Biography of michael pfleger and family
This holy calling has led him to be parent, a preacher, a teacher, a lecturer and an activist. However, he believes his most important role is an errand boy for Jesus! In , Father Pfleger became the proud adoptive father of an eight-year-old son, Lamar and in , adopted Beronti. In , he became a foster father to Jarvis Franklin, who was tragically killed as a result of gang crossfire, May 30, When billboard owners refused to cooperate in the early s, he and others decided to climb ladders and deface the signs.
He was charged with destruction of private property, but was acquitted by a jury in In September , the Chicago City Council voted 44—1 to eliminate tobacco and alcohol billboards from selected areas in Chicago. Pfleger described the decision as "a tremendous victory for the children of Chicago, for our neighborhoods, especially black and Hispanic neighborhoods.
Pfleger has become one of the best known critics of The Jerry Springer Show , a controversial television program which was videotaped in Chicago. Believing the program to be immoral, he and his parishioners began picketing outside the show's studios in By , he had organized a boycott of the show's advertisers. This is not normal behavior", he declared.
The show's producers eventually claimed that they would attempt to decrease the number of on-stage fights on the program. Pfleger later targeted radio personality Howard Stern in response to Stern's late advertising campaign to promote his move to satellite radio. Pfleger specifically objected to a pair of Stern's billboards in Chicago that featured an image of the black power salute with the caption "Let freedom ring.
Pfleger told the media, "As we prepare to celebrate Dr. King's birthday, we will not tolerate this kind of disrespect. The league claimed that visiting teams and parents would be unsafe in Saint Sabina's neighborhood. He responded, "Racism continues to be alive and well both inside society and inside the church.
Biography of michael pfleger jr
To be denied admission on the sole premise that certain coaches and parishes feared for the safety of their children is illegitimate, ridiculous, and insulting. It is very troubling that the conference would insinuate that we would place their children in harm's way. Pfleger said in a press release, "If we are going to end the violence and disrespect of women, we must fight every form of negativity, including the music industry.
We can kill with our words. Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama , to deliver a blessing at Saint Sabina during a visit by poet Maya Angelou. Wright had been criticized by Obama, academics and political pundits on the left and right for several controversial sermons , but Pfleger came to Wright's defense.
America, unfortunately, has been really cheated of knowing the real Dr. Wright," said Pfleger. In a statement on Saint Sabina's website, Pfleger wrote, "Dr. Wright is one of the great biblical scholars of our country and the best of preachers in the prophetic tradition. Wright has been shamefully demonized by 30 second sound bites that have tried to re-define him into someone other than who he is.
Cardinal Francis George disapproved of Sharpton's appearance, due to Sharpton's pro-choice stance on abortion. Since Sharpton was a presidential candidate at the time, archdiocese officials were concerned that having a political candidate speak in church would cause them to lose their tax exemption. However, George decided that trying to stop Sharpton from coming "would be a futile gesture and a waste of effort".
Of his disagreements with George, Pfleger once said, "I can only assume the Cardinal sees my style of ministry to be something he doesn't agree with. In that sense, he sees me as a thorn.
That's what I'm left to feel like. I don't revel in that. In fact, it's very difficult. It's a very difficult feeling [being] on the fringe, getting public reprimands, public criticisms. I don't enjoy that at all.
Biography of michael pfleger boston: Michael Louis Pfleger (born May 22, ) is an American Catholic priest and social activist located in Chicago. [1] Since , he has been pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church, a Black parish in Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood.
A lot of what we do is [considered] out of the ordinary. That kind of puzzles me. It's not the Church I grew up in. The Church then was very involved in justice and civil rights issues. During one protest, Pfleger and Jackson were arrested by Riverdale police for blocking the entrance to the store. Both were later released without charge. John Riggio.
We're going to find you and snuff you out… You know you're going to hide like a rat. You're going to hide but like a rat we're going to catch you and pull you out. Cardinal George rebuked Pfleger, saying, "Publicly delivering a threat against anyone's life betrays the civil order and is morally outrageous, especially if this threat came from a priest.
Sabina when officers noticed him brandishing a pistol. Upon investigation, the officers discovered that Hale did not possess a concealed carry license and was not legally licensed to carry a weapon in public nor to own the weapon as he did not possess Firearm Owner's Identification FOID. On May 25, , Pfleger gave a sermon at Trinity United Church of Christ , then presidential candidate Barack Obama 's church, where he made controversial statements concerning Senator Hillary Clinton , Obama's opponent for the Democratic Party nomination.
Pfleger said, "I really believe that she just always thought, 'This is mine. I'm Bill's wife. I'm white, and this is mine. I just gotta get up and step into the plate. Where did you come from? I'm white! I'm entitled! There's a black man stealing my show! There was a whole lot of white people crying.
Biography of michael pfleger
After hearing about Pfleger's remarks, Obama said he was "deeply disappointed in Pfleger's divisive, backward-looking rhetoric". Pfleger later released a statement through St. Sabina that read, "I regret the words I chose Sunday. These words are inconsistent with Sen. Obama's life and message, and I am deeply sorry if they offended Sen.
