Placide Louis Chapelle (August 28, 1842 – August 9, 1905) was a French-born American prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He served as Archbishop of Santa Fe (1894–1897) and later Archbishop of New Orleans (1897–1905). Following the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, he also served as

Apostolic Delegate An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, and the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Early life and education

Chapelle was born in Fraissinet-de-Lozère to Jean Pierre and Sophia (née Viala) Chapelle. His mother died in childbirth in 1847, when Chapelle was five years old. He received his early education in Mende and completed his classical studies at Collège Saint-Augustin in

Enghien Enghien (; ; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1January 2006, Enghien had a total population of 11,980. The total area is , which gives a population density of 295 inhabitants per km2. ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. At age 17, he was brought to the United States by his uncle Jean Chapelle, a missionary priest in

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

who worked on the Vatican's

concordat A concordat () is a convention between the Holy See and a sovereign state that defines the relationship between the Catholic Church and the state in matters that concern both,René Metz, ''What is Canon Law?'' (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1960 Archbishop of Port-au-Prince before his death in 1861."Haïti, état civil, 1794-2012," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ZGTH-QTMM : 31 May 2022), Jean Chapel, 9 Sep 1861; citing Death Registration, Port-au-Prince, Ouest, Haïti, Louis August Barthelemy, The National Archives of the Republic of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. He studied for the priesthood at St. Mary's Seminary in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, graduating in 1863. At that point he was still too young to be ordained and therefore taught at St. Charles College for two years.

Priesthood

Chapelle was ordained a priest on June 28, 1865, by Archbishop Martin John Spalding. His first assignment was as pastor of St. Mary's Church in Rockville, which included several missions throughout Montgomery County. One of his assistant pastors was Jeremiah O'Sullivan, later Bishop of Mobile (1885–1896). While there he furthered his studies at St. Mary's Seminary and earned a doctorate in theology in 1868. His educational pursuits led his parishioners in Rockville to petition Archbishop Spalding for a new pastor, complaining that Chapelle was "invisible during the week and incomprehensible on Sundays." Archbishop Spalding took a great interest in Chapelle and brought him to the

First Vatican Council The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the First Vatican Council or Vatican I, was the 20th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, held three centuries after the preceding Council of Trent which was adjourned in 156 ...

(1869–1870) as a theological consultant. After returning from Rome, he served as assistant pastor of St. John's Church in Baltimore before becoming pastor of St. Joseph's Church in the same city in 1871. The following year, in addition to his pastoral duties, he was appointed president of the theological conferences in Baltimore, which were held every three months. Chapelle was sent to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

in 1882 to serve as pastor of St. Matthew's Church, where he remained until he became a bishop in 1891. St. Matthew's was considered a prestigious post, as it was the place of worship for many government officials and foreign diplomats. He was instrumental in organizing the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...

, purchasing the land where it still stands and recruiting President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

to attend the laying of the cornerstone in 1888. He also served as vice president of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions (1886–1891). In 1885, Cardinal

Giovanni Simeoni Giovanni Simeoni (July 12, 1816 – January 14, 1892) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who was appointed a cardinal in 1875 and served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Propagation of the Faith from 1878 until his deat ...

, the head of the

Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation (Roman Curia), congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for Catholic missions, missionary work and related activities. It is also kn ...

, assigned Cardinal

James Gibbons James Cardinal Gibbons (July 23, 1834 – March 24, 1921) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Apostolic Vicar of North Carolina from 1868 to 1872, Bishop of Richmond from 1872 to 1877, and as Archbishop of Baltimore from 1877 unti ...

of Baltimore to investigate the administrative disorders of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, which had fallen into considerable debt. Gibbons chose Chapelle as his secretary for the investigation, and Archbishop Francis Xavier Leray was so impressed with Chapelle that he requested to have him for a

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

. However, after Leray died in 1887, he was instead replaced by Francis Janssens.

Archbishop of Santa Fe

On August 21, 1891, Chapelle was appointed by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

to be

Coadjutor Archbishop The term "coadjutor" (literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadjutor bishop ...

with the right of succession to Jean-Baptiste Salpointe, the aging Archbishop of Santa Fe. He was also given the title of

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''

Arabissus Arabissus or Arabissos (), also known as Tripotamos, was a town in ancient Cataonia, then Cappadocia, and later in the Roman province of Armenia Secunda. History The Byzantine Emperor Maurice was born there in 539 who embellished it during hi ...

