This website was launched 3 years ago today. At the time, I wasn’t sure how it would develop or whether anyone would be interested or whether I would have personally have the interest, or material, to keep it going. I honestly never thought that I would still be running it 3 years later.

I guess I now know the answer to all of these questions!

The last three years shows me that there is a global interest in Fr Doyle’s life and spirit. Many people around the world write to me asking about Fr Doyle’s cause or asking about the possibility of a posthumous award of the Victoria Cross or reporting a favour allegedly granted through Fr Doyle’s intercession. Others write to tell me about the inter-generational devotion to Fr Doyle in their family because of the help he gave to their grandfather or great-grandfather in the war.

Perhaps the most interesting of all are those – especially the young – who write to me having heard of Fr Doyle for the first time, and who have become intrigued by his spirit and his message and want to know more.

I have a backlog of correspondence to reply to, so if you wrote to me recently, please be patient. I have your email on a list and will eventually get to it. I am trying to finish a PhD at the moment, have a full time job and 3 small children, so I’m not on top of things as I would like. Apologies! I will respond to your emails as soon as I can, so please bear with me, and say a prayer that I may have some of Fr Doyle’s work ethic!

Unusually, today we have three blog posts. This general one, then one below for the Feast of the Sacred Heart (very dear to Fr Doyle, and indeed all Jesuits) and one below that to commemorate Fr Doyle’s vivid eye witness report of the momentous Battle of Messines Ridge which took place on this day in 1917.