Clinton or anyone else who saw them. On May 31, , Obama resigned his membership in Trinity Church, saying that his campaign had caused the church to receive excessive media attention. Sabina parish regarding the incident and its aftermath. Sabina's Parish, to step back from his obligations there and take leave for a couple of weeks from his pastoral duties, effective today.
Pfleger does not believe this to be the right step at this time. While respecting his disagreement, I have nevertheless asked him to use this opportunity to reflect on his recent statements and actions in the light of the Church's regulations for all Catholic priests. I hope that this period will also be a time away from the public spotlight and for rest and attention to family concerns.
On April 27, , the homepage of the website of the Archdiocese of Chicago released a statement from Francis Cardinal George in the form of a letter, temporarily suspending Pfleger from administering any of the sacraments save for the administration of the Sacrament of Penance in an emergency, which even laicized or excommunicated priests may do and from his active ministry as pastor of St.
Sabina's Parish. Cardinal George had suggested Pfleger take the position of president at Chicago's Leo Catholic High School , but Pfleger said he would consider leaving the Catholic Church if forced to leave his parish. Cardinal George replied, in part, "If that is truly your attitude, you have already left the Catholic Church.
He was charged with destruction of private property, but was acquitted by a jury in In September , the Chicago City Council voted 44—1 to eliminate tobacco and alcohol billboards from selected areas in Chicago. Pfleger described the decision as "a tremendous victory for the children of Chicago, for our neighborhoods, especially black and Hispanic neighborhoods.
Pfleger has become one of the best known critics of The Jerry Springer Show , a controversial television program which was videotaped in Chicago. Believing the program to be immoral, he and his parishioners began picketing outside the show's studios in By , he had organized a boycott of the show's advertisers. Calling a woman a ho and a bitch is sick.
This is not normal behavior", he declared. The show's producers eventually claimed that they would attempt to decrease the number of on-stage fights on the program. Pfleger later targeted radio personality Howard Stern in response to Stern's late advertising campaign to promote his move to satellite radio. Pfleger specifically objected to a pair of Stern's billboards in Chicago that featured an image of the black power salute with the caption "Let freedom ring.
And let it be rung by a stripper", a parody of a line in Martin Luther King Jr. Pfleger told the media, "As we prepare to celebrate Dr. King's birthday, we will not tolerate this kind of disrespect. We should not have to tolerate it in our communities. Pfleger received criticism from Stern's fans, who questioned Pfleger's commitment to freedom of speech.
Biography of michael jackson
Jesse Jackson came to Pfleger's defense, saying, "There are two freedoms at issue here. They have the right to advertise, and we have the right to resist it in our community. Sometimes freedom is challenged by a community's tolerance level. I think Father Pfleger is a man of great dignity and has an acute social conscience.
And he deserves our support. In , Pfleger received international attention for encouraging his parishioners to buy time from prostitutes as a means of inviting the women to counseling and job training. The Chicago Archdiocese largely distanced itself from Pfleger's activities, to which he responded, "How is what I'm doing not part of the gospel?
The church leaders talk about evangelization. Well, if this isn't evangelization, I don't know what is. Sabina has used similar methods to reach out to drug dealers. In , Pfleger fired racism accusations towards a mostly-white primary school athletic league, the Southside Catholic Conference, after they refused to admit Saint Sabina's parish school.
The league claimed that visiting teams and parents would be unsafe in Saint Sabina's neighborhood. He responded, "Racism continues to be alive and well both inside society and inside the church. To be denied admission on the sole premise that certain coaches and parishes feared for the safety of their children is illegitimate, ridiculous, and insulting.
It is very troubling that the conference would insinuate that we would place their children in harm's way. Pfleger said in a press release, "If we are going to end the violence and disrespect of women, we must fight every form of negativity, including the music industry. We can kill with our words. Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama , to deliver a blessing at Saint Sabina during a visit by poet Maya Angelou.
Wright had been criticized by Obama, academics and political pundits on the left and right for several controversial sermons , but Pfleger came to Wright's defense. America, unfortunately, has been really cheated of knowing the real Dr. Wright," said Pfleger. In a statement on Saint Sabina's website, Pfleger wrote, "Dr. Wright is one of the great biblical scholars of our country and the best of preachers in the prophetic tradition.
Biography of michael pfleger and wife
Wright has been shamefully demonized by 30 second sound bites that have tried to re-define him into someone other than who he is. Cardinal Francis George disapproved of Sharpton's appearance, due to Sharpton's pro-choice stance on abortion. Since Sharpton was a presidential candidate at the time, archdiocese officials were concerned that having a political candidate speak in church would cause them to lose their tax exemption.
However, George decided that trying to stop Sharpton from coming "would be a futile gesture and a waste of effort". Of his disagreements with George, Pfleger once said, "I can only assume the Cardinal sees my style of ministry to be something he doesn't agree with. In that sense, he sees me as a thorn. That's what I'm left to feel like.
I don't revel in that. In fact, it's very difficult.