2025 Gala Honoree: Rev. Edward J. Chapman, O.S.A.

The 2025 Augustinian Gala will honor the late Rev. Edward J. Chapman, O.S.A., for his dedicated service to the Augustinian Order and his remarkable ministry, particularly in Peru.

Father Chapman was born on April 23, 1917, in Centralia, Pennsylvania. He entered the Augustinian Order in 1935 and was ordained a priest in 1943. After serving in various educational and pastoral roles in the U.S., including at St. Rita High School in Chicago and Austin Catholic High School in Detroit, Father Chapman volunteered for missionary work in northern Peru in 1964.

In the Peruvian village of Morropón, he ministered tirelessly to local communities for 20 years, founding Colegio Santa Rita, a school offering free education to poor children, particularly girls.

Father Chapman passed away on July 2, 1986, and is buried at Calvary Cemetery in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.