John Baptist Cahill was an English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 prelate

Prelate

A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...

 of the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

. He served as the second Roman Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth

Bishop of Portsmouth (Catholic)

The Bishop of Portsmouth is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth in the Province of Southwark, England.The bishop's official residence is St...

 from 1900 to 1910.

Born in London

County of London

The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government Act 1888. The Act created an administrative County of...

 on 2 September 1841, he was a student at St. Edmund's College, Ware

St. Edmund's College, Ware

St Edmund's College is the oldest post-Reformation Roman Catholic school in England. It is an independent school in the British public school tradition set on in Ware, Hertfordshire. During two periods of its history, it has also incorporated a seminary....

 between 1855 and 1863. He was ordained

Holy Orders

The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....

 to the priesthood

Priesthood (Catholic Church)

The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....

 in 1864. He was appointed an Auxiliary Bishop

Auxiliary bishop

An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...

 of Portsmouth

Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese in England. The episcopal see is the Portsmouth Cathedral and is headed by the Bishop of Portsmouth...

 and Titular Bishop

Titular bishop

A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...

 of Thagora on 21 March 1900. His consecration

Consecration

Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...

 to the Episcopate

Episcopal polity

Episcopal polity is a form of church governance that is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a bishop...

 took place on 1 May 1900, the principal consecrator

Consecrator

Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...

 was Francis Bourne

Francis Bourne

Francis Alphonsus Bourne was an English prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1903 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1911.-Early life:...

, Bishop of Southwark (later Archbishop of Westminster), and the principal co-consecrators were John Cuthbert Hedley

John Cuthbert Hedley

John Cuthbert Hedley was a British Benedictine and writer who held high offices in the Roman Catholic Church....

, Bishop of Newport and Menevia and Charles Maurice Graham

Charles Maurice Graham

Charles Maurice Graham was a British clergyman who held high office in the Roman Catholic Church.He was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Plymouth and Titular Bishop of Cisamus on 25 September 1891, and succeeded diocesan Bishop of Plymouth on 25 October 1902. He retired on 16 March 1911 and took the...

, Coadjutor Bishop of Plymouth. Three months later, he was appointed Bishop of Portsmouth

Bishop of Portsmouth (Catholic)

The Bishop of Portsmouth is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth in the Province of Southwark, England.The bishop's official residence is St...

on 30 August 1900.

Bishop Cahill died in office on 2 August 1910, aged 68.