The Mass is according to our liturgical book Divine Worship: The Missal which was given to us by Rome and contains elements of the Anglican patrimony. Most people are more familiar with Mass according to the liturgical book The Roman Missal: 3rd Edition, which is used in most Catholic parishes.

Learn more at Mass Experience or by reading Our Story

St. James would not be in existence without the support of the Bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine and the local parishes.

• See Saint James listed as a mission by the Diocese of St. Augustine 
• Fr. Mayer, our pastor, can be found in the Diocese of St. Augustine, Priest Directory, meaning that he has full faculties to function as a priest anywhere in the Diocese.
• Fr. Mayer assists from time to time with the 6:30 AM daily Mass at Assumption Catholic Church and when not presiding, often concelebrates at this Mass.  

However, while there is a healthy working relationship between St. James and the Diocese of St. Augustine, St. James is not structurally or financially part of the local diocese. Rather, St. James is a mission community of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter which functions as a non geographic diocese in the same way that the military ordinariate functions as a non geographic diocese (see Archdiocese for the Military Services). The ordinariate has over 40 missions and parishes scattered throughout the U.S. and Canada which are overseen by Bishop Stephen Lopes.

St. James is a community of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter is a new structure, similar to a diocese, that was created by the Holy See in 2012 to help former Anglicans become Roman Catholic, to evangelize and welcome all who wish to be in full communion with Rome, and to share its particular liturgical, pastoral, and spiritual tradition with all Catholics. The Ordinariate brought back many aspects of the Anglican Patrimony into the Catholic Church: traditional liturgy, beautiful sacred music, and a pastoral custom that especially focuses on strong community. 

Since its founding, the Ordinariate has been thriving and has established missions and parishes throughout North America. Based in Houston, Texas, the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter as of 2022 has:

• 1 Bishop
• 69 Priests
• 14 Permanent & Transitional Deacons 
• 5 Seminarians
• 11 Candidates for Priesthood 
• 41 Parishes & Communities

Learn more at the official Ordinariate website.

Watch this talk by Bishop Lopes talk on the Ordinariate

Watch this talk by Bishop Lopes talk on the identity of the Ordinariate.

Listen to Father Mayer explain about the unique charisms that the Ordinariate brings to the Church. This talk is also available on the Saint James Jacksonville podcast.

As a mission parish, we do not currently have the budget to be able to provide a regular daily Mass although this is planned for the future. Fr. Mayer, our pastor, does occasionally celebrate daily Mass at a parishioner’s home (see Events for schedule). He also concelebrates the 6:30 AM daily Mass at Assumption Catholic Church on most weekdays.

The Most Reverend Stephen J. Lopes was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of San Francisco where he served in parishes prior to being assigned to the Vatican to work for the Congregation or the Doctrine of Faith (CDF) for ten years. During this he was intimately involved with much of the behind the scenes work required to realize Pope Benedict xvi’s desire to erect the Ordinariate. He was appointed by Pope Francis as the first bishop of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter and consecrated in 2016. In addition to his responsibilities for the Ordinariate, in late 2022 he will take his place as the newly elected Head of the Committee for Divine Worship in the United States Catholic Council of Bishops (USCCB).

Learn more about Bishop Lopes.

You do not need to be a former Anglican. Anyone is welcome and can join! Learn More about the proecess of becoming a parishioner of St. James. 

All of our parishioners — whether diocesan or Ordinariate Catholics — are full members of our parish community. To become a “canonical” member of the Ordinariate, however, is to officially put yourself under the care of the Ordinariate’s bishop. Any person who receives their sacraments of initiation, any protestant who has been converted by the ministry of the Ordinariate, or any Catholic whose faith has been enriched and deepened by participation in the life of the Ordinariate may become a member of the Ordinariate. Learn More about next steps to become a member of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.