The Rev. Richard “Dick” Joseph Dempsey, a Chicago Archdiocesan priest, loved being a pastor not because of the status of the position, but because it involved him in the lives of the people he served.
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“He was a wonderful parish priest,” said his sister, Sr. Dorothy “Dot” Dempsey, O.P. “His life was always about the people. And he was with the people, liked people and wanted to make them happy. He believed in that ministry; that he served the people.
And he rarely, if ever, missed a parish event. His sister recalled the time he had tickets and plans to visit Israel and the Holy Land. He was unaware that his trip was during a parish carnival.
“Someone asked, ‘Isn’t that the same time as the parish carnival?’ Right then and there, he tore up the ticket. He wouldn’t leave. That was how he was,” his sister said.
Dempsey, 83, pastor emeritus of Most Holy Redeemer Parish in Evergreen Park, died Thursday at his home in Bonita Springs, Fla. from surgery complications.
He was born and raised in Chicago. One of eight children, Dempsey was called to the priesthood at an early age, according to his brother, Donald “Duke” Dempsey.
“We certainly had a happy household,” his brother said. “We were poor, but we had a great time growing up in the St. Cajetan Parish.”
Dempsey attended St. Christina and St. Cajetan Catholic schools before he entered Quigley Preparatory Seminary at the age of 13.
He graduated from the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary, receiving his bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees, and was ordained into the priesthood on April 12, 1958, by Samuel Cardinal Stritch, archbishop of Chicago.
Dempsey served as assistant pastor at Our Lady of Grace Parish in Chicago from 1958 to 1965, then served at St. Sebastian Parish on Dayton Street the following year.
In 1966, Cardinal John Patrick Cody called Dempsey to his office and asked him to prayerfully consider serving in the military as the war in Vietnam began to heat up.
“Dick came back and told him that it really wasn’t something he wanted to do, but the cardinal said, ‘Yea, well you are going.’ So he went. He was obedient that way,” his sister said.
While on active duty as a U.S. Navy chaplain, he earned a doctorate in psychology from the United States International University in San Diego.
With the U.S. Marines, his tours of duty included Vietnam and Okinawa. Often, he was the only chaplain that would go to the front lines, his family said.
“He would go into the hills to be with the men. Sometimes he said 10 Masses a week. He needed to keep the morale of the men up. And there were two ways in; one by helicopter and the other by Jeep, which could have hit mines. But he still went out there. He worked hard at looking at the bright side, and he knew he had to bring that same attitude to the men,” his sister said.
During his time with the U.S. Navy, his tours of duty included the Philippines and the USS Constellation aircraft carrier.
Upon his return, Dempsey served as pastor of Holy Family Parish in North Chicago from 1969 to 1980, and then at St. Victor Parish in Calumet City from 1989-1991.
In 1991, he was named pastor of Most Holy Redeemer Parish in Evergreen Park, serving in that capacity until his retirement in 2003, when he was named pastor emeritus.
Friend and fellow retired priest, the Rev. Richard Shannon, said Dempsey loved to serve the entire parish community as a pastor.
“He truly loved being a parish priest,” Shannon said. “He loved being there to help people. He was all about service; service for his country, his parish, his church and to God.”
Dempsey also served as chaplain of the Area 7 Catholic Youth Organization and Kelvyn Park High School.
Other survivors include another brother, Monsignor Thomas Dempsey; and sisters, Deanne O’Toole, Sally Dempsey and Kathleen Moyer.
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Visitation will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday in Most Holy Redeemer Parish, 9525 South Lawndale Avenue, Evergreen Park. A funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m., on Friday at the church.
Patricia Trebe is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.