Silas Chatard, Indiana's first American-born bishop, was consecrated as Bishop of Vincennes in Rome, Italy, on May 12, 1878. Bishop Chatard also 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, Bishop 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.