Paul Vincent Dudley

Paul Vincent Dudley (November 29, 1926 – November 20, 2006) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of Sioux Falls in South Dakota from 1978 to 1995. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in Minnesota from 1977 to 1978.

Biography Early life Paul Dudley was born on November 29, 1926, in Northfield, Minnesota, the tenth child of Edward Austin and Margaret Ann (née Nolan) Dudley. He studied at Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary in Arden Hills, Minnesota, and St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul.

Priesthood Dudley was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul on June 2, 1951, at Cathedral of Saint Paul in St. Paul, Minnesota by Archbishop John Gregory Murray. After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned Dudley as a curate at Annunciation Parish in Minneapolis. He was transferred in 1964 to St. Patrick Parish in St. Paul. Dudley became the founding pastor of St. Edward Parish at Bloomington, Minnesota, in 1967, and pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Church at Mound, Minnesota, in 1972.

Retirement and legacy After sixteen years, Dudley resigned as bishop of Sioux Falls on March 21, 1995. However, the charges were later dropped due to insufficient evidence. Following this accusation, he declared, "I totally deny these allegations. They are brutally unfounded." He died on November 20, 2006, from pulmonary disease at St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Paul at age 79. He is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Northfield.