In the XV century Italy was struck by violent struggles and European States were at war each other. They were also threatened by Turks, who had conquered Constantinople and Cyprus. Besides political struggles, there were also religions ones because many sects grew up: “Fraticelli”, “Pataremi”,  albigensians, “Monachei”, “Adomiti” iconoclasts.

Another time S. Francis son distinguished their selves in the defence of the faith, of the peace, of the weak and of the poor. In this great reforming, humanitarian and social work S Bernardino of Siena, S. John of Capestrano and S, James of Marchlands distinguished their selves. S. James was born in Monteprandone on September 1393 of Antonio Gangale and Antonia Rossi. At the baptismal font he was named Domenico. His father died when he was 7 and he was sent to shepherd the family flock, but he left his home because he was un satisfiled with his life. He went to his uncle who was a priest  in Offida and he started to study.The young man continued his studies in Ascoli Piceno and then in Perugia where he took a degree civil and ecclesiastic right.Shortly after he was called to go Florence where he work as a notary, then as a judge commissioner at Bibiena.The unclear environment of Justice’s courts and his interior ambitions dersuaded him to leave the judicial world and he entered the convent of S. Mary of Angles in Assisi.

On July 25^th 1416 he wore the Franciscan habit and he changed his name Domenico for James.

On June 13^th 1420 he was ordained priest in Fiesole’s convent when he had S. Bernardino of Siena as teacher.

On June 13^th 1420, S. Antonio of Padova’s day, he inaugurated his preaching career with a speech on the great saint. The sermon pointed out him to his superiors which it like the preaching mission, S. James modelled it like the friar Bernardino of Siena who pulled in large audiences on squares with his vernacular language and his popular style.

Of the first experience which we remember there are the lent preaching of 1421 in the city of Ascoli in S. Miniato of Florence in the first Sunday after Epiphany and on December 27^th 1422 in Venice for S. Giovanni Evangelist’s Day. Then there were many other requests of preaching: Fano, Anversa, Prato, Jesi, Norcia, Cascia, Visso, Tolentino, and many other places in Marchland and in the centre of Italy. His speeches dealt with fundamental truths of Christian faith: God, Jesus Christ, his passion, death and resurrection, sacraments, the prayer, the grace, God’s word the eternal life, the heaven an the hell, the sin, deadly vices, the murder, the blasphemy, the forgiveness and then the reconciliation and the peace.The S. James’s preaching extended fighting firmly ideas advertised by many groups of heretics, above all by “Fraticelli”, who made many attempts on Saint’s life.Seriousness and popular attention excited by s. James’s preaching, attracted attention of pope Eugenio IV who gived him special tasks to preach against heresies on the other side of Adriatic sea and diplomatic mission in the east- centre of Europe.

 In December of 1431 he made his first stop in the ex- republic of Ragusa which today is named Dubrovnik. From the beginning his preaching was successful and this documented by letters which local authorities sent to pope ( January 30^th 1443) these letters thanked the pope because he had sent S. James and they also asked to extend friar’s function and to nominate him an inquisitor against heresies.

During first months of 1432 S. James went often of journeys through towns of Balkan Peninsula: all Dalmatia from south to north, from Cattaro to Zara, passing through Spalato, Lesina, Selvenico, Segna and arriveing to Cividale of Friuli which at that time was under Austrian rule; then he continued through towns of Slovenia, of Croatia and Bosnia , Like Konavle, Sokograd, Borac, Novigrad, Visoko, Hodid  near Sarajevo, Blagaj near Mostar, Konjic, Bistrica, Livno, Modrus, Vukovar, Solin.

In the meantime, on April 1^st 1432, with a letter sent by the General Ministry of Franciscan Order, S. James was named “visitor commissioner” for the Franciscan “Vicaria” of Bosnia with full power and authority to discipline friars’ life who had started to lose the true meaning of their work. At his time, S. James had to execute two tasks he had to try to convert by his evangelic sermons and to try carried friars, who had moved away, back to Franciscan rule.

S. James had also a contact with the king of Bosnia, Stefano Turko II, who was “forced” to rebuked friar James because of place’s friars: the king asked to S. James to be more lenient with friars, because they didn’t like to live in pain.

During his stay a King’s relative proclaimed himself legitimate monarc of Bosnia (his name was Radivoj called also Kristic) with the help of Turks who tried to extend their selves toward central country of Europe.

This condition forced friar James to execute his task without to try one of two king’s patient In 1433 he went back to Italy to take part in the general chapter of Franciscan Order at Bologna, where he was official preaching, because he was been named by pope Eugenio.After one year he went back to the other part of Adriatic sea, and he met great difficulties also because he had to explain the Gospel from the beginning, in some place like Bosnia.Some people believed that other men or animals were gods.There were a lot of works in those places and when he was there during those years, he wrote the work: “treatise against Bosnia’s heretics”. After this experience he went to Ungheria and Austria.He negotiated peace between Ungheria and Boemia under the order of Imperator Sigismondo.

