Press on bravely and don’t mind the scratches, even when they come from human nails! COMMENT: We must always push on in …
Patrick Kenny
Today is Fr Willie’s birthday. He was born into this world on 3rd March 1873. Through the example of his life, and …
March 3, 2026
Posted by pat
It is useful from time to time to pause and ask ourselves if we are, like the child Jesus, growing in wisdom …
March 2, 2026
Posted by pat
The merit of living under religious rule may be gathered from the difficulty of always and faithfully keeping that rule. Holiness and …
February 28, 2026
Posted by pat
Over and over again I asked myself, when reading that book, was it not strange that I should come across the very …
February 27, 2026
Posted by pat
He loves your soul dearly, cling to Him, and trust him, He so longs to be trusted. Be like a faithful dog …
February 26, 2026
Posted by pat
A habit of ejaculatory prayer is a sign of nearness to God, for our own holiness will be in proportion to our …
February 24, 2026
Posted by pat
“The power of the Most High shall overshadow thee” (Luke, 1:35). Light comes with this blessed over-shadowing,. and before God’s power difficulties …
February 23, 2026
Posted by pat
A fierce temptation during Mass and thanksgiving to break my resolution and indulge my appetite at breakfast…Jesus urged me to pray for …
February 22, 2026
Posted by pat
The great light of this retreat, clear and persistent has been that God has chosen me, in His great love and through …
February 21, 2026
Posted by pat
As the moth is attracted to the light, is drawn ever nearer to the warmth and brightness, until at length with irresistible …
February 19, 2026
Posted by pat
What is it to be a saint? Does it mean that we must macerate this flesh of ours with cruel austerities, such …
February 18, 2026
Posted by pat
Fr Willie left his training camp and headed to the continent 110 years ago today. Here are his sentiments on this occasion, …
February 17, 2026
Posted by pat
We should call a man a fool who wasted his wealth warming himself before a fire made of banknotes. Do we act …
February 16, 2026
Posted by pat
I have gone through a great deal of desolation, discouragement, fear and dread of my proposed vow. When I make it — …
February 15, 2026
Posted by pat
We are having desperate work these days. The good God is simply pouring out His grace on these poor fellows and reconciling …
February 14, 2026
Posted by pat
What I intended to imply was that I thought God had special designs on your soul and very great graces in store …
February 13, 2026
Posted by pat
Almost the first thing which caught my eye at the grotto was our Lady’s words: “Penitence, penitence, penitence”. On leaving, I asked …
February 11, 2026
Posted by pat
You seem to be a little troubled at finding yourself cold at prayer and as if our Lord had abandoned you. Were …
February 10, 2026
Posted by pat
While praying at the shrine of St Apollonia I felt urged to ask her to help me to gain a complete mastery …
February 9, 2026
Posted by pat
Don’t be one of those who give God everything but one little corner of their heart on which they put up a …
February 8, 2026
Posted by pat
This is my vocation: reparation and penance for the sins of priests; hence the constant urging of our Lord to generosity. COMMENT: …
February 8, 2026
Posted by pat
Then in addition there is the great privilege and joy of carrying our dear Lord next my heart day and night. Long …
February 7, 2026
Posted by pat
Some of Fr Willie’s favourite aspirations: l. My Crucified Jesus, help me to crucify myself. 2. Lord, teach me how to pray …
February 6, 2026
Posted by pat
To-day while praying in the Chapel, suddenly it seemed to me as if I were standing before a narrow path all choked …
February 5, 2026
Posted by pat
I was meditating on my desire to die a martyr’s death for Jesus, and then asked myself if I was really in …
February 5, 2026
Posted by pat
Reading today of how Luisa de Carvajal made herself the slave of her two maids, the old desire for this kind of …
February 4, 2026
Posted by pat
It seems to me that the best and most practical resolution I can make is to determine to perform each action with …
February 3, 2026
Posted by pat
Kneeling there I asked her what God wanted from me, when I heard an interior voice clearly repeating, “Love Him, love Him.” …
February 2, 2026
Posted by pat
Constant urging of Jesus to do “hard things” for him, things which cost. I shrink from sacrifice, but I know well He …
February 1, 2026
Posted by pat
