In the early 1870s, when Bishop St. Palais visited Indianapolis, he resided at Saint John the Evangelist Church's rectory and used the parish church as the pro-cathedral for the diocese. His successor, Bishop Silas Chatard, formally obtained permission from Pope Leo XIII to establish the bishop's residence and chancery at Indianapolis in 1878. When Bishop Chatard moved to Indianapolis, many considered Saint John as a diocesan cathedral, but it was never officially named as such. Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral remained the official cathedral and Vincennes as the see city for the diocese until March 28, 1898, when Pope Leo XIII officially transferred the episcopal see to Indianapolis and it became the Diocese of Indianapolis.