On this Feast of the Immaculate Conception in 1933, Joseph Chartrand, the sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Indianapolis, died in Indianapolis. He was only 63 years of age. Bishop Chartrand had a very high regard for education and the Blessed Sacrament. 
In this press release from the NCCW in Washington, Bishop Chartrand was highly praised. 1 He was born in Saint Louis, studied at St. Meinrad and joined the Diocese of Vincennes. He was noticed by Bishop Chatard and moved through the ranks of the clergy and eventually succeeded Chatard as Bishop of Indianapolis. He was a very complex individual. While Bishop of Indianapolis he was named Archbishop of Cincinnati, but he declined it, choosing to remain in Indianapolis. There has been a lot of speculation as to “˜why’, but no one seems to know for sure. The best explanation came from the late Msgr. John Doyle, former archivist of the Archdiocese, who said it was because of his love for Indianapolis and because of the financial situation of the diocese. Chatard wanted to clear the financial situation up and was apparently embarrassed by it. This was during the time of the Great Depression in the United States.
- NCWC News Service – National Catholic Welfare Conference, December 9, 1933[↩]