One month of the new year has passed away, leaving behind it the memory of what has been done for God and …
January 31, 2026
Posted by pat
A kind word goes far. I stopped to say a few words to a group of men at a street corner in …
January 30, 2026
Posted by pat
Abandon yourself completely into the hands of God, and take directly from Him every event of life, agreeable, or disagreeable. Only then …
January 29, 2026
Posted by pat
Last night I rose at 1am and went down to the church, renewing before the crucifix my desire and promise absolutely to …
January 27, 2026
Posted by pat
The mere saving of their souls should be the last thought of religious who have vowed their lives for God’s glory. COMMENT: …
January 26, 2026
Posted by pat
Every grace we get enlightens the understanding and strengthens the will. When the understanding is enlightened, we have the awful alternative of …
January 25, 2026
Posted by pat
There is nothing better than the practice of aspirations, steadily growing in number. Keep a little book and enter them once a …
January 24, 2026
Posted by pat
22 January 1911 My dear loving Jesus, what do you want from me? You never seem to leave me alone – thank …
January 22, 2026
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Even as a child I was convinced that one day God would give me the grace of martyrdom. When quite small I …
January 21, 2026
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For the poor people on Dalkey Hill Willie constituted himself into a Conference of St. Vincent de Paul. He raised funds by …
January 20, 2026
Posted by pat
Worries? Of course; and thank God. How else are you going to be a saint? “When thou comest to the service of …
January 19, 2026
Posted by pat
I felt Jesus asking me to make a long visit and wishing to speak to me. His message was: To note down …
January 18, 2026
Posted by pat
Our Lord wants me to give Him all I can give cheerfully, not repining or regretting any sacrifice; not saying, ‘I wish …
January 17, 2026
Posted by pat
Jesus knows I have only one wish in this world: to love Him and Him alone. For the rest He has carte …
January 16, 2026
Posted by pat
I see more and more that self-indulgence even in lawful things brings only unhappiness; and I realise I can never be truly …
January 15, 2026
Posted by pat
I want you to know what I went through by volunteering for the Front. God made me feel with absolute certainty – …
January 14, 2026
Posted by pat
109 years ago tonight Fr Doyle was awoken to absolve some dying soldiers. This is his description of the event, sent home …
January 13, 2026
Posted by pat
Each morning at Holy Communion invite Jesus, with all the love and fervour you can, to enter into your heart and dwell …
January 12, 2026
Posted by pat
Live for the day, but let it be a generous day. Have you ever tried giving God one day in which you …
January 11, 2026
Posted by pat
Today is the anniversary of the death of the Servant of God Fr Paul Ginhac SJ who died on this day in …
January 10, 2026
Posted by pat
How grand it is to be tired in working for Jesus! To lay our head on the pillow at night worn out …
January 9, 2026
Posted by pat
It is a mother whose gentle care was ever round you, whose arms were open wide that you might nestle on her …
January 8, 2026
Posted by pat
It seems to me I have failed to keep my resolutions because I have not acted from the motive of the love …
January 7, 2026
Posted by pat
I contrast the obedience of St. Joseph with my obedience. His so prompt, unquestioning, uncomplaining, perfect; mine given so grudgingly; perhaps exterior …
January 6, 2026
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of St Charles of Mount Argus, a Dutch Passionist priest who spent about 30 years of his life …
January 5, 2026
Posted by pat
4 January 1916 Before I thank you for your letter which was doubly welcome in my exile, I want to tell you …
January 4, 2026
Posted by pat
He seems to me to want a year of great devotedness, intense sympathy and passionate love…Even one year of such a life …
January 3, 2026
Posted by pat
I can imagine I am a soul in Hell, and God in His mercy is saying to me, “Return to the world …
January 2, 2026
Posted by pat
How little the expression ‘we were shelled for two hours’ conveys to you. People read in their papers some mornings: ‘The enemy …
January 1, 2026
Posted by pat
A New Year! What visions of almost boundless good, hidden in the fair bosom of the new-born year, rise up before me. …
January 1, 2026
Posted by pat
