St. James the Greater: Feast Day, Patronage & Prayers
Feast day: July 25 (Feast of St. James, Apostle)
Patron of: Spain, pilgrims, and laborers.
About St. James the Greater
St. James, son of Zebedee and brother of St. John, was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee who left his nets and his father's boat the moment Jesus called. He is called "the Greater" to distinguish him from the other apostle of the same name. With Peter and John, he belonged to the inner circle of disciples who witnessed the raising of Jairus's daughter, the Transfiguration, and the agony in the Garden. Jesus nicknamed the two brothers "Boanerges," sons of thunder, perhaps because of their fiery zeal.
When their mother asked for places of honor for them, Jesus asked whether they could drink the chalice He would drink, and James answered that he could. He kept that promise. Around the year 44, King Herod Agrippa had him put to the sword, making him the first of the Twelve to die as a martyr, as the Acts of the Apostles records. A long tradition links him with Spain, and his shrine at Santiago de Compostela has drawn pilgrims along the Camino for more than a thousand years.
Prayers to St. James the Greater on Daily Catholic Prayers
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