March 30, 2026 // Diocese

Father James Stoyle, Priest Who Answered Late Vocation, Dies at 81

Scott Warden

Editor-In-Chief

Father James F. Stoyle, a priest of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend who answered a late but enduring call to the priesthood after a successful career in the secular world, died on Wednesday, March 25, as the result of an auto accident in rural Kendallville. He was 81.

Father Stoyle, who retired from active ministry in 2019, was remembered as a devoted pastor, teacher, and spiritual father who combined intellectual depth, pastoral care, and a deep love for the liturgy in his service to the Church.

Visitation will be Wednesday, April 1, from 2 to 7 p.m., with a Rosary at 7 p.m., at Young Family Funeral Home in Kendallville. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, April 6, at 11 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Kendallville. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Avilla.

The youngest child of David and Catherine (Lamb) Stoyle, Father Stoyle was born on October 6, 1944, in Pittsburgh. He first sensed a call to the priesthood as a child, influenced by his parents’ strong Catholic faith, the Sisters of Charity who taught him, and the example of priests in his parish.

He began formation at St. Meinrad Seminary in southern Indiana, but as he approached ordination, he stepped away, uncertain whether he was ready to make a lifelong commitment. What began as a short pause turned into more than two decades. During those years, he built a successful career in the secular world, teaching English and history, working in business management, and eventually serving as a corporate executive and consultant. By all appearances, his life had taken a different path.

But the call to the priesthood never fully left him.

After relocating to South Bend and attending St. Matthew Cathedral, Father Stoyle met Bishop Joseph R. Crowley, auxiliary bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, who became a spiritual mentor and challenged him to reconsider the vocation he had once set aside. More than 20 years after leaving seminary, he responded.

At age 42, he entered Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts, a seminary dedicated to older vocations. He was ordained to the diaconate on January 12, 1991, at St. Matthew Cathedral in South Bend by Bishop Crowley, and to the priesthood on November 16, 1991, by Bishop John M. D’Arcy. He was 47.

Father Stoyle was appointed associate pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle in Elkhart on December 11, 1991, and later served as administrator and pastor of St. Jude Parish in South Bend. He served as pastor of St. Monica Parish in Mishawaka from August 6, 2002, until he was appointed associate pastor at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne on December 1, 2004. Father Stoyle was pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Kendallville from October 7, 2009, until his retirement from active ministry in 2019.

Across those assignments, Father Stoyle was known for both pastoral care and practical leadership. He oversaw significant improvements to parish buildings, strengthened school communities, and worked to enhance the beauty of worship spaces, particularly during his years in Kendallville.

Yet for many, his greatest impact came not through projects but through personal encounter.

“Our family was blessed in many ways by Father Jim,” Jack and Tammy Rhodes told Today’s Catholic. “He baptized our grandchildren. He anointed our parents. He also brought our son-in-law into the Catholic faith. He was a great inspiration, putting his faith into action in everyday life. We will forever cherish his friendship.”

Parishioners consistently described a priest who combined deep knowledge with humility, humor, and attentiveness to others.

“Father Jim had been a very dear friend ever since he was assigned to Immaculate Conception in Kendallville,” said Ruth Durbin. “He had a sense of humor, and he was a wealth of knowledge. He made me think about how I was leading my life and brought me closer to the Lord by his faith and prayers. He gave me peace and soothed my soul.”

Durbin recalled that even in ordinary moments – over meals, conversations, or visits – Father Stoyle offered guidance that was both practical and deeply rooted in faith.

For others, that guidance proved transformative.

“He is the reason I am a better Catholic today,” Betty Ritchie told Today’s Catholic. “On one of our first talks, he asked me, ‘What religion are you?’ I responded, ‘Catholic,’ and he said, ‘But are you?’ From that point on, he really drew me into my Catholic faith and how to live it.”

Ritchie said Father Stoyle became part of her family, sharing holidays and offering steady counsel, especially during difficult times.

“I could be totally honest with him and he never judged me,” she said. “He just guided me to do the right thing.”

His patient and gentle approach also led others into the Church.

“It was Father Jim’s kind, ever-patient, and humble spirit that ultimately led me to the faith,” Mackenzie Ritchie said. “He spent countless hours answering my questions about Catholicism, never pressuring me to join the Church, but gently inviting me into deeper conversations about our Lord and His Church.”

That invitation eventually led her to become Catholic.

“I was blessed to have him as my first confessor and to have him administer my confirmation and first Communion,” she said. “Through him, we truly saw Christ and felt His deep and abiding love.”

Father Stoyle’s spirituality was marked by a quiet, consistent gratitude. Each morning, he would begin the day with the words Deo gratias – “Thanks be to God” – embracing whatever the day might bring.

For Father Stoyle, whose “yes” came after years of discernment and a life lived along another path, that same trust defined a priesthood that, for so many, made the presence of Christ tangible and real.