Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis (Archidioecesis Indianapolitana) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Indiana in the United States.

When it was originally erected as the Diocese of Vincennes on May 6, 1834, it encompassed all of Indiana as well as the eastern third of Illinois. It was renamed the Diocese of Indianapolis on March 28, 1898. Bishop Francis Chatard became the first bishop of Indianapolis. It was elevated from a diocese to a metropolitan archdiocese on October 21, 1944.

As of the 2000 census, the archdiocese contained 2,430,606 people, 233,273 of whom were Catholic. The archdiocese covers 39 counties in central and southern Indiana, with a total area of 13,757 square miles. Charles Thompson has been the archbishop of Indianapolis since 2017.

Bishops of Vincennes

 * 1)  Simon Bruté de Rémur (1834–1839)
 * 2)  Célestine Guynemer de la Hailandière (1839–1847)
 * 3)  John Stephen Bazin (1847–1848)
 * 4)  Jacques-Maurice De Saint Palais (1848–1877)

Bishops of Indianapolis
(John T. McNicholas was appointed in 1925; did not take effect.)
 * 1)  Francis Silas Chatard (1878–1918)
 * 2)  Joseph Chartrand (1918–1933; coadjutor bishop 1910–1918)
 * 3)  Joseph Ritter (1934–1944), elevated to archbishop

Archbishops of Indianapolis

 * 1)  Joseph Ritter (1944–1946), appointed Archbishop of Saint Louis (cardinal in 1961)
 * 2)  Paul C. Schulte (1946–1970)
 * 3)  George Biskup (1970–1979; coadjutor archbishop 1967–1970)
 * 4)  Edward T. O'Meara (1979–1992)
 * 5)  Daniel M. Buechlein (1992–2011)
 * 6)  Cardinal Joseph William Tobin (2012–2017), appointed Archbishop of Newark while he was Cardinal-designate
 * 7) Charles C. Thompson (2017–present)

Auxiliary bishops

 * Denis O'Donaghue (1900–1910), appointed Bishop of Louisville
 * Joseph Ritter (1933–1934), appointed Bishop and later Archbishop of Indianapolis (see above); future cardinal
 * Christopher J. Coyne (2011–2015), appointed Bishop of Burlington

Other diocesan priests who became bishops

 * Herman Joseph Alerding, appointed Bishop of Fort Wayne in 1900
 * Emmanuel Boleslaus Ledvina, appointed Bishop of Corpus Christi in 1921
 * Alphonse John Smith, appointed Bishop of Nashville in 1923
 * Gerald Andrew Gettelfinger, appointed Bishop of Evansville in 1989
 * Paul Etienne, appointed Bishop of Cheyenne in 2009, Archbishop of Anchorage in 2016, Coadjutor Archbishop of Seattle in 2019 and subsequently succeeded to latter see

History
Before the Archdiocese of Indianapolis was erected in 1944, the episcopal see passed through several other ecclesiastical jurisdictions:


 * Diocese of Quebec from 1700 to 1789
 * Diocese of Baltimore from 1789 to 1808
 * Diocese of Bardstown from 1808 to 1834
 * Diocese of Vincennes from 1834 to 1898
 * Diocese of Indianapolis from 1898 to 1944

Early mission (1675–1834)
The origins of the Catholic mission churches in the area that is now Indiana date to the late seventeenth century, when the Catholic parishes in the area were under the authority of the Diocese of Quebec. French Jesuit missionaries first arrived in the region of present-day Vincennes, around 1675. The first Catholic church at Vincennes was established around 1732 as Saint Francis Xavier. Sebastian Louis Meurin, the first resident priest, arrived in May 1748. The parish's earliest records date from April 21, 1749. Following Meurin's departure from Vincennes in 1753, several itinerant priests visited the Catholic parish, including Pierre Gibault, who served as resident priest at Saint Francis Xavier from 1785 to 1789. In these early years, the Catholic communities in the area experienced hardships during the American Revolution, conflicts with Native Americans, and suffered from epidemics that swept through the frontier. They also lacked financial resources and sufficient priests.

On November 6, 1789, Pope Pius VI erected the Diocese of Baltimore, the first Catholic diocese in the United States, including present day Indiana. The pope named John Carroll as the first bishop of Baltimore. In 1791, Carroll sent Benedict Flaget to Vincennes succeed Gibault at Saint Francis Xavier Parish. Arriving in 1792, Flaget opened a school and held classes at Saint Francis Xavier before he was recalled to Baltimore in 1795. John Francis Rivet, who was sent to Vincennes in 1796 as Flaget's successor, received an annual teacher's salary of $200 from the U.S. Congress, making him the first public school teacher in the Northwest Territory.

