The Parish of St. James the Greater was established and constructed by the Augustinian Friars in 1882 after the town of Ibaan separated from Batangas City.

However, with the outbreak of the revolution, the Spanish friars left the country. Several Filipino priests took turns in taking care of the parish.

Upon the arrival of the first OSJ missionaries in 1915, the parish was entrusted to Father Eugenio Gherlone, OSJ. He once wrote about Ibaan: “The Catholic community is fervent, assiduous for the church, for the Most Holy Sacrament and responds generously to the little things that the priest is able to do. The great church devoted to St. James, was filled with the faithful during sacred ceremonies, and with the help of the laity, was able to bring the comforts of the faith to the dying in the 25 barrios of the parish.”