The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-12-13

raging trlDute 10 BISHOP Joseph
Chartrand. Archbishop McNicholas
Of Cincinnati, today delivered the
following sermon at the funeral of
Bishop Chartrand in SIS. Peter and
Paul Cathedral:
Amen. amen, say unto you that he
who heareth my word. and beileveth
him that sent me. hath everlasting lhe.
and cometh not into Judgment but Is
passed from death 20 life.
The evening Of the Feast Of our
Blessed Mother Immaculate brought
to a close the life of Bishop
Chartrand, the beloved Shepherd Of
this diocese. When the word Of his
death was flashed to his priests and
people and his many friends, they
were simply stunned. Those in
timately associated with him long
knew that he was a sick man, but
with characteristic modesty and
delicate consideration for others the
Bishop never spoke of his in
firmities.
Respecting what I am sure would
be the wish Of Bishop Chartrand, I
do not mean TO eulogiZe him in
this sad moment of our bereave-
ment; but feel it my duty to call
your attention briefly to some points
OF meditation drawn from his life.
The forty-one years spent as
priest and the twenty-three years
during which he bore the burdens
OF the episcopacy but intensified his
zeal, his love for the church, his
interest in the priesthood and in the
religious communities of his diocese,
his personal devotion to the faith
91 and his conservation to every
duty, as God gave him to see it.
The City of God
A man. a priest and a Bishop of
great faith has gone from us.
Bishop Chartrand lived in the realm
of the supernatural. He saw the
church in her divine character. as
the City Of God. He was wholly oc-
cupied with her interests. He was
so taken up with the service Of his
priesthood and of his episcopacy
that he had no time for anything
else. While always the kind, gentle,
approachable and pleasant prelate,
he never could be swerved from
complete dedication of his time and
his powers of mind and heart to
the church. His faith in the City
of God set up by Christ was simple
and unbounded. In this day of in
tricate governments, of complicated
organizations, of mystifying bureauc-
racies and elaborate mechanism for
the control Of affairs, Bishop
Chartrand with clear vision went to
the heart of every question that
concerned souls. His keen mind
evolved no complicated formulas.
With true spiritual discernment he
recognized the need of making use
OF the divine means which Christ
left to the world for the salvation
of men. He saw in the Ten Com
mandments and in the Law Of Christ
and of His Church, but especially in
the reception of the SacramentS. the
perfect remedy for every evil afflict-
ing the world, and the solution of
its every problem. While most
tolerant Of those who did not share
his views. he went on. not critically
but confidently and joyously, with
his work of sanctifying souls.
Priesthood Divine Means
To Bishop Chartrand the priest
hood, endowed with godlike powers
that placed it above every force in
the world, was the divine inStru-
ment chosen by Christ for the &C
compliShment Of His designs. How
often have you, his priests, been en-
couraged by his words, not merely
as a spiritual father and a gentle
shepherd of souls, but as a great
High Priest who saw the powers,
the limitations and even the human
frailties of priests through the mind
of Christ. How often have we. his
brother Bishops, heard him eXtol the
priesthood. comparing it to the min
istry Of the angels. How generously
he sacrificed himself not only to be
present but to preach at the funeral
of every priest. that he might tell
the people of the powers and Sacri-
fees of the priesthood and pay
tribute to the virtues of the
deceased. How inSistent he was re-
garding the observance of the Silver
Jubilee of Priests. at which he was
the preacher, in order to give the
faithful a fuller appreciation of the
meaning of the priesthood.
Vocation
So convinced was Bishop Char
trand that the whole face of the
earth must be renovated by the
priesthood that he left nothing I'M
done to encourage every good boy of
his diocese who sincerely desired to
become a priest. In his clear but
simple process of thinking. this was
Gods plan. He felt that His Provi-
dence would inspire vocationS in
superintendent measure. Where or
how he would get the means of
sustaining these candidates was in
consequential. Whether these priests
would serve in his own diocese, or
temporarily or permanently in mis-
sion fields, was to him a matter of
little concern. The all-important
question was that they should serve
the church, that they should be
good priests. laboring with apostolic
zeal in whatever field they were
placed.
Under the Bishops fostering care
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