[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.

[4] On July 28, 1837, Miles was appointed the first bishop of the newly erected Diocese of Nashville by Pope Gregory XVI.

[2] Arriving alone in Nashville, Miles took up residence in a boarding house and almost immediately fell seriously ill with a fever.

Miles took part in laying the cornerstone of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Baltimore, Maryland and in November 1845 assisted at the consecration of Saint Peter in Chains Cathedral Cathedral in Cincinnati, Ohio.

At the time of his death, the diocese comprised 12,000 Catholics, three priests, 14 churches, six chapels, and 13 missions.