The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-05-05
200 YEARS OF CATHOLICISM
authentic History of Church in Indiana

and divinity Of Jesus Christ. Hence,
the reception of Holy Communion.
when the recipient is in a state of
grace, is the most perfect and
sublimest act of divine worship that
any of Gods creatures can per-
form. Frequent, and daily COM
munion was newly advocated by a
decree of Pope Plus x, on Dec. 20,
1905. From that moment, when
Bishop Chartrand was still a priest
at the Cathedral. to the very last
day of his life, his whole heart and
soul were bent in the spread of this
devotion among his flock, His
definition of a modern saint was
"one who worthily received Holy
Communion every day"
In 1925, the browning recognition
of Bishop Chartrand'S great ability
as a theologian. spiritual leader and
an executive of the highest order,
came to him in his appointment as
archbishop of Cincinnati, the larg-
est Catholic province in the United
States, having eleven %suffragan
bishops and comprising all the sees
in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Ten
neSSSee and southern Michigan.
Rome knew of his great zeal and
ability as a member of the HE
rarchy, but did not know of his fast
declining health and bodily infirmi-
ties which forbade Bishop Char
trand to accept the great honor be-
slowed upon him by Pope Plus XI.
He declined the honor of becom-
ing the metropolitan of the prov
ice and of wearing the pallium and
was content to remain in his own
diocese of Indianapolis, which he
loved with all the affection OF a
spiritual father.
II u q
ON Dec. 8, 1888, the feast Of I'M
" maculate Conception, after
having attended to his priestly du-
ties as usual, he took sick sud-
denly about 5 o'clock in the after
noon and died at 7:05 from acute
dilatation of the heart, in the pres
III of the priests of his house
hold. The funeral ceremonies were
held with solemn rites at the cathe-
dral, Wednesday, Dec. Is. The Most
Reverend Amleto Cicognani, apos-
tolic delegate Of the United States,
was celebrant of the mass, and
Archbishop McNicholas preached
the sermon. Present at the funeral
were three archibishops, thirty
bishops and abbots, many monsig-
nori, hundreds of priests and nuns,
the Governor, mayor and many
public officials and lay leaders of
the community. His remains were
buried in the crypt beneath the
high altar of the cathedral, along
side the remains of his predecessor,
Bishop Chatard.
On the day following the death of
Bishop Chartrand, the diocesan con-
Sultors met in indianapolis and
named the Most Reverend Joseph E.
Ritter, D. D., as administrator of
the diocese until a successor would
be appointed by the supreme pom
tiff.
On March 10, the feast of st. Jo-
seph, word came from Rome,
through the apostolic delegate at
Washington, that Bishop Ritter had
been appointed as the regular bish-
OPP of the diocese to succeed Bishop
Chartrand. Bishop Ritter was SOL
emily installed as the seventh bish-
op of the diocese in SIS. Peter and
Paul cathedral, Tuesday, April "a,
by Archbishop John T. McNicholas,
metropolitan of the province of Gin
cinnati, in the presence of all the
Suffragan bishops of the province,
two abbots, all the priests and reli-
giouS of the diocese. The celebrant
of the solemn pontificaI mass was
Bishop Alphonse j. Smith of Nash
vile, Tenn. The day after his in
s~tallation Bishop Ritter appointed
the Right Rev. Raymond R. Noll,
D. D., as vicar-general of the do
cese. Mgr. Noll is pastor of st.
Philip Neri parish in indianapolis.
This history is now brought to a
close with the chronicling of the
centennial celebration of the diocese
WHICH ID W GdhS p1dC6 bOlllOIIOW,
May 6 at Vincennes in the old
cathedral of st. Francis Xavier. Be-
cause of the historic part played by
this ancient edifce in the conquest
of the northwest territory, the cele-
bration will be both civic and re-
ligiouS in scope.
In conclusion, we feel that this
history is too brief. But it had to
be, due to space limitations. Every
picture is limited by a frame. Our
hope is that nothing of real value
had been omitted. We conclude this
chronicle of the Catholic Church in
Indiana by quoting from the famous
tribute to the Catholic church made
by Lord Macauley, a non-Catholic
historian Q800-1859) in which, after
testifying to its undying vitality,
zeal and efficiency, said that there
is not and there never was on this
earth a work so we'll deserving of
examination as the Catholic church."
THE END