In 1808, Pope Pius VII divided the Catholic churches in the United States and its territories into five dioceses. The Catholic parishes in the northwest territories came under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Bardstown, with Flaget appointed as its first bishop. In 1832, Flaget and Bishop Joseph Rosati, the first bishop of the Diocese of Saint Louis, petitioned the Vatican to name Simon Bruté de Rémur as the first bishop of a new diocese in the State of Indiana.

Diocese of Vincennes (1834–1898)
On May 6, 1834, Pope Gregory XVI issued a papal bull to erect the Diocese of Vincennes, the first episcopal see in Indiana. Bruté was consecrated as the first bishop of Vincennes on October 28, 1834, in St Louis. At the time of his installation, the new diocese, which covered all of Indiana and the eastern third of Illinois, had only three priests.

Bruté made it a point to visit each Catholic family in the new diocese, regardless of the distance from his rectory at Vincennes. In 1837, he founded a college at Vincennes, and connected it to a local theological seminary established under the Eudists. Bruté became ill while attending a provincial council in Baltimore. The illness weakened Bruté's immune system, but he continued his duties until his death at Vincennes on June 26, 1839.

Célestine Guynemer de la Hailandière, Bruté's vicar general, was consecrated as bishop of Vincennes on August 18, 1839. De la Hailandière completed Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral, which he consecrated on August 8, 1841. He also constructed a library at Vincennes to house Bruté's collection of over 5,000 books and religious documents. Under de la Hailandière, the Sisters of Providence moved into the diocese and the Brothers of the Holy Cross established schools for boys. Edward Sorin, founder of the University of Notre Dame, and Théodore Guérin, founder of Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, also joined de la Hailandière in Indiana. Indiana's population during this period grew slowly and the institutions de la Hailandière helped to establish experienced many problems. In 1843, the Vatican erected the Diocese of Chicago, removing the Illinois counties from the Diocese of Vincennes. De la Hailandiè reresigned in 1847.

John Bazin, de la Hailandière's successor, was appointed bishop of Vincennes on September 3, 1847. Bazin's consecration took place at Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral on October 24, 1847, making him the first bishop to be ordained in Indiana. Bazin appointed Jacques-Maurice De Saint Palais, his vicar general, as the diocesan administrator. Bazin died at Vincennes on April 23, 1848, having served the diocese for six months.

Bazin's successor, de St. Palais, was consecrated as bishop of Vincennes on January 14, 1849, at Vincennes. During his tenure as bishop, de St. Palais had to contend with unresolved monetary issues from Hailandière's episcopacy, a cholera epidemic, and expanding the educational and ministerial opportunities within the diocese. In 1849, Guerin established an orphanage in Vincennes and in 1853 monks from Einsiedeln, Switzerland, founded Saint Meinrad abbey and seminary in southern Indiana; however, plans to open a school for African Americans were ever carried out. In 1857, the Vatican erected the Diocese of Fort Wayne, taking its territory from the Diocese of Vincennes.

During the American Civil War, de St. Palais had to contend with the call for soldiers, and several priests from the diocese served as chaplains. In 1864, one priest from the diocese, Ernest Audran, was drafted as a soldier. De St. Palais did not address the topic of the Emancipation Proclamation because he feared that doing so would venture too far into politics.

Although de St. Palais recognized that Indianapolis had become a major city (the eighth largest in the United States by 1870), he deferred the decision to move the seat of the diocese to his successor, Silas Chatard. At the time of the De St. Palais' death in 1877, the diocese had grown to include 151 churches, 117 priests, and 90,000 parishioners.

Chatard, Indiana's first American-born bishop, was consecrated as bishop of Vincennes in Rome, Italy, on May 12, 1878. Chatard obtained permission from Pope Leo XIII to move the bishop's residence and diocesan chancery to Indianapolis in 1878, but the episcopal see remained at Vincennes. Anticipating the eventual relocation of the episcopal see to Indianapolis, Chatard established Saints Peter and Paul Parish as a new parish on the city's near north side, where he planned to construct a new cathedral. Chatard's tenure as bishop was also marked by his poor health.