“All our days are spent.” (Psalm 89. 9). The hour will come for each of us when we shall echo these words …
December 31, 2025
Posted by pat
Every little victory in the matter of food is a real triumph, for this is a real test of generosity. You will …
December 30, 2025
Posted by pat
Jesus, you know my longing to become a saint. You know how much I thirst to die a martyr. Help me to …
December 29, 2025
Posted by pat
I have celebrated Mass in some strange places and under extraordinary conditions but somehow I was more than usually impressed this morning. …
December 28, 2025
Posted by pat
Try to get down low and follow out what He Himself taught: “Unless you become as little children.” This will make you …
December 27, 2025
Posted by pat
The following two excerpts from a letter written by Fr Doyle recount two incidents that happened on St Stephen’s Day, 1916. They …
December 26, 2025
Posted by pat
O’Rahilly’s biography of Fr Doyle is a remarkable source of information about Fr Doyle’s life and spirituality. However, there is another book …
December 25, 2025
Posted by pat
What impressed me most in the meditation on the Nativity was the thought that Jesus could have been born in wealth and …
December 25, 2025
Posted by pat
The following excerpt from O’Rahilly’s biography of Fr Doyle recalls Christmas Eve and Midnight Mass during the war in 1916… Christmas itself …
December 24, 2025
Posted by pat
I was very much annoyed because someone burnt the floor of my dug-out and also on finding my candles had been taken. …
December 23, 2025
Posted by pat
My genius of an orderly fried meat and pudding together and, with a smile of triumph on his face, brought both on …
December 22, 2025
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Fr Doyle wrote the following in his diary on 21 December 1913, 112 years ago today. It relates to a recent trip …
December 21, 2025
Posted by pat
21 December: A day I always like because the turning point of the year and from this on the evenings will be …
December 21, 2025
Posted by pat
During the last three nights of the retreat I slept on the floor without feeling any inconvenience after, though I woke very …
December 20, 2025
Posted by pat
Fr Doyle wrote the following letter to his sister from the trenches on 19th December 1916, 109 years ago today. It gives …
December 19, 2025
Posted by pat
“I have called upon Thee in the day of my trouble” (Psalm 85. 7). Jesus is our comforter. What burden is there …
December 18, 2025
Posted by pat
A want of will is the chief obstacle to our becoming saints. We are not holy because we do not really wish …
December 17, 2025
Posted by pat
Avoid worry, anxiety, uneasiness about anything. “The devil’s boiling pot” expresses this state of mind; one trouble ended, another crops up to …
December 16, 2025
Posted by pat
I cannot say i am quite in love with camp life, which in many respects is quite repellent. But even in these …
December 15, 2025
Posted by pat
On this day in 1917, Major General Hickie paid another tribute to Fr Doyle. Writing to his father, Hugh Doyle, General Hickie …
December 15, 2025
Posted by pat
Surely you are not right in trying to keep our Lord away from you, or in thinking that He looks upon you …
December 14, 2025
Posted by pat
Since I became chaplain I’ve grown very lazy and unmortified, the cause of much unhappiness and remorse to me. My excuse is …
December 13, 2025
Posted by pat
It is scarcely necessary to state that deliberate sin in any shape or form utterly destroys the interior life. COMMENT: It is …
December 13, 2025
Posted by pat
I am sorry to see you suffer and yet glad that the cross is your portion. If I had at this moment …
December 12, 2025
Posted by pat
Thanks to the Servant Priests and Brothers of the Home of the Mother, a new short movie on Fr Willie’s war service …
December 11, 2025
Posted by pat
I want to be generous with God and to refuse Him nothing. I do not want to say, “I will go just …
December 11, 2025
Posted by pat
Let us love silence and recollection. When we are at home with silence we are at home with God. Silence seems impossible …
December 10, 2025
Posted by pat
He has been tugging at my heart for so many years, urging me in so many ways to give myself wholly to …
December 9, 2025
Posted by pat
God delights to honour His saints by bestowing upon them special graces which mark them off from the rest of mankind. To …
December 8, 2025
Posted by pat
I believe that Our Lord is asking for victims who are willing to suffer much in reparation for sins, especially those of …
