Before his appointment to St Boniface in 2022, he worked at St Andrews Catholic Church in Thornton Heath from 2019 to 2020 and English Martyrs Catholic Church, Streatham from 2020-2022.

Fr James was born in a small village called Devipattanam, Tamilnadu, India. He belongs to the Diocese of Palayamkottai, Tamilnadu.

His Major Seminary formation for the Priesthood was at Papal Seminary, Pune, India. During his Seminary years, he engaged in community fieldwork for about five years for children with additional needs at Snehalaya, Wagholi, Pune.

He was ordained for the Diocese of Palayamkottai on 1st May 2016 by Right Reverend Jude Paulraj D. D. In his home Diocese; he held a number of appointments, such as teaching Indian Spiritual methods at Jnana Deepa Institute of Philosophy and Theology Pune and visiting professor at Christ Hall Seminary, Madurai. He was assistant priest at St Joseph Catholic Church, Kovilpatti, Tamilnadu and then the Secretary to Bishop Jude Paulraj, the then Bishop of Palayamkottai, and then to Archbishop Antony Pappusamy, the Archbishop of Madurai.

Fr James holds a Master's degree in both Philosophy and Theology. At the moment, he is in the preparatory stages for his Doctorate. He is also an expert in Yoga, which he qualified in Kerala with the title of "Yoga Acharaya - Master of Yoga".

Fr James has a range of hobbies. He enjoys exercising, taking long walks, creating websites, digital musical constructs, leading meditations, playing badminton and cricket.