''. He received his episcopal consecration on the following November 1 from Cardinal

, with Archbishop Salpointe and Bishop

John Joseph Kain John Joseph Kain (May 31, 1841 – October 13, 1903) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Wheeling from 1875 to 1893 and as the first American-born Archbishop of Saint Louis from 1896 to 1903. Biography Early life Kain w ...

serving as co-consecrators, at the Cathedral of Baltimore. A year later, in November 1892, Chapelle became a

naturalized U.S. citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constit ...

. Upon Salpointe's retirement on January 7, 1894, Chapelle succeeded him as the third Archbishop of Santa Fe. That same year he persuaded Saint

Katharine Drexel Katharine Drexel, SBS (born Catherine Mary Drexel; November 26, 1858 – March 3, 1955) was an American Catholic religious sister, and educator. In 1891, she founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, a religious congregation serving Black ...

to reopen St. Catherine's Indian School, a boarding school for Native American children in Santa Fe, under the control of the

Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (SBS) are a Catholic order of religious sisters in the United States. They were founded in 1891 by Katharine Drexel as the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People. During her life, Sai ...

. He consecrated the then-unfinished Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi in October 1895. He confirmed approximately 40,000 people during his six years in New Mexico. In civic affairs, Chapelle was an early supporter of the cause for New Mexico's statehood (which would be accomplished in 1912), saying in 1894, "As it is, we have no voice in the election of governor, judges or any other officials of importance, and we think we have a right to this."

Archbishop of New Orleans

Francis Janssens, who had been chosen over Chapelle to lead the Archdiocese of New Orleans a decade earlier, died in June 1897. Fifteen days after Janssens' death, Chapelle had an audience with

, who made it clear that he intended to appoint Chapelle to the post. The priests of New Orleans also put forward Chapelle's name as their top choice for a new archbishop. However, the local bishops of the province instead suggested the Belgian-born Bishop Camillus Paul Maes or the Irish-born Bishops Thomas Heslin and John J. Keane. The New Orleans clergy were determined to have a French leader for the largely French-speaking archdiocese, and enlisted French President

Félix Faure Félix François Faure (; 30 January 1841 – 16 February 1899) was President of France from 1895 until his death in 1899. A native of Paris, he worked as a tanner in his younger years. Faure became a member of the Chamber of Deputies for Seine- ...

to lobby on Chapelle's behalf to Rome. Chapelle was officially appointed the sixth Archbishop of New Orleans on December 1, 1897. Over the course of his tenure, he succeeded in finally paying off the debt that had long plagued the Archdiocese of New Orleans, which had fallen from $590,000 when he visited with Cardinal Gibbons in 1885 to $135,000 when he assumed charge in 1898. The debt was erased by the end of 1903, but not without complaint from his priests about the new tax he imposed on them. Chapelle also reopened the diocesan seminary, which had closed due to financial pressure in 1881. However, most of Chapelle's time as archbishop was focused on his diplomatic missions. Due to his prolonged absences from New Orleans, he received

Gustave Augustin Rouxel Gustave Augustin Rouxel (February 2, 1840 – March 16, 1908) was a French-born Bishop (Catholic Church), bishop of the Catholic Church. He served as auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, Archdiocese of New Orleans from ...

as an

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

in February 1899 to tend to the archdiocese's pastoral needs.

Vatican diplomat

Cuba and Puerto Rico

Following the American victory in the

, and less than a year after his appointment to New Orleans, Chapelle was named Apostolic Delegate to Cuba on September 16, 1898, and Apostolic Delegate to Puerto Rico on the following October 11. In these roles, he was commissioned by the Vatican to participate in the negotiations of the

1898 Treaty of Paris The Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, commonly known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898, was signed by Spain and the United States on December 10, 1898, and marked the end of the Spanish–American Wa ...

. Under the treaty, which was signed on December 10 that year, Spain ceded the heavily Catholic colonies of

, and the

to the United States. Chapelle was credited with the clause in Article 8 guaranteeing the Church's right to keep its properties in those territories. Chapelle visited Cuba and Puerto Rico in early 1899 to report on the Church's conditions there and suggest a plan for reorganization. In July of that year, he consecrated the two bishops he had recommended to the Vatican: Francisco de Paula Barnada y Aguilar as Archbishop of Santiago and James Blenk (who would succeed him as Archbishop of New Orleans) as Bishop of Puerto Rico.

