Topic: Michael Pfleger

Michael Louis Pfleger (born May 22, 1949) is a social activist in Chicago, Illinois and a Roman Catholic priest. He has been temporarily suspended from his pastoral duties by Cardinal Francis George.

A German American from the South Side of Chicago, Pfleger attended Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, Loyola University and the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 14, 1975. Since 1981, Pfleger has been pastor of the mostly African American parish of Saint Sabina, a Catholic church in Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood. His uninterrupted tenure in just one parish is normally unheard of in a diocese where pastors usually serve for only six to eight years. When he was appointed to his present position, at the age of 31, he became the youngest pastor in the Chicago archdiocese. Under Pfleger's leadership, Saint Sabina has established an Employment Resource Center, a Social Service Center, and also an Elders home.

In 1981, Pfleger adopted an eight-year-old son, Lamar, in defiance of Cardinal John Patrick Cody, who had threatened to fire him if he went ahead with the adoption. Lamar graduated from college and got a job with Continental Airlines, which he lost after the September 11, 2001 attacks. He subsequently enlisted in the United States Army. In 1992, Pfleger adopted another son, Beronti, who currently attends the University of Central Florida. In 1997, Pfleger became the foster father to Jarvis Franklin, who was killed by stray gunfire on May 30, 1998.