(Left to right) The first Emeritus Board Member, Juanita Faye May, of The Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Diocesan Council of Western Kentucky, Inc. and Diocesan Council President, Nancy Harris. May is a parishioner at St. Sebastian Parish in Calhoun and a member of its SVDP Conference. COURTESY OF DUANE HARRIS
St. Vincent de Paul names first emeritus member
BY BELINDA ABELL, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
On Feb. 17, The Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Diocesan Council of Western Kentucky, Inc. bestowed its first Emeritus Board Membership to Vincentian Juanita Faye May. The acknowledgment was in recognition and sincere appreciation of outstanding servant leadership as a past district president. This honor recognized the personal and faithful commitment demonstrated towards the mission, programs, activities, and special ministry of The Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Faye is no stranger to servant leadership; she ministered to the sick of our community as a registered nurse for 47 years, first at Mercy Hospital then at Owensboro Health. During those years she sustained her other roles of service as a wife and a mother to five children. She also was an active parishioner at St. Sebastian Parish in Calhoun, Ky.
In 2012, St. Sebastian’s pastor, Fr. John Okoro, brought SVDP Central District president Murray McLaughlin to the parish to present the idea of forming an SVDP parish conference. Before Faye could turn around, she had not only attended the meeting but was St. Sebastian’s first conference president.
When asked what her motivation was Faye responded, “I saw the need people had for what St. Vincent de Paul offered. People ask for very little, but when you go for a home visit you can see they need so much more. I remember one family where we made a home visit, I forgot what they asked for, but mom and dad and all three kids were sleeping in one bed. We got them beds for their kids and saw they needed so much more – food, clothes. That happens a lot. I’ve always served in some capacity, and being a Vincentian is another way to serve especially since I’ve retired.”
Faye served as conference president for five years and in 2017 became the first female president of the SVDP Central District. She ended her second three-year term as Central District president in 2022.
Those who have worked with her know she truly has a servant heart. Diocesan Council president, Nancy Harris, says, “Faye is a true example of Vincentian and servant leadership. I know of no one more deserving of this special recognition.”
CEO and Executive Director Richard Remp-Morris says, “Faye has certainly been a friend and mentor to me, I have truly enjoyed her leadership and wisdom on the Diocesan Council.”
If you are interested in deepening your relationship with Christ while serving others and would like to learn more about a Vincentian vocation through St. Vincent de Paul you can contact Richard Remp-Morris at (270) 315-5747, visit your parish conference or visit our website at svdpwky.org.
Belinda Abell is the marketing coordinator for The Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Diocesan Council of Western Kentucky, Inc.
Originally printed in the March 2023 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
