1851 – Saint James Catholic Church began as a mission church.
1869 – Father Terrence John Disney became the first resident priest at Saint James.
1870 – The Sisters of Loretto opened Saint Mary’s Academy in Elizabethtown at the corner of Poplar and Miles Streets.
1872 – The first rectory was erected at Saint James Catholic Church.
1884 – The cornerstone of Saint James Church was blessed.
1894 – Saint James Catholic Church grew to 90 families with a membership of 500.
1902 – The school’s name changed to Saint James School.
1909 – The Knights of Columbus Council #1455 organized.
1916 – The KofC Council #1455 purchased the Harding Collegiate Building for their meeting hall.
1918 – Fr. Vincent Sciolla was appointed Associate Pastor.
1923 – Saint James Church purchased the school property from the Sisters of Loretto, demolished the old building and began construction on the new school.
1928 – Father Thomas Murray was appointed Pastor of Saint James Church.
1933 – Father Barth Beruatto was assigned as Associate Pastor.
1937 – Father Edward J. Menke appointed Pastor, and the Saint James School PTA formed.
1941 – Father Wilfred J. Hayden appointed Pastor.
1949 – Work began on the convent on the corner of Poplar and North Miles Streets.
1951 – The high school took on the official name of Elizabethtown Catholic High School (ECHS) with a school mascot of the “Knights.”
1954 – Ground was broken for the new Elizabethtown Catholic High School.
1963 – Father Louis Bossung named the Pastor of Saint James Church and Father John Lehmenkuler named Associate Pastor.
1964 – Father John Talbott Spalding named Pastor.
1968 – A steering committee formed to raise $500,000 to build a new church.
1969 – ECHS closed at the end of the school year. Ground was broken for the new church construction in November.
1971 – Cornerstone for the existing church laid on January 19. The first Mass held in the existing church on February 5 and the dedication Mass held in the existing church on April 18. Saint James Middle School (7th and 8th grades) closed at the end of the school year.
1972 – Father Stanley Osborne assigned as Associate Pastor, and the first Parish Council formed.
1979 – Father C. Joseph Batcheldor named Pastor.
1982 – Father John Spalding died and was buried in Saint James Cemetery. Batcheldor Hall was dedicated in honor of C. Joseph Batcheldor.
1989 – Father William L. Fichteman assigned Pastor in June.
1990 – The parish stewardship program established. The seventh grade added to the school for the first time since 1970.
1991– The eighth grade added to the school for the first time since 1970.
1995 – Saint James re-purchased the former grade school building at the corner of Miles and Poplar Streets.
1997 – Father J. Richard Sullivan installed as pastor of Saint James by Archbishop Kelly and the renovated school building was open for classes in the fall.
2002 – Father Peter Do assigned to Saint James Catholic Church as Associate Pastor.
2005 – Saint James Catholic School became the only remaining Catholic school in Region VIII to provide education in the Catholic tradition.
2005 – Father Jeff Shooner assigned to Saint James Catholic Church as Associate Pastor.
2006 – Father Jeffrey Hopper assigned to Saint James Catholic Church as Associate Pastor.
2007 – Saint James parish purchased 49.2 acres of land for future growth plans.
2008 – Blessing of the Robinbrooke Campus land by Archbishop Kurtz and Father Chuck Walker was named pastor of Saint James by Archbishop Kurtz.
2011 – Father Matthew Hardesty assigned to Saint James Catholic Church as Associate Pastor.
2013 – Father Nick Brown assigned to Saint James Catholic Church as Associate Pastor.
2014 – Archbishop Kurtz named Father Martin Linebach pastor of Saint James Catholic Church.
2015 – Father Shayne Duvall assigned to Saint James Catholic Church as Associate Pastor.
2016 – The Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia join the Saint James community and ground is broken on a new convent for them on the Robinbrooke Campus.
2017 – Father M. Casey Sanders assigned to Saint James Catholic Church as Associate Pastor.
2018 – Father Martin Linebach appointed Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Louisville by Archbishop Kurtz on February 3.
2019 – Father Scott Murphy and Father Kirby Rust are assigned to Saint James Catholic Church as Associate Pastors.
2020 – Father Michael Wimsatt assigned to Saint James Catholic Church as Pastor.
2021 – Father Loi D. Pham assigned to Saint James Catholic Church as Associate Pastor.
2023 – Father Nguyen Quan assigned to Saint James Catholic Church as Associate Pastor
2025 – Father P. Cole McDowell assigned to Saint James Catholic Church as Associate Pastor November 22, 2025, Archbishop Shelton Fabre concelebrated Mass with current and former priests from Saint James Church kicking off our 175th Anniversary of Saint James Church.
