 In 1811 he accepted an invitation from Bishop Benedict Joseph Flaget to join the Diocese of Bardstown, Kentucky, arriving in the United States in May of that year.He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Flaget on Christmas Day 1811, at St. Rose Priory.Chabrat was first assigned to St. Michael's Church in Fairfield and St. Clare's Church in Colesburg, while also attending to a mission in Poplar Neck near Bardstown.