Charles J. Chaput
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Most Reverend Charles Joseph Chaput, OFM Cap (born September 26, 1944) is the current archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver, Colorado.
Archbishop Chaput was born in Concordia, Kansas. In July of 1968, at the age of twenty three, he was solemnly professed as a Brother in the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, a branch of the Franciscans. A little over two years later, in August of 1970 he was ordained Priest. In 1977, he became pastor of Holy Cross parish in Thornton, Colorado. On April 11, 1988 he was appointed Bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota. On July 26 of that year, he was ordained Bishop of that diocese. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees at The Catholic University of America.
On March 18, 1997, Archbishop Chaput was appointed Archbishop of Denver, Colorado, after Most Rev. James Francis Stafford was appointed President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity in the Roman Curia.
Archbishop Chaput is of French-Canadian and Native American (Potawatomi) extraction and has two aunts who are nuns. His maternal grandmother was the last member of the family to live on a reservation and Chaput himself was enrolled in the tribe at a young age.
[edit] Consecrations
Archbishop Chaput was the principal consecrator of Most Rev. José Horacio Gómez (the current Archbishop of San Antonio, Texas) on March 26, 2001 as Auxiliary Bishop of Denver and titular Bishop of Belali. He has co-consecrated three Bishops - those being Most Rev. Blase Joseph Cupich of Rapid City on September 21, 1998, Most Rev. Samuel Joseph Aquila of Fargo, North Dakota on August 24, 2001, and Most Rev. R. Walker Nickless - the new Bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City, Iowa - on January 20, 2006.
[edit] Profile
On October 26, 2004 Archbishop Chaput gave an interview to a New York Times reporter about the 2004 U.S. presidential election. Several of his statements caused a firestorm of controversy - some felt that Chaput was telling voters in the Archdiocese that voting for John Kerry was a sin and that he was ordering them to vote for George W. Bush. Due to the controversy, Chaput made the transcripts from the interview with the New York Times public to show the bias slant of the secular media. Nonetheless, many took this opportunity to charge the Church, and Chaput, with trying to manipulate the political process.[citation needed]
| Episcopal Lineage | |
| Consecrated by: | Pío Laghi |
| Date of consecration: | July 26, 1988 |
| Consecrator of | |
|---|---|
| Bishop | Date of consecration |
| José Horacio Gómez | January 23, 2001 |
| Preceded by: Harold J. Dimmerling |
Bishop of Rapid City 1988–1997 |
Succeeded by: Blase Cupich |
| Preceded by: James Francis Stafford |
Archbishop of Denver 1997–present |
Succeeded by: incumbent |