December 8, 2025
Posted by pat
I believe strongly in corporal penance as a means to the end. But a denial of your own will often costs more …
December 7, 2025
Posted by pat
I want you to make a greater effort to see the hand of God in everything that happens, and then to force …
December 6, 2025
Posted by pat
You must trust entirely in our Lord. He alone can help you. Give God His time. Be generous with Him and He …
December 5, 2025
Posted by pat
What must have been Mary’s thoughts when first she felt the infant child within her womb, and realised that from her pure …
December 4, 2025
Posted by pat
Xavier’s hour has come, the hour of his eternal reward and never-ending bliss. In a little hut, open on all sides to …
December 3, 2025
Posted by pat
Use your faults as stepping stones to better things. Don’t bemoan your faults and falls, but quietly take it out of yourself …
December 2, 2025
Posted by pat
The great light of this retreat, clear and persistent, has been that God has chosen me, in His great love and through …
December 1, 2025
Posted by pat
The saints had ever a childlike confidence and trust in God. Upon Him they cast all their anxieties and cares, under His …
November 30, 2025
Posted by pat
It is scarcely necessary to state that deliberate sin in any shape or form utterly destroys the interior life and even gives …
November 29, 2025
Posted by pat
Vince teipsum (Conquer yourself). This is the secret of the Exercises. “I learnt no other lesson from my master Ignatius,” said St. …
November 28, 2025
Posted by pat
Try to take your days one by one as they come to you. The hard things of yesterday are past, and you …
November 27, 2025
Posted by pat
The chief thing God wants from me at present is an extraordinary and exquisite perfection in every little thing I do, even …
November 26, 2025
Posted by pat
The Practice of Humility I will strive to get a great contempt for myself, and to pray and desire that others may …
November 25, 2025
Posted by pat
Even as a child I longed and prayed to be a saint. But somehow it always seemed to me as if that …
November 24, 2025
Posted by pat
Do not try to run till you can walk well. Draw up a list of certain little sacrifices which you feel God …
November 23, 2025
Posted by pat
I felt strongly urged to rise and make the Holy Hour every night. In the past twelve months I have gone down to the …
November 22, 2025
Posted by pat
Remember the devil is a bad spiritual director, and you may always recognise his apparently good suggestions by the disturbances they cause …
November 21, 2025
Posted by pat
“My yoke is sweet” (Matthew 11. 30). The service of God, the whole-hearted generous service of God, is full of a sweetness …
November 20, 2025
Posted by pat
We can never sufficiently thank Him for so completely showing us in the Garden that He was a man by praying to …
November 19, 2025
Posted by pat
Sir William Bernard Hickie was Major General of the 16th Irish Division and knew Fr Doyle extremely well. He wrote the following …
November 18, 2025
Posted by pat
Your desire for penance is an excellent sign…But have a fixed amount to be done each day and do not be doing …
November 18, 2025
Posted by pat
Meditating on the Particular Judgement, God gave me great light. I realised that I should have to give an exact account of …
November 17, 2025
Posted by pat
Holiness and perfection depend on yourself, not on the actions of others. COMMENT: How easy it is for us to blame others, …
November 16, 2025
Posted by pat
Received my appointment from the War Office as chaplain to the 16th Division. Fiat voluntas tua. What the future has in store …
November 15, 2025
Posted by pat
You certainly put your finger on the weak spot in most priestly lives – the want of prayer. The connection between prayer …
November 14, 2025
Posted by pat
At the close of the retreat my soul is full of many emotions. God has been more than good to me, has …
November 13, 2025
Posted by pat
Lord, You know I love You less than any others, but I long and desire to love You more than all the …
November 12, 2025
Posted by pat
107 years ago today the First World War came to an end. It was a dreadful war; the first industrial war in …
November 11, 2025
Posted by pat
From the Tabernacle Jesus seems to say, “Stay with Me for it is towards evening and the day is now far spent”. …
November 11, 2025
Posted by pat
My offering myself as a war chaplain to the Provincial has had a wonderful effect on me. I long to go and …
November 10, 2025
