The organization also holds "The Christopher Awards" ceremony each year, primarily to recognize media that exemplify the human spirit.
James Jr. was born in 1900 in Oakland, California, the fourth of six children in a devout Roman Catholic household.
He then continued his education at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., where he received his baccalaureate and, the following year, a master's degree in medieval history.
From a professor, Peter Guilday, he learned the importance of historical trends as opposed to individual occurrences.
[3] In 1925 he was, atypically, ordained in his parish church in Oakland, CA., largely because his archbishop thought he would get a better crowd, which would be exposed to the Maryknoll movement.