Diocese of Indianapolis (1898–1944)
On March 28, 1898, Pope Leo XIII transferred the episcopal see from Vincennes to Indianapolis; the Diocese of Vincennes was renamed as the Diocese of Indianapolis. Chatard became the first bishop of Indianapolis. Saint John the Evangelist Church in Indianapolis served as the pro-cathedral of the diocese until Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral was completed in 1907. Chatard was paralyzed by a stroke in 1900. On July 27, 1910, Pope Pius named Joseph Chartrand as coadjutor bishop of Indianapolis to assist Chatard. Chatard died on September 7, 1918, at Indianapolis and Chartrand automatically succeeded him as bishop.

Chartrand opened more than 25 elementary and secondary schools in his first 14 years as bishop. Chartrand dealt with threats from the Ku Klux Klan by publishing a list of Klan members in the Indianapolis Times newspaper. During the Great Depression, he exempted the entire diocese from fasting, with the exception of Fridays during Lent. Chartrand was appointed archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 1925, but declined the appointment. When Chartrand died in 1933, the diocese had 126 parochial schools and 19 secondary schools.

Archdiocese of Indianapolis (1944–present)
Joseph Ritter, who had served as auxiliary bishop and vicar general for the Diocese of Indianapolis, succeeded Chartrand as bishop in March 1934. In 1937, Ritter ordered the racial integration of three girls' schools in the diocese, opening enrollment for all female students. In 1942, he integrated the Catholic high school in Evansville.

In October 1944, Pope Pius XII elevated the Diocese of Indianapolis to the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The pope named Ritter as the first archbishop of Indianapolis. At the same time, the pope founded the Dioceses of Evansville and Lafayette, taking their territories from the new archdiocese. In 1946, Ritter left Indianapolis to become archbishop of Saint Louis.

Archbishop Paul Schulte, formerly bishop of the Diocese of Leavenworth, led the archdiocese from 1946 until 1970. He built three high schools in the Indianapolis area and 17 churches in the archdiocese. On December 17, 1956, the Vatican erected the Diocese of Gary from the territory of the archdiocese. Schulte resigned as archbishop in 1970. Auxiliary Bishop George Biskup from the Archdiocese of Dubuque became archbishop of Indianapolis in 1970. He established the first priests senate in order to expedite decisions and encourage communications between the archbishop and the priests within the archdiocese.

Auxiliary Bishop Edward T. O'Meara of Saint Louis, installed as archbishop of Indianapolis in 1980, reorganized the archdiocesan offices and consolidated them into one location at the Catholic Center. O'Meara was also concerned about the shortage of priests within the archdiocese. Although the archbishop did not believe that ordination of female clergy was a solution, he appointed women to key roles. O'Meara also opposed abortion rights for women and supported the needs of the poor. The archdiocese celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1984.

O'Meara's successor, Bishop Daniel M. Buechlein from the Diocese of Memphis, became archbishop of Indianapolis in September 1992. He continued archdiocesan opposition to abortion rights along with its support of Catholic education and assistance to the poor. Because of his focus on education, the news media designated Buechlein as the "education bishop." Pope Benedict XVI appointed Christopher J. Coyne as auxiliary bishop in Indianapolis to assist Buechlein in March 2011. On September 21, 2011, the Vatican granted Buechlein an early retirement at age 73 due to health issues. Coyne served as apostolic administrator until October 2012, when Bishop Joseph Tobin, secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in Rome, was appointed archbishop. In May 2016, Tobin was named to oversee the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae in Lima, Peru.

Bishop Charles C. Thompson from the Diocese of Evansville was appointed archbishop of Indianapolis by Pope Francis on June 13, 2017. His installation mass was on July 28, 2017.

A Catholic high school teacher in a same-sex marriage was fired and afterward sued the archdiocese on July 10, 2019, for discrimination and interfering with his teaching contract. They had reached a settlement in which the school was to help with future employment opportunities. Meanwhile, the archdiocese said in July 2019 that Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis was no longer recognized as a Catholic institution due to its refusal to fire a teacher in a same-sex marriage.

As of 2023, Thompson is the current archbishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

Sex abuse
In September 2018, the archdiocese suspended Patrick Doyle, a priest at Nativity Catholic Church, from public ministry after receiving an allegation of sexual abuse by him dating back several decades. In October 2018, the archdiocese published a list of 24 priests with credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors. The archdiocese added four more names to the list in 2022.

David Marcotte, an archdiocesan priest, pleaded guilty in March 2022 to felony dissemination of matter harmful to minors. In 2016, Marcotte was using social media to send pornographic materials to minors and to recruit them to engage in sexual conversations. The archdiocese suspended him from ministry in February 2019 after receiving a report about his activities. Marcotte was sentenced to one year of home detention and 18 months of probation. Lloyds of London sued the archdiocese in 2020, claiming that the archdiocese did not disclose the Marcotte allegations to Lloyds in June 2019 when it applied for excess sexual misconduct liability insurance.