Posted by pat
The reason I find it so hard to love God, why I have so little affection for Him, is because of my …
November 10, 2025
Posted by pat
Our Lord is displeased only when He sees no attempt made to get rid of imperfections which, when deliberate, clog the soul …
November 9, 2025
Posted by pat
The Fruit of the Third Week The thought that Jesus has suffered so much for me to atone for my sins and …
November 8, 2025
Posted by pat
My God, I promise You, kneeling before the image of Your Sacred Heart, that I will do my best to lead a …
November 7, 2025
Posted by pat
The greatest thirst of Jesus on the Cross was his thirst for souls. He saw then the graces and inspirations He …
November 6, 2025
Posted by pat
Today, the Feast of all the Saints of the Society, while praying in the Chapel at Donnybrook (Poor Clares), our Lord seemed …
November 5, 2025
Posted by pat
During all these long years Jesus has been standing bound at the pillar, while I have cruelly scourged Him by my ingratitude …
November 5, 2025
Posted by pat
All my life my study has been to avoid suffering as much as possible, to make my life a comfortable one How …
November 4, 2025
Posted by pat
I was greatly struck and helped yesterday by these words of the Imitation (of Christ): My child: let me do with you …
November 3, 2025
Posted by pat
From their cleansing prison of fire the holy souls cry to us for help. With joy indeed they bear the pain which …
November 2, 2025
Posted by pat
This evening I had a dispute with Father B. Instead of giving in to his wishes and allowing him to remain in …
November 1, 2025
Posted by pat
To-day the…Feast of All Saints, I made my election about offering myself for the Congo Mission. During the retreat I have been …
November 1, 2025
Posted by pat
St. Alphonsus Rodriguez is a striking example of one who, though in a lowly station in life, devoid of all that in …
October 31, 2025
Posted by pat
Darling Mother Mary, in preparation for the glorious martyrdom which I feel assured thou art going to obtain for me, I, …
October 30, 2025
Posted by pat
“Time that passeth like a shadow”(Ecclesiastes, 7. 1). Watch the shadow of the sun’s rays creep silently across the dial’s face. Slowly, …
October 29, 2025
Posted by pat
A great desire to know our Lord better, His attractive character, His personal love for me, the resolve to read the life …
October 28, 2025
Posted by pat
A reminder that there will be a presentation on Fr Willie, with blessings with his personal crucifix, at the St Maximilian Kolbe …
October 27, 2025
Posted by pat
Today we continue with some of Fr Doyle’s reflections on the Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises and his resolutions aimed at …
October 27, 2025
Posted by pat
I am slowly learning the lesson Jesus brought me out here to teach me. The first and greatest is that I must …
October 26, 2025
Posted by pat
What account shall I give of this resolution when I stand before my God for judgement? PRACTICE OF THE THIRD DEGREE. I. …
October 26, 2025
Posted by pat
Following straight on the heels of the meditations on the Two Standards and the Three Classes of Men, we will today consider …
October 25, 2025
Posted by pat
Fr Doyle wrote the following in his diary on October 25 1916. It refers to the previous night, in other words, this …
October 24, 2025
Posted by pat
We come now to one of the other great moments of the Spiritual Exercises – the Meditation on the Three Classes of …
October 24, 2025
Posted by pat
We come today to the famous meditation on the Two Standards. This is one of the high points of the Spiritual Exercises. …
October 23, 2025
Posted by pat
My God, this morning I was in despair. After some days of relaxation owing partly to sickness, I resolved to begin my …
October 22, 2025
Posted by pat
When it was not some infirmity or other than caused him to experience pain, it was he himself who inflicted discomfort and …
October 22, 2025
Posted by pat
Fr Doyle wrote the following notes on the “hidden life” of Jesus as a young boy and man in Nazareth. These reflections …
October 22, 2025
Posted by pat
As part of the Second week, St Ignatius recommends a meditation on the early life of Christ. Here are his points for …
October 21, 2025
Posted by pat
Feeling very unwell for the past few days, I gave way to self indulgence in food and sleep. Jesus has made it …
October 20, 2025
Posted by pat
As part of the Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises, retreatants meditate on the early life of Christ. One of these meditations …
