St. James Roman Catholic Church, South Deerfield, Massachusetts

St. James in the village of South Deerfield was the first Roman Catholic church in the town of Deerfield and existed as a Catholic parish for over 100 years. In the 1890s, a large number of Catholic immigrants settled in the village of South Deerfield, drawn by available farm work. In 1895, what had been Monument Congregational Church (built ca. 1847) was moved to its new location on North Main Street and christened St. James. In 1923, nationally acclaimed artist Augustus Vincent Tack (1870-1949) painted a mural above the church's altar. For many decades, St. James was one of three Catholic parishes in South Deerfield. In 2008, in the face of declining congregations and financial strains, the Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts, decided to close St. James and create a new parish at nearby St. Stanislaus Church. The new parish took the name Holy Family Parish.