Father James Claude “Jaime” Arrambide, C.Ss.R., 79, of Liguori died April 6, 2026, after a brief period on hospice care at the St. Clement Redemptorist Mission Community in Barnhart. Father Jamie was a popular and effective Redemptorist missionary who embraced his heritage and devoted nearly five decades of ministry to the Hispanic community. He grew up with four doting older sisters in Sampasco, Texas. His family attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, a mission of the Redemptorists at that time. He felt a call to the priesthood in elementary school, so with the encouragement of his parents, he enrolled at Holy Redeemer College in Lacombe, La. He proceeded to St. Joseph’s College in Edgerton, Wis., where he was known as a quiet, kind and dependable student who already felt specifically called to serve the Hispanic community. He completed Novitiate and professed temporary vows at the newly opened Holy Redeemer College in Waterford, Wis., on Aug. 2, 1968. After completing theology courses at Mount St. Alphonsus Seminary in Esopus, N.Y., he professed perpetual vows on Aug. 2, 1971, and was ordained to the priesthood on June 23, 1973.
After completing Tirocinium at St. Alphonsus “Rock” Parish in St. Louis, he was assigned to two English-speaking parishes: St. Leo Parish in Versailles, Ky., and then St. Mary’s Assumption Parish in New Orleans, La. He returned to Texas in 1978 and continued ministering in the Lone Star State for the next 41 years. Initially assigned to Holy Redeemer Parish in Odessa, five years later, he was appointed local superior and pastor of Casa Redentor in El Paso, which included ministry in the outlying Fabens agricultural area bordering Mexico. He returned to the C.Ss.R. Apostolic Center in San Antonio as pastor of the historic Perpetual Help Church in 1984. A popular and beloved pastor, he had many good friends throughout the city, and it was a special treat for him to enjoy a delicious meal at their family-owned restaurants.
He was transferred to Holy Ghost Parish in Houston in 1990, where he was assigned for 35 years. Initially, he served as pastor of two missions, St. Mark the Evangelist from 1991 to 1995 and St. Raphael from 1995 to 2011, when he was appointed pastor and superior of the local community at Holy Ghost. After his term in leadership at the parish ended in 2015, he continued to serve as associate pastor for the next four years. He joined the Hispanic Ministry team at St. Gerard Majella Parish in Baton Rouge, La., in 2019. He was a valued member of the team devoted to serving the Spanish-speaking in the Diocese of Baton Rouge until health issues necessitated his move to St. Clement Redemptorist Mission Community last December. Born Oct. 6, 1946, in San Antonio, Texas. He was the son of Jesus and Stella (Perkins) Arrambide.
A rosary service is scheduled from 3 p.m. until a prayer vigil at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, at St. Clement Redemptorist Mission Community Chapel, 300 Liguori Drive, in Barnhart. A Mass of Resurrection is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, April 16, at the chapel. Burial will follow in Liguori Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Vinyard Funeral Home in Festus.