Our Clergy & Staff

The Reverend James Thomas is a native of Sandwich, Massachusetts. James had a musical childhood. A trombonist, he was privileged to gain acceptance into the collegiate studio of Professor David Sporny at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As a performer, his credits include tours and recordings in the Afro-American Jazz and European Classical traditions across the United States and Europe. As an educator, middle and high school bands under his direction received awards for excellence at the regional and national level. After ten years of teaching, James began a new career in the professional fire service. He started over as a signal operator in the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office. Today, he holds the title:Training Officer at the rank of Sergeant in the Public Safety Division of BCSO. James holds the degree of Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in Emergency Management and is completing the Master of Science in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Homeland Security. He is a graduate of the National Emergency Training Center and the Center for Domestic Preparedness. He is also currently the Diocesan Disaster Coordinator for the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. He was nominated by Saint John’s, Sandwich and accepted into postulancy for the diaconate. During the ordination process, he met a fellow deacon postulant Natalie Finstad. James and Natalie were married in August 2019 at Saint John’s and ordained together at the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul in Boston in June 2020. James and Natalie have a daughter Phoebe and a son Stephen.