The Father Willie Doyle Association

Father Willie Doyle Association

Official site for the canonisation cause of the Servant of God Fr Willie Doyle SJ

Official site for the canonisation cause of the Servant of God Fr Willie Doyle SJ

Father Willie Doyle

Association

13 July 1913

I see more and more each day how different the world would be if we had more really holy priests. With this object I have started a crusade of prayer.

COMMENT: Fr Willie wrote these words in a letter on this day in 1913. His was right when he wrote this a century ago, and hindsight has shown us that he was even more correct about the importance of holy priests than he probably realised himself.

We are all called to be holy, and holy lay people can do things that a priest simply cannot. But the Church needs holy priests who offer the sacraments and sanctify and support lay people. Fr Willie knew this – he worked hard to promote vocations and to support priests, urging them not to settle for mediocrity, but to be ambitious in their pursuit of sanctity.

Fr Willie himself was a holy priest who loved others so much that he sacrificed himself and died to save non-Catholic soldiers in World War 1. At a time when the priesthood is held in low regard, the example of his heroism and holiness is needed now more than ever. 

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July 13, 2022

1 Comment

on 13 July 1913.
  1. -

    Let’s hope Father Willie keeps up his crusade. You’re right about needing good, holy priests. Aside from the bad apples, even the good guys who really do make the effort have received relatively weak formation (compared to the past), which can detract from their sincere efforts.

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