Patronage
The patron saints of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis are Francis Xavier and Theodora Guerin.


 * Xavier was the patron saint of the first cathedral of the diocese, and therefore also of the diocese.
 * Guerin was the first saint canonized from the archdiocese and was recognized as patroness of the archdiocese in 2006.

Cathedral


Since 1834, three parish churches have served as diocesan cathedrals or as pro-cathedrals:


 * Basilica of Saint Francis Xavier in Vincennes – cathedral from 1834 to 1898
 * Saint John the Evangelist Church in Indianapolis – pro-cathedral from 1878 to 1906
 * Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis – cathedral from 1906 to present

History
Saint Francis Xavier Church was built in Vincennes in 1826, making it the oldest Catholic church in Indiana. A Greek Revival-style building, it is similar in design to the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral in Kentucky. Pope Paul VI elevated Saint Francis Xavier to the status of a minor basilica in 1970.

The cornerstone for Saint Francis Xavier Church was laid on March 30, 1826. The first services were held in 1827, although the interior was not yet complete. The diocese added a bell tower, designed by the architect Jean-Marie Marsile, in the 1830s.

On May 6, 1834, when Gregory XVI erected the Diocese of Vincennes, Saint Francis Xavier became the cathedral for the new diocese. The cathedral was unfinished when Bishop Bruté arrived in 1834. Bishop Hailandière continued work on the cathedral, which he consecrated on August 8, 1841. Saint Francis Xavier served as the diocesan cathedral until 1898, when the Vatican transferred the episcopal see to Indianapolis.

Description
The basilica interior features three large murals, painted in 1870 by Wilhelm Lamprech t. These murals include:


 * A scene of Christ being crucified
 * The Virgin Mary with Simon of Cyrene, Pope Celestine I, Deacon Stephen, and Maurice, the patron saints of the first four bishops
 * Francis Xavier, the parish's patron saint

The diocese obtained 14 oil paintings from France to illustrate the Stations of the Cross in the church. The remains of the first four bishops of Vincennes (Bruté, Hailandière, Bazin, and de St. Palais) are buried in the basilica crypt.

History
Saint John the Evangelist Church is the main structure in a cluster of parish buildings on the southwest corner of Georgia Street and Capitol Avenue in Indianapolis. Construction on the church started in 1867; it was dedicated in 1871.

When Bishop de St. Palais visited Indianapolis in the early 1870s, he stayed at the church rectory and used the parish church as the pro-cathedral for the diocese. His successor, Bishop Chatard, requested permission from Leo XIII in 1878 to establish the bishop's residence and chancery at Indianapolis. Many considered Saint John as the de facto diocesan cathedral, but Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral in Vincennes remained the official cathedral. On April 18, 1892, Chatard moved into the new rectory at Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Indianapolis.

Saints Peter and Paul became the new diocesan cathedral in 1898, with Saint John no longer considered as a pro-cathedral. The rectory at Saint John housed the diocesan chancery until 1968. It served as the metropolitan tribunal for the diocese until 1982.

Description
The architect Diedrich A. Bohlen, founder of D. A. Bohlen and Son, designed the Saint John Church complex. This included the rectory (1863), the church (1867–1871) and the rectory addition (1878). The church includes a mix of American Romanesque Revival and French Gothic Revival architectural styles. Oscar Bohlen designed the twin spires on the towers that flank the main facade and supervised their construction. Due to their expense, the diocese did not add the spires until 1893.

The painter Guy Leber painted the apse ceiling with The Angels of Glory, white-robed angels and halo-crowned seraphs. The French painter L. Chovet provided paintings for the Stations of the Cross. In 1971, the diocese renovated the church interior. Following the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the diocese removed the communion rail, repositioned the altar to allow the priest to face the congregation, and moved the baptismal font to the left transept.

History
Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis serves as the seat of the archdiocese. With construction starting around 1900, the cathedral was completed in 1906.

Bishop Chatard established Saints Peter and Paul parish in 1892 north of downtown Indianapolis. The diocese began construction for a chapel and rectory at the current location in 1891. The chapel was dedicated on March 25, 1892, and Chatard moved into the rectory on April 18, 1892. Bishop Chartrand was ordained a priest in the Saints Peter and Paul chapel on September 24, 1892. Anticipating the episcopal see's relocation from Vincennes to Indianapolis, Chatard purchased additional lots by the chapel in 1894 to build a cathedral. Saints Peter and Paul became the cathedral parish on March 28, 1898, when Leo XIII officially transferred the seat of the diocese to Indianapolis from Vincennes. At that time, Chatard started fundraising for the new cathedral.

