church.

St. James has been part of the Catholic life of Hopewell for more than a century—and our story is far from finished.