Bishop John Cantwell was a

Roman Catholic Bishop of Meath The Diocese of Meath ( ga, Deoise na Mí) is a diocese of the Catholic Church that is located in the middle part of Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses of the ecclesiastical province of Armagh. Thomas Deenihan has been bishop of the di ...

. John Cantwell was born in Rahan, near

Tullamore Tullamore (; ) is the county town of County Offaly in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal (Ireland), Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, midlands reg ...

County Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...

on Christmas Day 1792, to Edward Cantwell (1750–1831) and his wife Catherine Flynn (1760–1842). He went to

Maynooth College St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is the "National Seminary for Ireland" (a Roman Catholic college), and a pontifical university, located in the town of Maynooth, from Dublin, Ireland. ...

to study for the priesthood at a very early age. At Maynooth he excelled as a student, and was one of the first Dunboyne Establishment students, going on to hold the chair of

Natural Philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior throu ...

at the College. He was appointed Dean of the Ecclesiastical College, before being ordained a priest ages 22 in 1815. He served as parish priest of

Kilbeggan Kilbeggan () is a town in the barony of Moycashel, County Westmeath, Ireland. Geography Kilbeggan is situated on the River Brosna, in the south of County Westmeath. It lies south of Lough Ennell, and Castletown Geoghegan, north of the boundar ...

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

, and in 1830 he was called upon to become Bishop of Meath. Bishop Cantwell encouraged the building of schools and churches in the diocese, and the presences of religious orders.'The Diocese of Meath under Bishop John Cantwell 1830-66' by Paul Connell, Four Courts Press, 2004./ Dr. Cantwell died at his bishops residence in

Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeat ...

, County Longford, in December 1866 and is interred in

Mullingar Cathedral Cathedral of Christ the King () is a Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic cathedral located in Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland. It is situated near the centre of Mullingar next to the Royal Canal. The cathedral is both the cathedral churc ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cantwell, John Christian clergy from County Offaly 1792 births 1866 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Meath Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth