On July 1, 2021, Rev. David C. Santos became the Administrator of Saint James the Apostle Church, Springfield’s only Catholic church.  

Rev. Santos replaced Rev. Joseph F. Barbone, who retired on June 30, after serving the parish as pastor since January 2016.  

A Kearny native born to Portuguese immigrants, Rev. Santos did a combat tour in Iraq prior to formally discerning a call to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Newark. He is a graduate of Seton Hall University and has studied at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.  Upon returning to the United States, Rev. Santos was assigned to Saint Bartholomew the Apostle Church in Scotch Plains, where he served as Assistant Pastor for almost 8 years.  

“While the priesthood was never a path I considered until my early 20’s, I attribute its flourishing to a supportive family and the wonderful example of good priests in my life,” said Rev. Santos in his written introduction to the parish.  

Fr. Santos will serve the parish as Administrator for one year prior to being named Pastor. During this time, he plans to offer Saint James parishioners opportunities to express their thoughts regarding the vision of the parish.  

Saint James the Apostle Church is located at 45 South Springfield Ave. More information about the parish can be found on its Web site: https://saintjamestheapostle.org/  

 Fr. David C. Santos, the new Administrator at Saint James the Apostle Church

Photo courtesy of Saint James Church