James “Jim” Dale has been named the new president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Diocesan Council of Western Kentucky, Inc. COURTESY OF SVDP
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Diocesan Council of Western Kentucky, Inc., welcomes their new president
BY BELINDA ABELL, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
James “Jim” Dale didn’t know the path he was eventually to take in life would lead him to St. Vincent de Paul but he’s thankful every day that it did.
Jim and his wife Cathy belong to St. Mary Parish in Franklin, Ky., but that’s not where his Vincentian journey started. It began more than 10 years ago in Connors, Georgia. After he and his wife married, they decided they needed to go back to church. Jim was a Baptist and Cathy was a lapsed Catholic. They first attended a Baptist church didn’t find the open, welcoming atmosphere they were looking for. Cathy suggested they try the Catholic Church there.
Jim found the people to be welcoming, caring, and unpretentious. Soon Cathy became involved in the local St. Vincent de Paul conference. Jim wanted to spend more time with his wife, so he joined her in serving with St. Vincent de Paul. And as he became more involved, he found the Vincentian path aligned with his thoughts and feelings of servant leadership. As life would have it, a job opportunity opened up in Bowling Green, Ky., so they left their home and church in Georgia and made their way to Kentucky.
Upon their move to Bowling Green, Cathy and Jim joined Holy Spirit and again became involved with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. During this time, both Jim and Cathy served as SVdP conference presidents. Jim also found himself serving as a district president.
Recently, he was chosen to serve as the new diocesan council president for the 32-county service area.
“St. Vincent de Paul shows the way we feel,” said Jim. “Cathy and I love to share, to share what we have, share of ourselves, sharing of ourselves to others in order to help.”
Jim has set goals for his tenure as president: “I have two goals. The first one that I’d like to accomplish in my three years as council president is that all Vincentians feel part of a team. None of us can succeed alone. The second, I think we need to examine opening more thrift stores. I’d like to see at least one more opened in the diocese to further benefit the people we are serving.”
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Diocesan Council of Western Kentucky, Inc. serves 32 counties with 22 SVDP conferences, three SVDP districts, and six thrift stores. If you are interested in learning more about the Society visit svdpwky.org or give us a call at (270) 315-5747.
Belinda Abell is the external affairs director for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Diocesan Council of Western Kentucky, Inc.
Originally printed in the April 2025 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