James Renwick Jr.'s architectural firm in New York used the Classical Revival-style to design the cathedral, rectory, and adjacent chapel. He may modeled it after the Archbasilica Saint John Lateran in Rome. William Renwick, Renwick's nephew, took over the project around 1900 and simplified its design. D. A. Bohlen and Son served as local supervisors for the project. To save money, the diocese constructed a temporary facade on the cathedral, foregoing the permanent facade and spires for a later date. The high altar was consecrated on December 21, 1906, and four days later the first pontifical high mass was celebrated at the new cathedral on December 25, 1906.

In 1936, Bishop Ritter started construction of the spires and permanent facade for the cathedral. The project was supervised by Indianapolis architect August Bohlen. The permanent facade was also modeled after Saint John Lateran. Chatard and Chartrand were initially buried in the cathedral's crypt, but their remains were removed and interred at Calvary Cemetery in Indianapolis in 1976.

Description
William Renwick designed the cathedral's original interior decorations, including three altars, a doorway and arch decoration, a metal ceiling, and frames for the Stations of the Cross. D. A. Bohlen and Son designed the original baptismal fonts and dark oak furnishings.

Chatard commissioned the sculptor Cesare Aureli to carve the Blessed Mother and Child and Saint Joseph statues in the cathedral in white Carrara marble. They were installed around 1909. Aureli then carved a statue of Frances de Sales, which was installed in 1911 on the high altar. A life-size crucifix was placed above the main altar in 1915. The diocese commissioned a copy of Italian sculptor Antonio Montauti's Pieta statue for the sanctuary. In 1936, the diocese covered the original murals painted by Edgar S. Cameron with glass mosaics. These mosaics depict an enthroned Christ in Majesty flanked by the Apostle Peter and Paul the Apostle.

The archdiocese began renovating the cathedral in 1985 to comply with liturgical changes made during the Second Vatican Council. The refurbished cathedral was rededicated on May 14, 1986.

Education
The Archdiocese of Indianapolis has two colleges, two seminaries, seven high schools, and 60 elementary schools. As of 2008, the system had approximately 24,000 students. The archdiocese established the Cristo Rey Project with the Sisters of Providence to assist low income students in 2006.

Operated by archdiocese

 * Bishop Chatard High School – Indianapolis
 * Father Michael Shawe Memorial High School – Madison
 * Father Thomas Scecina Memorial High School – Indianapolis
 * Cardinal Ritter High School – Indianapolis
 * Our Lady of Providence Junior-Senior High School – Clarksville
 * Roncalli High School – Indianapolis
 * Seton Catholic High School – Richmond

Operated by religious institutes

 * Cathedral High School – Indianapolis
 * Oldenburg Academy of the Immaculate Conception – Oldenburg
 * Providence Cristo Rey High School – Indianapolis

Colleges

 * Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary – Indianapolis
 * Marian University – Indianapolis
 * Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College – Saint-Mary-of-the-Woods
 * Saint Meinrad Seminary – St. Meinrad

Archabbey
St. Meinrad Archabbey, a Benedictine monastery in St. Meinrad, serves the archdiocese as a seminary and lay graduate school of theology. It was founded in 1854 by monks from the Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland to meet the needs of a growing German-speaking Catholic population in Indiana.

In 1969, St. Meinrad opened its programs to lay persons during the summer for graduate level theological studies. In 1993, it opened its lay program during all academic sessions.

Radio

 * WSPM 89.1 FM Catholic Radio Indy – licensed to Cloverdale with studios in Indianapolis and a repeater:
 * WSQM 90.9 FM – Noblesville

Both stations offer an audio stream from its website. www.catholicradioindy.org

Other stations outside the archdiocese offer online streaming from the websites of:
 * WRDF 106.3 FM Redeemer Radio – Fort Wayne
 * WNOP 740 AM Sacred Heart Radio – licensed to Newport, Kentucky, and based in Cincinnati.
 * WVSG 820 AM St. Gabriel Radio – Columbus, Ohio
 * Radio Maria USA – based at KJMJ Alexandria, Louisiana

Suffragan sees

 * Diocese of Evansville
 * Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend
 * Diocese of Gary
 * Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana