June 18, 2025

St. James Major Roman Catholic Church will commemorate 100 years of prayer and service to the communities of Lake Pleasant, Morehouse, Piseco and Speculator on June 29. The Most Reverend Terry R. LaValley, Bishop of Ogdensburg, will celebrate a Mass of the Holy Spirit at 8 a.m..

A picnic will be held at the Speculator Pavillion at noon.
Friends and residents of the community are welcome.

THE APOSTLE, ST. JAMES MAJOR (THE GREAT)
St. James was the son of Zebedee and the brother of St. John the Apostle. James, who was taller, is called Major or Great to distinguish him from James the Less who was shorter in stature. St. James Major was present at the Transfiguration, the Agony in the Garden and most of the miracles performed by Christ. James was martyred by Herod Agrippa in 42 AD.

EARLY HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IN HAMILTON COUNTY
Andrew Morehouse founded a settlement in southern Hamilton County in the 1830s. Morehouse invited French immigrants from New York City to join the community. The first Catholic church in the Great South Woods of the Adirondacks was built by French Catholics lead by Joseph Pellitier in about 1844 in the Town of Morehouse. The first pastor was Father John Herbst, an immigrant from Holland. After a heated dispute between the pastor and the parishioners, the wooden church was abandoned and decayed into the ground.

The site of the church and the adjacent cemetery is located south of Route 8 on the western edge of the Town of Morehouse.

The towns of Lake Pleasant, Morehouse, Arietta and Wells were home to many Catholics with a strong desire to attend Mass. In the late 1800s, visiting priests celebrated mass in various private homes. Father M. K. Merns of St. Johnsville reported celebrating mass at the home of Charlie Hayden in Piseco in February 1888. In 1911, the Franciscan Friars were invited to serve the Catholic communities by Bishop Henry Gabriels. Priests from the Order of Friars Minor Conventional (OFMC) traveled from New York City and Albany. They included Father Brady, Father Cahill and Father Fitzgerald. Catholics often gathered to hear Mass at the home of Eli Kenell near Avery’s Pond. Masses were also celebrated at Riley’s Tavern and at the home of Henry Rogers in Piseco. In winter, Masses were celebrated in the Hamilton County Court House in Lake Pleasant.

THE FOUNDING OF ST. JAMES MAJOR CHURCH
Edgar and Margaret Call owned a 50-acre plot of land at Pine Point on Sacandaga Lake. In the 1900s, the Calls owned a store and restaurant opposite the Court House in Lake Pleasant. Edgar died in 1922. Margaret operated the store until 1936. In 1925, Margaret Call deeded land to St. James Major parish to build a Catholic church adjacent to the Methodist church, south of the Lake Pleasant golf course.

Construction of the church was started in 1925 under the supervision of Father Adelbert Debelt, OFMC, pastor of St. Ann’s Church in Wells. The church was dedicated by Bishop Joseph Conroy.

The dedication speech for the church was given by Father Bernard Frank.

The church in Lake Pleasant was a mission church of Northville and was under the Diocese of Albany, from 1924 to 1926. The church was a mission of Wells under the Diocese of Ogdensburg from 1927 through 1958. St. James Major was staffed by Franciscan friars (OFMC) from the Immaculate Conception Province, Rensselaer, from 1926 through 1958.

ST. JAMES MAJOR RECTORY
In 1929, a camp located at 2781 State Route 8, Speculator was donated to the parish to be a rectory and residence for the pastor.

On January 1, 1959, St. James Major, Lake Pleasant was incorporated as a new parish of the Diocese of Ogdensburg by Bishop James J. Navagh. Father Anthony Billy was appointed pastor.

FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
St. James Major Parish Council was formed in 1974 under the leadership of Fran Gramlich. The council’s first effort was to plan the Golden Jubilee. St. James Major Church celebrated its golden jubilee on June 8, 1975.

Bishop Stanislaus Brzana and pastor Father Jude Schmieder concelebrated Sunday Mass in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Also concelebrating were Father Rock Hoffman, former pastor of St. James, and Father Bartholomew Gaske, pastor of St. Ann’s in Wells.

RENOVATION AND EXPANSION
In 1983, the church exchanged land with the Lake Pleasant Golf Course to allow for expansion of the church and the construction of a parking area along Route 8. The church was renovated and expanded in 1991 under the direction of pastor, Father Ralph White, OFMC. This was done to accommodate the large number of Catholics visiting the area in the summer. Most of the work was done with volunteer labor by parishioners and non-Catholic neighbors.