Richard Pius Miles
Right Rev. Richard Pius Miles, O.P. | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Nashville | |
 | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| See | Nashville |
| In office | September 16, 1838 – February 17, 1860 |
| Predecessor | none |
| Successor | James Whelan |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | September 21, 1816 |
| Consecration | September 16, 1838 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 17, 1791 Prince George's County, Maryland |
| Died | February 21, 1860 (aged 68) Nashville, Tennessee |
Richard Pius Miles, O.P. (May 17, 1791 – February 21, 1860) was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Nashville (1838–1860).
Biography[]
Miles was born in Prince George's County, Maryland, and moved to Kentucky with his parents at age 5.[1] After joining the Dominican Order in October 1806,[1] he was ordained a priest on September 21, 1816.[2] He then worked as a missionary in Ohio and Kentucky for 22 years, also founding a community of Dominican nuns and a school under the Sisters of Charity.[3] He served as pastor at Somerset, Kentucky and Zanesville, Ohio.[4]
On July 28, 1837, Miles was appointed the first Bishop of the newly erected Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee, by Pope Gregory XVI.[2] He received his episcopal consecration on September 16, 1838 from Bishop Joseph Rosati, C.M., with Bishops Simon Bruté and Guy Ignatius Chabrat, P.S.S., serving as co-consecrators.[2]
Arriving alone in Nashville, Miles took up residence in a boarding house and almost immediately fell seriously ill with a fever. A priest who happened to be travelling through Nashville arrived, and with his assistance Miles recovered. His parishioners consisted of approximately 100 families scattered throughout the state. Bishop Miles traveled on horseback to meet with them.
He took part in laying the cornerstone of St. Vincent de Paul Church (Baltimore, Maryland) and in November 1845, assisted at the consecration of Saint Peter in Chains Cathedral (Cincinnati). During his tenure, he ordained the first priest in Tennessee, and established a seminary and a hospital,[1][3] run by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth from Bardstown, Kentucky, and an orphanage run by the sisters of St. Dominic. He dedicated the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin of the Seven Sorrows in 1848, to replace the Cathedral of the Holy Rosary.
He died at the age of 68. At the time of his death, the diocese comprised 12,000 Catholics, 13 priests, 14 churches, 6 chapels, and 13 missions.[1]
In 1972, over 100 years after his death, his body was exhumed and he was found to be incorrupt.[citation needed] A cause has since been opened for his canonization.[citation needed]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "MILES, Richard Pius". The National Cyclopedia of American Biography.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Bishop Richard Pius Miles, O.P." Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Former Bishops of the Diocese of Nashville". Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012.
- ^ Clarke, Richard Henry. "Right Rev. Richard Pius Miles, D.D.", Lives of the Deceased Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States, Volume 2, P. O'Shea, 1872, pp. 147 et seq.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the Episcopal succession[]
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- 1791 births
- 1860 deaths
- People from Prince George's County, Maryland
- American Dominicans
- Roman Catholic bishops of Nashville
- Catholic Church in Ohio
- Religious leaders from Kentucky
- Catholics from Maryland
- 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States