093_HR0381

                                     LRB093 12002 RAH 16949 r

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, The members of the House of  Representatives  of
 3    the State of Illinois would like to congratulate the Reverend
 4    Father  Richard  J. Dempsey for his many years of service and
 5    devotion to the people of Evergreen Park  at  the  Most  Holy
 6    Redeemer Church on the occasion of his retirement; and

 7        WHEREAS,  Father  Dempsey was born in Chicago, the second
 8    of eight children of Chicago Police Officer George and Myrtle
 9    Dempsey;  he  was  ordained  on  April  12,  1958   for   the
10    Archdiocese of Chicago; and

11        WHEREAS,  Father  Dempsey's  first  assignment was at Our
12    Lady of Grace in Chicago from 1958 until 1965;  in  1961,  he
13    joined  the  U.S.  Navy  Reserves;  in 1965, he served at St.
14    Sebastian Church in Chicago; and

15        WHEREAS, In 1966, at the request of Cardinal Cody, Father
16    Dempsey went into the Navy Marine Corps to  minister  to  the
17    spiritual  needs of those valiantly serving our country; with
18    the  U.S.  Marines,  his  tours  of  duty  included  Vietnam,
19    Okinawa, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, and San Diego; with  the
20    U.S.  Navy,  his  tours of duty included the Philippines, the
21    USS Constellation Aircraft Carrier, San Diego, Monterey,  and
22    the  Great  Lakes;  while  on active duty, he earned a PhD in
23    psychology; and

24        WHEREAS, Upon retiring from the military with the rank of
25    Captain in 1988, Father Dempsey spent a year at St.  Victor's
26    in  Calumet City; he has spent the last 12 years at Most Holy
27    Redeemer Church in Evergreen Park where he is  retiring;  for
28    11 of those years, he served as pastor; therefore, be it

29        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
30    NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,  that
31    we congratulate the Reverend Father Richard J. Dempsey on the
 
                            -2-      LRB093 12002 RAH 16949 r
 1    occasion  of  his  retirement,  and we thank him for his many
 2    years of service and devotion to the spiritual needs  of  the
 3    citizens of Illinois; and be it further

 4        RESOLVED,  That  a  suitable  copy  of this resolution be
 5    presented to Father Richard J. Dempsey as  an  expression  of
 6    deep respect and esteem.