John Murdoch was a Roman Catholic bishop

Bishop (Catholic Church)

In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....

 who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Western District of Scotland.

Born in Wellheads, Enzie, Banffshire

Banffshire

The County of Banff is a registration county for property, and Banffshire is a Lieutenancy area of Scotland.The County of Banff, also known as Banffshire, was a local government county of Scotland with its own county council between 1890 and 1975. The county town was Banff although the largest...

 in 1796, 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....

 a priest

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....

 on 19 March 1821. He was appointed the Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of the Western District 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 Castabala by the Holy See

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

 on 4 June 1833. He was consecrated

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...

 at St Andrew's Cathedral, Glasgow on 20 October 1833. 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 Bishop James Kyle

James Kyle (bishop)

James Francis Kyle was a Roman Catholic bishop who served as the first Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District of Scotland.Born in Edinburgh on 22 September 1788, he was ordained a priest on 21 March 1812...

, and the principal co-consecrators were Bishop Andrew Scott

Andrew Scott (bishop)

Andrew Scott was a Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Western District of Scotland from 1832 to 1845....

 and Bishop Andrew Carruthers

Andrew Carruthers

Andrew Carruthers was a Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Eastern District of Scotland.Born in Drumillan Miln on 7 February 1770, he was ordained a priest on 25 March 1795. He was appointed the Vicar Apostolic of the Eastern District and Titular Bishop of Ceramus by...

. On the retirement of Bishop Andrew Scott

Andrew Scott (bishop)

Andrew Scott was a Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Western District of Scotland from 1832 to 1845....

 on 15 October 1845, Bishop Murdoch automatically succeeded as the Vicar Apostolic of the Western District.

He died in office on 15 December 1865, aged 69.