Michael James Dempsey
Michael James Dempsey OP (born February 22, 1912 in Providence , Rhode Island as James Edward Dempsey , † March 19, 1996 in Denver ) was Bishop of Sokoto .
Life
James Edward Dempsey studied in his hometown, joined the Dominicans in 1935 and took the religious name Michael. From 1936 he studied in a Dominican college in River Forest and made his profession on August 16, 1939 . On June 11, 1942, he was finally ordained a priest . From 1943 to 1950 Dempsey was an English and religion teacher at Fenwick High School in Oak Park. In 1951 he was sent by his order to Nigeria for missionary purposes and was very active in the following years.
Pope Paul VI appointed Dempsey Bishop of Sokoto on July 13, 1967. He received his episcopal ordination on August 15 of the same year from John Patrick Cardinal Cody , Archbishop of Chicago . Co- consecrators were John Kwao Amuzu Aggey , Archbishop of Lagos , and Aloysius John Wycislo , Auxiliary Bishop in Chicago. The diocese of Sokoto was in crisis due to anti-Christian currents, most Christians had left it. Only after the end of the civil war in 1970 did they return to the diocese in large numbers. Despite his episcopate, Dempsey himself continued his humble life as a Dominican friar. As a charismatic speaker, he succeeded in persuading non-Catholics to attend his services.
On December 3, 1984, Pope John Paul II accepted his resignation, which he had submitted for health reasons. Michael James Dempsey returned to the United States in the fall of 1985 and, after a short stay in his study site River Forest, lived in a Dominican priory in Denver, where he was also involved in nursing and elderly care. Dempsey died in 1996 at the age of 84 after his previous health deteriorated. He was buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Denver.
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Edward Thaddeus Lawton OP |
Bishop of Sokoto 1967–1984 |
Kevin Aje |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Dempsey, Michael James |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Dempsey, James Edward (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American Dominican Brother and Missionary, Bishop of Sokoto |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 22, 1912 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Providence , Rhode Island |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 19, 1996 |
| Place of death | Denver |