Nine Visiting Bishops to Celebrate 50 Years of Ordination of Bishop Pfeifer

Nine visiting bishops from Oklahoma and Texas will help San Angelo and area Catholics celebrate a special Mass marking the 50th anniversary of the priestly ordination of Bishop Emeritus Michael D. Pfeifer, OMI, former Bishop of the Diocese of San Angelo, at 6:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 19 S. Oakes, San Angelo.

The Mass will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the consecration of The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

Bishop Pfeifer was ordained to the priesthood on December 21, 1964. On that same date, Sacred Heart Church was consecrated as the Cathedral for the recently formed Diocese of San Angelo which had been created three years earlier.

Most Rev. Pfeifer became the bishop of the Diocese of San Angelo in July 1985 and served in that capacity until his retirement in January 2014. Two months prior to the creation of the Diocese of San Angelo, in August 1961, Sacred Heart Church, destined to become Sacred Heart Cathedral, was built to replace the older church building that the community had outgrown.

Visiting bishops scheduled to attend the anniversary Mass include:

• Most Rev. Eusebius Beltran, retired Bishop Emeritus of Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
• Most Rev. Raymundo Pena, Bishop of Brownsville
• Most Rev. J. Douglas Deshotel, Auxiliary Bishop of Dallas
• Most Rev. Wm. Michael Mulvey, STL, DD, Bishop of Corpus Christi
• Most Rev. Placido Rodriguez, Bishop of Lubbock
• Most Rev. Mark Seitz, Bishop of El Paso
• Most Rev. Joseph E. Strickland, Bishop of Tyler
• Most Rev. James Tamayo, Bishop of Laredo
• Most Rev. Patrick Zurek, Bishop of Amarillo.

There will be a reception in the gymnasium following the Mass. All are invited to attend.