S. James rushed and he had the merit to carry the peace without a military intervention, but establishing agreements which a magnificent procession, the imperator Sigismondo, with S. James at his side, entered to Praga life Imperator of Boemia.

After several experiences out of Italy S. Lames delivered his first binding preaching in Padova, during the lent of 1440. But he stopped at several places of   Marchlands before to go to Veneto. He stayed in Osimo and then he went to our Lady of Loreto’s Church where he prayed in the Virgin Mary’s house.

Then he went to preach to Urbino, Urbania, Sassoferrato, San Ginesio, Sarnano, Fermo, Monte Monaco. He  didn’t leave out big cities: Rome, Rieti, L’aquila, Perugia, Terni, Milano, Brescia. Mantova, Udine, Trieste, Trento.

Everyone received and listened him whit enthusiasm, and people arrived some hours before to take the place and to listen his word.

During his preaching the saint said that to invoke Jesus’ name is determinant if you are in trouble; then he told miracles he had gotten in God’s name the saint has described 94 of these miracles in one of his four autograph codes which are kept in the civic museum of  Monteprandone; These miracles were also illustrated by painter Tegli on Lunettes of Cloister of Monteprandone’s convent. Besides S. James urged people to not blaspheme and he said: “The tongue is a limb so beautiful and useful and it is a God’s gift so excellent! You can always you must praise god with it and you must not blaspheme him!”

Then he expatiate upon to tell he was present at several disgrace happened to inveterate blasphemers. The saint said that the gambling was also a vice which drives people to lie, to robber and to kill. After the saint’s preaching, many municipal administration included in their statutes instructions about blasphemers.

S. James was arbiter of peace also in our countries Ascoli Piceno and Fermo rivals and they fought from immemorial time; S. James was loved and appreciates in both towns, so he took the initiative to make peace between two rival towns. After long negotiations he succeeded to reach an agreement between two rival towns. On may 28^th 1446 Fermo’s council decreeded a sound peace with Ascoli’s citizens and also an alliance to stay in peace forever. Ascoli Piceno decreeded the same alliance with another municipal act.

In two public acts the importance of S. James of Monteprandone in this peace was evident. Infact we can read on two acts: “the treaty was made for interventation of  friar James of Marchland, venerable man, servant of God and father of both towns”. Particulary Ascoli Piceno was the weak point of S. James.

Citizens and authorities called him whenever they need or they had hard situation and problems to solve about the town.In 1463 he made peace between the community of Monteprandone in Ascoli’s territory and the community of S. Benedetto in Fermo’s territory, about boundary issues. During the same year he solved another time a boundary issue between Monteprandone an Acquaviva.

With the bull of August 22^nd  1449 Pope Nicoḷ V granted S. James permission to built a Franciscan convent in his native town Monteprandone, dedicated to blessed Virgin Mary of Grace.

Today in this church there is still a precious and venerated earthenware image of our lady, which Cardinal Francesco of Rovere gave S. James.

From the beginning of his preaching the Saint took poor to heart. For this reason he fought usury with great determination; it hit people who pawned all they had because they hadn’t money, but then they lost it definitely for high interests and they became more poor.

In these years usury was above all by unpopular by blackmailed and exploited people. Besides preaching against the usury, S. James tried to help poor asking to rich alms in favour of people who had lack of means and economic difficulties. Then “Monti di pietà” were organized from which people received loans without interest or with a very low percentage. Between first “Monti”, we remember Ascoli’s one, founded in 1458 and Perugia’ s one in 1462. Particulary S. James loved children which he defended from grow-up people’s spite. With reference to this we remember many saint’s miracles in favour of children, victim of human cruelty and intolerance. S. James preached also against prostitutions, trying to take those women back on the straight and narrow path. On July 22^nd 1460, S. Mary Madeleine’s day he was able to speack to a big group of prostitute’s which were converted and during the same day he was able to pick up 3000 ducats of alms; he used these money to buy dowries for those women, who got married a short time later.

Then the saint left ufficial preaching and he was thinking to devote himself to prayer and to study in the convent of Monteprandone’ s peace. He was in Fermo when he received a letter of Pope Sisto IV who ordered him to go to Napoli because king Ferdinando of Aragona had repeatedly asked about him. Pope hadn’t good relations with the king of Napoli, so he was happy to restore a diplomatic relation granting Ferdinando’s request. Even if now S. James was old ask sick, he immediately obeyed the Pope’s order and during the spring of 1473 he went to Napoli.

King Ferdinando had heard of S. James from his son, Alfonso, Duke of Calabria, who had appreciated saint’s gift and virtues doring a meeting at Civitella of Tronto. For this reason king Ferdinando, who was sice, hoped that the saint recovered him, and this recovery happened. S. James worked and preached not only in Napoli, but in almost all of towns of that country. The fame of his prodigies gave him great devotion and admiration of people of Napoli; the king with them wanted that the saint didn’t leave Napoli and so he stayed here until his death, which happened at 7.00 a.m. on Thursday November 28^th 1476.