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

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 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 his pastoral letters. sermons,
public appearances and by his con-
slant advice in the confessional and
his personal contact with those
whose good fortune was to know
him, he succeeded in establishing
throughout his diocese, particularly
in his own cathedral parish and
other parishes in indianapolis,
devotion to the Blessed Sacrament
unequaled anywhere in ChriSten-
dom. His fame as "the Bishop of
the Blessed Sacrament" became
known throughout the world. The
frequent reception Of Holy Com
munion has spread to many parishes
in his diocese to an astonishingly
large degree. Hundreds Of people
Of both sexes, young and old, may
be seen any morning IN many Of the
Catholic churches of the diocese,
approaching the communion rail to
receive the Sacrament. In the
cathedral parish of SIS. Peter and
Paul, which has a membership OF
1000 souls, 352,858 people received
Holy Communion in 1888, or an av-
erage of 884 daily. 1t remains for
future historians to chronicle the
permanency of the spiritual prog
resS of the diocese reached at the
time of Bishop Chartrands death.
In 1925, the GROWING recognition
of Bishop Chartrand'S great ability
as theologian, spiritual leader and
an executive of the highest order,
came to him in his appointment as
archbishop of Cincinnati, the larg-
COU SdU1IO1lC D1ON4IlCC Ill Vic O1l1ICO
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 inflrmi-
ties which forbade Bishop Char
trand to accept the great honor be-
slowed upon him by Pope Plus XXI.
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
spiritual father. Among the many
tributes paid to Bishop Chartrand
at the time of his death, perhaps
the trueSt of them was that pro-
nounced by Archbishop McNicholas
of Cincinnati, who, in delivering the
funeral sermon, said In this day
of intricate governments of compI-
cateN organizations, of mystifying
bllreaucracies and elaborate me-
chanism for the control of affairs,
Bishop Chartrand, with clear vi
sion, went to the heart of every
question that concerned souls. His
keen mind evolved no complicated
formulas. Wits true spiritual dis
cernment, 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 Commandments and in the
law of Christ and of His church,
but especially in the reception of
the sacramento, the perfect remedy
for the evil affecting 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 the work of sane
tifying souls"
IN 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 o'clock in the after
noon and died at 7:05 from acute
dilatation of the heart, in the pres
ence of the priests of his house
hold. The funeral ceremonies were
held with solemn rites at the cathe-
dral, Wednesday, Dec. 13. 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-
on of the diocese to succeed RiShOn
Chartrand. Bishop Ritter was SOL
EMMY 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 pontifical mass was
Bishop Alphonse ]. Smith of Nash
/ willie Tenn The dav after Ioic in