Michael David Pfeifer is the fifth and current Roman Catholic

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 of the Diocese of San Angelo

Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo

The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo is a Roman Catholic diocese covering twenty-nine counties in western and central Texas. It was founded on October 16, 1961.The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo, Texas, encompasses some...

. He was born in Alamo, Texas

Alamo, Texas

Alamo, Texas, in what is nicknamed the "Land of Two Summers," is a town in the irrigated area of southern Hidalgo County, Texas. This town was incorporated in 1924, and it was named for the Alamo Land and Sugar Company, is 240 miles south of the more famous Texas Alamo Mission, and is near the...

, the son of Maund Pfeifer and Alice Clausney Savage. On December 21, 1964 he was ordained

Ordination

In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...

 a priest for the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate

The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816 by Saint Eugene de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, 1782. The congregation was given recognition by Pope...

 and served as a missionary

Missionary

A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...

 in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 for several years. On May 31, 1985, Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II

Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

 named him Bishop of San Angelo; he was installed on July 26 of the same year.

Pfeifer has taken a vocal stand against the use of embryonic stem cell

Embryonic stem cell

Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, an early-stage embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50–150 cells...

s instead promoting the use of adult stem cell

Adult stem cell

Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells, found throughout the body after embryonic development, that multiply by cell division to replenish dying cells and regenerate damaged tissues...

s.