Two very important items from the calendar”¦
The first item occurs on December 8th “” the death of Bishop Joseph Chartrand. He was born in St. Louis, on May 11, 1870. While attending St. Meinrad Seminary, he incardinated into the Diocese of Indianapolis. He was ordained a priest at Indianapolis on September 24, 1892 by the man he was to succeed, Bishop Francis Silas Chatard.
Chatard appointed him as vicar general on February 13, 1910. He was named coadjutor to the bishop of Indianapolis on July 27, 1910. He was consecrated in the cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul on September 15, 1910, by Archbishop Diomede Falconio, apostolic delegate to the United States, assisted by Bishop Denis O’Donaghue of Louisville and Bishop Herman Alerding of Fort Wayne, both of whom were former priests of the Diocese of Indianapolis (Vincennes). He became Bishop of Indianapolis upon the death of Bishop Chatard on September 7, 1918.
During his time as bishop he was known as a very pastoral and gentle man. In a 1932 Time Magazine article, Chartrand was said to be”closer in contact with his flock than any other”
In May of 1925, Chartrand was named Archbishop of Cincinnati and John McNicholas, Bishop of Duluth, Minnesota was named Bishop of Indianapolis. For reasons that are unknown, Chartrand was able to convince Rome that he should not take that post, so in July of 1925, the two men switched and McNicholas was named Archbishop of Cincinnati and Chartrand was reappointed to Indianapolis.
Joseph Chatrand died at Indianapolis on December 8, 1933. His body was placed in the crypt of the Cathedral. On June 8, 1976, Bishop Chartrand’s remains were transferred from the Cathedral, to the Calvary Chapel Mausoleum, Indianapolis.
The second item from the calendar is on December 13th. On this day, the Right Rev. Francis Silas Marean Chatard was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Chatard was a member of a prominent Baltimore family. Chatard studied medicine and became an M.D. His sister became a member of the Sisters of Charity at Emmitsburg. He worked for a time in the dispensary of Baltimore and later decided to enter the seminary. He studied in Rome and was ordained there on June 14, 1862.
He was named Vice-rector of the American College, and later Rector, serving there from 1862-1878, including during the time of the First Vatican Council. He was named Bishop of Vincennes on March 26, 1878, at which time he took the name Francis Silas. He was consecrated in Rome on May 12, 1878, by Cardinal Alexander Camillus Franchi, assisted by Bishop Santori of Fano, Italy, and Bishop Edward Agnelli, president of the Academia Ecclesiastica at Rome. Enthroned in the cathedral at Vincennes, August 11, 1878, however, almost immediately he moved the episcopal residence to Indianapolis, arriving there on August 17, 1878.
During his episcopate, Chatard was considered to be in the”conservative” wing of the Church, along with others such as Archbishop Michael Corrigan of New York and Bishop McQuaid of Buffalo. In December of 1883, he was rumored to be the next Archbishop of Philadelphia. Patrick John Ryan, an Irish born priest, was named instead.
Chatard died at Indianapolis on September 7, 1918. His body was interred in the crypt of the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, Indianapolis, which he built. On June 8, 1976, Bishop Chatard’s remains were transferred from the cathedral, Indianapolis, to the Calvary Chapel Mausoleum, Indianapolis.
