Silas Francis Marean Chatard (December 13, 1834 – September 7, 1918) was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

in the

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Life

He was born Silas Francis Marean Chatard in

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Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, on December 13, 1834, to Ferdinand E. Chatard and Eliza Marean. Both his father, Ferdinand, and his paternal grandfather, Pierre, an emigrant from Santo Domingo,

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

, were physicians in Baltimore. His paternal grandmother, Eliza Anna Chatard, was a financial supporter of the Oblate Sisters of Providence. Raised in a prominent family, he attended Mount Saint Mary's College in Emmitsburg (now Mount Saint Mary's University), and the Maryland University School of Medicine, receiving a doctorate in medicine."Francis Silas Marean Chatard", Indiana Catholic History
/ref> He served his residency at the Baltimore Alms House. Soon afterward, he felt the call to priesthood and in 1857 began studying at the Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide in Rome. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

on June 14, 1862, and received a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

degree the next year. Following his ordination, he served as Vice-Rector of the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Pri ...

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. In 1868, he became Rector of the college. During his time as Rector, the

First Vatican Council The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the First Vatican Council or Vatican I was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, after a period of planning and preparation that began on 6 December 1864. This, the twentieth ecu ...

was held, and was able to meet many American Bishops who stayed at the college while in Rome. Chatard was apparently a favorite of

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

. On March 26, 1878, he was named Bishop of the

Diocese of Vincennes The Diocese of Vincennes (in Latin, Vincennapolis), the first Roman Catholic diocese in Indiana, was erected 6 May 1834 by Pope Gregory XVI. Its initial ecclesiastical jurisdiction encompassed Indiana as well as the eastern third of Illinois. In 18 ...

, in

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. At his consecration in Rome on June 14, 1878, he switched his first and middle name, taking the name of Francis Silas. He was installed in the cathedral at Vincennes on August 11, 1878, and he went almost immediately to Indianapolis, arriving there on August 17, 1878. His predecessor, Bishop St. Palais had recognized that Indianapolis had become a major city, but deferred the decision to move the seat of the diocese to his successor. Said to be "the most scholarly clergyman in America", in 1883, Chatard was rumored as the new Archbishop of Philadelphia,"Bishop Francis s. Chatard", ''The New York Times'', December 18, 1883
/ref> That appointment never took place for reasons unknown. Chatard did have some impact on the American Church, however. He aligned himself with the more conservative wing of the Church, led by Michael Corrigan of New York and others. The more progressive wing was led by the likes of Cardinal Gibbons and Archbishop Ireland. Saints Peter & Paul Cathedral Indianapolis

Saints Peter & Paul Cathedral Indianapolis

While bishop, he oversaw the movement of the

Episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

of the diocese of Vincennes to Indianapolis in 1898.Woods, Marcus Eugene II, "Chatard, Francis Silas Marean", ''The Encyclopedia of Indiana
/ref> He established his see at

Saint John the Evangelist Church In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

, which served as the proto-cathedral for the diocese in Indianapolis from 1878 to 1906, when Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral was built. Following the move, he was named as the first bishop of the newly renamed Diocese of Indianapolis. In January 1899, he suffered a stroke, from which he never fully recovered. By the time of his death on September 7, 1918, at the age of 83, he had enormously changed the face of the Catholic Church in Indiana. During his tenure the Catholic population of the diocese increased from 80,000 to 130,000. His body was interred in the crypt of the

Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul The Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul is the main church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Faisalabad, 250 kilometers south of Islamabad, Pakistan. The cathedral has played a significant role in promoting harmony and understanding between the nat ...

in Indianapolis. On June 8, 1976, Bishop Chatard's remains were transferred from the cathedral to the Calvary Cemetery, Chapel Mausoleum, Indianapolis. The diocese of Indianapolis was split in 1944. The old see city of Vincennes became part of the new diocese of Evansville with

being raised to the status of Archdiocese. In the 1960s, establishment of Bishop Chatard High School began.Bishop Chatard High School
/ref> The high school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana.

References

External links

History of the Catholic Church in Indiana
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chatard, Silas 1834 births 1918 deaths Religious leaders from Baltimore 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Burials in Indiana Pontifical North American College rectors Mount St. Mary's University alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Vincennes Roman Catholic bishops of Indianapolis