Philippines

Given Chapelle's success in Cuba and Puerto Rico, another former Spanish colony was soon added to his diplomatic portfolio. In addition to his duties in New Orleans, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, he was appointed Apostolic Delegate to Philippines on September 28, 1899. His mission in the Philippines was particularly difficult due to the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

, focusing primarily on the displacement of Spanish friars in the Philippines. The Spanish friars had owned 400,000 acres of land that were leased to Filipino peasants under prohibitive rents. When the Treaty of Paris rejected the

Philippine Declaration of Independence The Philippine Declaration of Independence (; ) was proclaimed by Filipino revolutionary forces general Emilio Aguinaldo on June 12, 1898, in Cavite el Viejo (present-day Kawit, Cavite), Philippines. It asserted the sovereignty and indepe ...

and annexed the Philippines to the United States, it also protected the property rights of the Church (and therefore the friars) — thanks in part to Chapelle's contributions. This helped fuel the

Philippine Revolution The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...

, during which the friars were driven from their churches and their property was confiscated by

Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who became the first List of presidents of the Philippines, president of the Philippines (1899–1901), and the first pre ...

and his fellow revolutionaries. Upon arriving in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

in January 1900, Chapelle sought to restore the friars to their former positions under American protection. However, he met resistance from General

Elwell Stephen Otis Elwell Stephen Otis (March 25, 1838 – October 21, 1909) was a United States Army general who served in the American Civil War, Indian Wars, the Philippines late in the Spanish–American War and during the Philippine–American War. Biography ...

, the

military governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' may ...

of the Philippines, who believed that reinstating the friars would get them killed and usually turned any recovered Church property over to local civil authorities. Chapelle protested this policy, accusing General Otis' advisers of being "animated with a narrow-minded spirit of hostility to the Catholic Church, whilst they should look at the question presented to them from a disinterested and American point of view." Nor did Chapelle find an ally in the civilian governor (and future U.S. president),

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

, who wrote to Maria Longworth Storer to say, "Archbishop Chapelle has become absolutely identified with the Friars...I do not think it was necessary for him to get into this position, but that is where he is, and while, of course, his sacerdotal office compels respect, politically he has no force whatever." Chapelle's refusal to compromise on the issue of the friars' land cost him a good deal of political influence. Writing to Cardinal Gibbons in August 1901, Archbishop John Ireland said, "From the general tone of Cardinal Rampolla's letters, I can see that Abp. Chapelle does not count for much. At any rate, the American government will be much displeased, as Mr. Root said to me, to see hapellereturn to Manila." Before departing his post, Chapelle wrote to Taft to declare the commission "has taken, unconsciously perhaps, indirectly surely, a hostile attitude towards the Catholic Church and her interests." Chapelle's actions were seen as worsening relations between the Church and the Filipinos, and his mission was regarded by many as a failure. However, he had support from figures like Cardinal Lucido Parocchi, who described Chapelle as "an angel of Providence to the Philippines." Nevertheless, after Chapelle departed for Rome in April 1901 to report on his mission, he was relieved of his duties in the Philippines and was replaced by Donato Sbarretti. Meanwhile, he retained his positions as Archbishop of New Orleans and Apostolic Delegate to Cuba and Puerto Rico.

Later life and death

During the summer of 1905, Chapelle contracted yellow fever after completing his first

confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...

tour around the archdiocese since his appointment to New Orleans. He died on August 9, 1905, at age 62. He is buried at St. Louis Cathedral. Following his death, President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

sent the following telegram to Cardinal Gibbons: "I am deeply shocked and grieved at the death of my beloved friend, Archbishop Chapelle. His death is one of the most lamentable losses in the course of the outbreak of fever in New Orleans, which is causing much sympathy and concern throughout the nation."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chapelle 1842 births 1905 deaths People from Lozère French expatriates in the United States Roman Catholic archbishops of New Orleans Roman Catholic archbishops of Santa Fe Apostolic nuncios to the Philippines Apostolic nuncios to Cuba 19th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States French Roman Catholic priests French expatriates in Cuba French expatriates in the Philippines 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States