Fr James Grant was born in Adelaide and educated in Essendon, Victoria. In 1977 he began his career with the Commonwealth Police, serving in Canberra. Beyond his early professional life, he has qualified as a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor, a scuba diver, and played first-grade cricket for Northcote.
After theological studies at the University of Melbourne, where he graduated in 1984, Fr James was appointed to the United Kingdom as an associate priest. There, he became one of the first white vicars in London to minister to the growing West Indian community. In the wake of the Brixton riots, he initiated some of London’s earliest interfaith gatherings. Short-term postings followed in Berlin in 1988 and Budapest in 1989.
Returning to Australia later that year, he served as Senior Chaplain at Geelong Grammar School for seven years, before taking up chaplaincy roles at St Michael’s Grammar and The Peninsula School. He became well known for his pastoral care, often using martial arts, football and cricket as ways to build confidence in young people.
In 2004, Fr James was appointed parish priest at St Stephen’s Richmond and, the following year, became Melbourne’s first team vicar for the new parish of Jika Jika in the city’s north, where he worked closely with Sudanese refugees and strongly advocated for the Nuba people of Sudan, who continue to face genocide. His mission work has also extended abroad, including the establishment of two schools in Northern India.
That same year, he founded Chaplains Without Borders (CWB), Australia’s first interfaith corporate chaplaincy service. Within just two years, it had grown to become the nation’s largest provider of chaplaincy. In 2006, he was appointed the world’s first chaplain to the casino industry at Crown Enterprises Australia—a role he still holds today.
As a leading traditionalist within the Australian church, Fr James played a key role in the development of the Anglican Ordinariate, serving as national secretary from 2010 to 2011. He was received into the Catholic Church and ordained a Catholic priest in 2012, becoming one of the foundational priests of the Australian Ordinariate. That same year he was appointed National Director for Ordinariate Schools and joined the Ordinariate’s governing council.
Fr James has continued to pioneer new initiatives. He founded Catholics in Business (2012), Catholics in Mission and Renewal (2013), and the Catholic Youth Academy (CYA), which partnered with Crown Casino to support young Australians in building confidence and finding employment. In 2013, he also co-founded the Renewal Centre.
He became the first chaplain appointed to an A-League soccer club, serving at Melbourne Victory, the country’s largest football club. Outside his ministry, he competes in pistol shooting (9mm and .45 ACP) and is completing helicopter pilot training (PPL).
In 2015, he established the Father James Grant Foundation, dedicated to supporting disengaged young Australians. Its flagship initiative, Mission Engage, has helped hundreds secure their first jobs.
Fr James is the author and host of Creative Catholicism, a podcast and mission that offers an optimistic and constructive vision for the Church in challenging times. Rather than cataloguing decline, Creative Catholicism charts a course forward, showing how the Catholic Church can continue to make a vital contribution to Australian society—just as it has done throughout history.
Through his ministry, writing, and programs, Fr James remains committed to renewal, purpose, and the belief that the Catholic Church still has an essential role in shaping a just, confident, and faithful Australia.
