St. James Episcopal Church has stood on California Street between 8th and 9th Avenues in San Francisco's Inner Richmond since 1923. The parish is known for an intentionally welcoming community, a deep choral tradition, and a hands-on commitment to social justice that draws parishioners into long-running outreach with unhoused neighbors.
Two Sunday Eucharists, Quiet and Festive
St. James offers two celebrations of the Holy Eucharist each Sunday. The 8:00 a.m. Morning Quiet Worship is a smaller, more contemplative service that mixes ancient liturgical tradition with contemporary language intended to make the words land in everyday life. Everyone is welcome to receive bread and wine at Communion, and a light breakfast and conversation follow in the Parish Hall.
The 10:00 a.m. Morning Worship with Music is the larger service, a Choral Eucharist led by the St. James' Choir. Older children are invited to come forward for the children's story and sit at the altar for a passage reflection, and may help bring up the offering. After worship, the community gathers downstairs in the Parish Hall for a festive coffee hour. Anyone joining from home can use the Zoom link shared in the weekly newsletter.
A Midweek Pause on Wednesdays
Wednesday Evening Prayer happens at 6:30 p.m. on Google Meet, a half-hour service open to friends and family across the country. Clergy and laypeople lead psalms, readings, prayers and silence drawn from various Anglican prayer books, with music on many evenings. On the second Wednesday each month the group uses a more personal "in our own words" format for individual intercessions, and during even-numbered months the St. James Faith in Action group leads the service with prayers focused on social injustice.
Children Are Built into the 10 a.m. Service
Families are welcome at St. James, especially at the 10 a.m. service. Halfway through worship, kids move to the altar for the children's story and a passage reflection. A Toddler Corner in the sanctuary offers a soft area for crawlers, toddlers and younger children, stocked with plushies and activity bags. Free child care is usually available during the 10 a.m. in the Preschool classroom across the courtyard, and children are brought back into the service to take communion.
Choir and Music Program
Music shapes Sunday worship and Holy Day celebrations at St. James. The St. James' Choir leads the Choral Eucharist each week, and concerts and recitals are hosted throughout the year. Margaret Fonbertasse serves as Parish Accompanist and also works as staff accompanist for the Masterworks Chorale and Skyline College.
Sunday Evening Meditation and Saturday Small Groups
Sunday evenings begin in silence. Parishioners and neighbors gather at 5:30 p.m. for preparation, with one-on-one instruction available for beginning meditators, then sit together for 20 minutes of silent meditation starting at 5:45 p.m.
On the second Saturday of every month, except July and August, the Women's Circle meets from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. in the Parish Hall, also available on Google Meet. The morning includes a check-in and a member-led presentation, with the group currently working through the anthology Spiritual Literacy edited by F. and M. Brussat. The Rev. Shari Young convenes the circle. The men's group meets for breakfast on the same Saturday, from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. at St. James, for coffee, food and conversation on rotating topics.
A Healing Team for Prayer
The St. James Healing Team offers private prayer through laying on of hands after the 10 a.m. Eucharist each Sunday in the side chapel, and maintains a prayer list that is lifted up in both the weekly service and the team's daily prayers.
Outreach to the Inner Richmond
Faith at St. James is shaped to move outward. Parishioners have volunteered with Project Homeless Connect for more than five years, joining monthly mobile outreach on the third Friday of each month from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., walking the Inner Richmond and handing out hygiene kits to unhoused neighbors alongside the program's mobile services van. St. James also hosts Sacred Ground circles, part of the Episcopal Church's Becoming Beloved Community commitment to conversations about race, faith and history, and the Vital + Thriving Mission Innovation Team explores how members connect to community and social justice issues outside the parish walls. The parish is a member of the Diocese of California's Whole & Healthy Church, a set of safeguarding policies and procedures.
A Long History, a Preschool, and a Land Acknowledgment
St. James opens its public voice with an acknowledgment that the parish stands on the unceded traditional territory of the Yelamu, a local tribe of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples of the San Francisco peninsula, paying respect to Ancestors, Elders and Relatives of the Ramaytush community.
The parish was officially founded in 1890 as a guild hall on Clement Street between 5th and 6th Avenues and moved to its present California Street home in 1923. St. James Preschool was established in 1963 and remains a fixture of the neighborhood today, a small nonsectarian nonprofit serving children ages two to five. A progressive theological era beginning in 1984 brought growth and a stream of community groups using the church facilities. In December 2000 the Vestry adopted a Statement of Inclusivity and declared the parish an Oasis Congregation.
Clergy and Staff
The Rev. Martha Korienek serves as Rector, joining St. James in July 2026 after parish roles in California, New York City and Chicago and time as Canon to the Ordinary in the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real. She also serves as chaplain of St. James Preschool. The Rev. Shari Young is a retired Priest Associate who assists with preaching and liturgical leadership and convenes the Women's Circle. Margaret Fonbertasse is Parish Accompanist. The parish is guided by a Vestry with Helen Archer-Dusté as Senior Warden and Tracey Thomas as Junior Warden.