Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFMCap, served as Archbishop of Philadelphia from 2011 to 2020, having previously served as Archbishop of Denver from 1997 to 2011 and Bishop of Rapid City from 1988 to 1997. A member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribe, Archbishop Chaput was the second Native American to be ordained a bishop in the United States, and the first Native American archbishop.
Born in Concordia, Kansas, Archbishop Chaput attended St. Francis Seminary High School before joining the St. Augustine Province of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin in 1965. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from St. Fidelis College Seminary in Herman, Pennsylvania, in 1967, Chaput continued his theology studies at the Catholic University of America. He earned a Master of Arts in Religious Education from Capuchin College in 1970, and a Master of Arts in Theology from the University of San Francisco in 1971.
Archbishop Chaput has served in the Church in countless capacities, including serving as seminary instructor and spiritual director, serving on numerous Boards of Directors for organizations including the Catholic University of America, the National Catholic Bioethics Center, the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), and the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders (CALL), along with roles touching on every aspect of Catholic life for the Vatican and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Among his written works are Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life (Doubleday, 2008) and Strangers in a Strange Land: Living the Catholic Faith in a Post-Christian World (Henry Holt and Co., 2017).
Archbishop Chaput's episcopal motto is drawn from Ephesians 5:25, "As Christ Loved the Church."
