St. James the Less

Who they were

James the son of Alphaeus, called the Less, meaning the shorter or the younger to distinguish him from James the Greater, is the quietest member of the Twelve. He is named in every list of the apostles and given not one recorded line of his own.

Tradition variously links him with James the Just, the leader of the Jerusalem church and author of the letter, an identification that is ancient and disputed and should be presented as both. Beyond that the record is silence and fidelity. He was called, he stayed through everything that made others leave, and by tradition he died for it. The Church canonizes the silence too, which is worth noticing in a roster full of people who left writings.

Why people turn to St. James the Less

Everyone serving without a single recorded line: the parish's fifty year usher, the volunteer nobody interviews, the faithful whose names no minutes preserve. That is most of the Church, and this is their apostle.

How to ask their intercession

For the person holding something together whose name will never appear anywhere. Ask him on 3 May, which he shares with Philip.