This week, December 6-13 includes the death or birth of three bishops — two from Indianapolis / Vincennes and one from Fort Wayne.
December 6, the Feast of St. Nicholas, marks the anniversary of the death of Herman Joseph Alerding in 1924. He died after suffering injuries in an automobile accident. You can read more about his by going here. Bishop Alerding had been been a priest of the Diocese of Vincnennes. He was pastor of Saint Joseph Church in Indianapolis, which is now a restaurant and brewey. Alerding wrote the latest history of the Diocese in 1883.
The second historical event is on Tuesday, December 8th. This day marks the anniversary of the death of Bishop Joseph Chartrand, the sixth bishop of the Diocese. He was born in St. Louis and seems to have been marked by Bishop Chatard from the beginning to rise up through the ranks. He had been named Archbishop of Cincinnati, but he declined the honor. You can read more about this man who died at the age of 63 by going here.
Finally, on December 13 we celebrate the birth of Francis Silas Chatard in Baltimore. The Chatards were notable members of Baltimore society, but two of them offered themselves to the service of the Church. You can read about them here.
