Michael James Dempsey,OP (February 12, 1912 – March 19, 1996) was anAmerican-bornCatholic prelate who served asBishop of Sokoto inNigeria from 1967 to 1984. He was a member of theDominican Order.

James Edward Dempsey was born inProvidence, Rhode Island, to Joseph M. Demspey and Julia Mary McSherry.^[1] He was educated at St. Mary's Grade School,LaSalle Academy andProvidence College all in Providence. Dempsey entered the Dominican novitiate atSt. Rose Priory inSpringfield, Kentucky, and took the religious name Michael. He made his firstprofession of vows on August 16, 1936.^[1] Philosophical studies were taken at the Dominican House of Studies inRiver Forest, Illinois, and Dempsey made his solemn profession on August 16, 1939. He decided to join the newly established Province of St. Albert the Great and continued his theological studies at River Forest. Dempsey was ordained a priest by BishopBernard J. Sheil on June 11, 1942.^[2]

Michael Dempsey taught English and religion atFenwick High School inOak Park, Illinois, from 1943 to 1950.^[1] At the same time, he obtained a master's degree in English literature atDePaul University in Chicago. In 1951, he entered the missionary field in Nigeria. He served five terms as pastor and local superior at St. Dominic's Parish inYaba, Lagos. He was on leave from January 24, 1955, to February 2, 1956. When he returned, he was made the Vicar Provincial for the Dominicans of Nigeria. His responsibilities were reduced toYaba from 1959 to 1962. On August 27, 1965, Dempsey was appointed the vicar of the Nigerian Vicariate.

On July 13, 1967,Pope Paul VI appointed him as the Bishop of Sokoto. He was consecrated a bishop by CardinalJohn Cody ofChicago on August 15, 1967, at St. Pius V Church in Chicago. The principal co-consecrators were ArchbishopJohn Kwao Amuzu Aggey ofLagos and Chicago auxiliary bishopAloysius John Wycislo.^[3] He was installed as the diocesan bishop inSokoto on October 1, 1967, and continued to serve there until his resignation was accepted byPope John Paul II on December 3, 1984.

Before his appointment as bishop there were anti-Igbo and anti-Christian riots in 1966 that left the diocese of Sokoto without most of its people, its only indigenous priest fled, and many of its church buildings were destroyed.^[1] He focused on the northern part of his diocese, where the people remained, and opened the first secondary school inGusau in 1968. The civil war ended in 1970 and the Catholic people began to return to the Sokoto diocese. The oil industry expanded in the 1970s and that helped to increase the size of the diocese. The Dominican sisters opened a house in Gusau. The catechetical school atMalumfashi trained catechists for northern Nigeria. Successful evangelization efforts were made among theHausa people. Good relations were maintained with Muslims and other Christian churches. Dempsey suffered several minor strokes toward the end of his time as bishop. He was also the only non-Nigerian bishop in the country. He had to check in and out with the police when he leftSokoto State to enterKatsina State, which was also a part of the diocese.

In the autumn of 1985, Dempsey returned to the United States.^[1] He took up residence at St. Dominic Priory inDenver, Colorado, and helped out at St. Dominic parish, where he ministered to the sick and aged. His health declined, and he moved into the Mullen Home, which was operated by theLittle Sisters of the Poor in Denver.^[1] He died there at the age of 84 on March 19, 1996. ArchbishopJ. Francis Stafford ofDenver celebrated the funeral on March 25, 1996, at St. Dominic's Church. Bishop Dempsey was buried in the Dominican plot atMount Olivet Cemetery.

• 1912 births
• 1996 deaths
• 20th-century American clergy
• 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Nigeria
• Clergy from Providence, Rhode Island
• Dominican bishops
• American Roman Catholic missionaries
• Roman Catholic missionaries in Nigeria
• American expatriates in Nigeria
• DePaul University alumni
• Roman Catholic bishops of Sokoto
• La Salle Academy alumni