History

Fulfilling a Need

During the winter of 2013-14, it became desperately apparent that the Sioux Falls area needed another solution for emergency shelter for the homeless population. Bishop Swain and the Catholic Diocese felt called to participate in that solution and the property at 101 N Indiana was purchased by the Diocese in the spring of 2014.  

A Steering Committee and Task Force were immediately formed with the goal of providing warm surroundings for those in need.  And to have the doors of that facility open in a mere nine months. Professionals, policemen, social service agencies and lay people across the Christian community, along with the staff of the Catholic Diocese met, planned, fund-raised and prayed during 2014.   They also followed in the footsteps of someone who had been down this road before.

Our Thanks 

In less than a year from the public announcement of its vision, the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House opened its doors on January 12, 2015. We would not be here today if the hand of God had not touched so many. The Steering  Committee, which offered experience-based design and practical advice; the Task  Force, which raised both awareness of the growing need, especially relating to children and families, and whose members personally sought out the funding; the staff and board of the Good Shepherd Center, the Diocesan staff and Finance Council, and the staff and Board of the Catholic Community Foundation of Eastern South Dakota, and so many more. Thank you to the Argus Leader and its Lend-a-Hand program and to all media who shared the story and the vision. Your moving personal stories have helped us understand the true face of the homeless and vulnerable. Thank you also to all who volunteered with your time and expertise to make Bishop Dudley Hospitality House a reality.

The Man Behind the Name 

Paul Vincent Dudley was born on November 29, 1926 in Northfield, Minnesota. He was the tenth child of Edward and Margaret Dudley. He studied at St. Paul Seminary and was ordained to the priesthood on June 2, 1951. On November 6, 1978, he was named the sixth Bishop of Sioux Falls. Bishop Dudley served as the Bishop of the Sioux Falls Diocese for sixteen years, and retired on March 21, 1995. During his tenure, Bishop Dudley laid the foundation, served and nurtured ministries to serve those in need in Sioux Falls. The St. Francis House and The Banquet are just two such ministries.  Now household names, and serving as ecumenical ministries, Bishop Dudley’s hand was the original guiding force. It was clear, that the new shelter being built to care for our city’s most vulnerable, should carry this quiet and humble man’s name.  Bishop Dudley was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award by the St. Paul Seminary in 2006. He died in 2006 at the age of 79.