October 20, 2025
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of St Paul of the Cross, the founder of the Passionist order. He lived in the 1700’s, and …
October 19, 2025
Posted by pat
Today we start Fr Doyle’s reflections on the second week of the Spiritual Exercises. This part of the Exercises begins with a …
October 19, 2025
Posted by pat
The Fruit of the First Week: I realise in a way I never did before that God created me for His service, …
October 18, 2025
Posted by pat
One of the obstacles to my leading a fervent life is the thought of what others may think. I would often wish …
October 17, 2025
Posted by pat
Meditating on the Particular Judgement, God gave me great light. I realised that I should have to give an exact account of …
October 16, 2025
Posted by pat
Last night I rose at one a.m. and walked two miles barefooted in reparation for the sins of priests to the chapel …
October 15, 2025
Posted by pat
The life of St. Teresa teaches us that we should never despair of becoming saints. As a child she was filled with …
October 15, 2025
Posted by pat
Death is the end of all things here, the end of time, of merit, of pain and mortification, of a hard life. …
October 14, 2025
Posted by pat
Fr Doyle wrote the following in his diary on this day in 1916: Lately the desire to be trampled on and become …
October 13, 2025
Posted by pat
We continue with the meditations of the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises, and in particular with the meditation on Hell. Here …
October 13, 2025
Posted by pat
Today we consider one of the first exercises from the first week of the Spiritual Exercises – the meditation on sin. The …
October 12, 2025
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of St John XXIII. At first glance there does not seem to be much in common between Fr Doyle …
October 11, 2025
Posted by pat
Fr Doyle began his “Long retreat” – 30 days of the Spiritual Exercises – at this time in 1907. It was a …
October 11, 2025
Posted by pat
Today we will start a new series of special quotations from Fr Doyle. This day 118 years ago – 10 October 1907 …
October 10, 2025
Posted by pat
There will be a talk about Fr Willie in St Joseph’s Resource Centre, Boyle County Roscommon on Saturday 18th October at 4pm. …
October 9, 2025
Posted by pat
Pray for all, but especially for sinners, and in particular for those whose sins are most painful to His Sacred Heart. With …
October 9, 2025
Posted by pat
Solid virtue is so called because it is formed by amassing together a facility in repeated acts. Hence the practice of any …
October 8, 2025
Posted by pat
To Mary’s feet in heaven today the angels come in never-ending stream to lay before her the offerings of her loving earthly …
October 7, 2025
Posted by pat
We are delighted to announce our first Fr Willie Doyle speaking and relic tour in the United States! If you are in …
October 6, 2025
Posted by pat
“Behold I stand at the gate and knock” (Rev. 3. 20) Jesus stands at the door of my heart, patiently, uncomplainingly. …
October 6, 2025
Posted by pat
Do I ever say, when an occasion of denying myself comes, “It’s too hard, I am no saint?” Might it not be …
October 5, 2025
Posted by pat
In the end what once caused us pain and tears becomes the source of great interior joy, since we have realised how …
October 4, 2025
Posted by pat
I cannot deny that I love Jesus, love Him passionately, love Him with every fibre of my heart. He knows it, too, …
October 3, 2025
Posted by pat
He hath given His angels charge over us, to guide us, to guard and shelter us from dangers, to lead us safely …
October 2, 2025
Posted by pat
Kneeling at the grave of the Little Flower I gave myself into her hands to guide and to make me a saint. …
October 1, 2025
Posted by pat
Don’t dwell on what you have not done, for I think that want of confidence in His willingness to forgive our shortcomings …
September 30, 2025
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of the archangels, though in Fr Willie’s time 29 September was only the feast St Michael. St Michael …
September 29, 2025
Posted by pat
Don’t let the devil spoil the work by making you fret and worry. COMMENT: This line from Fr Doyle is taken from …
September 28, 2025
Posted by pat
For fifteen years has Jesus been waiting for me to return to Him, to return to the fervour of my first year …
September 27, 2025
Posted by pat
Fr Doyle wrote the following very private notes in his diary on 27 September 1915 about his prayer the previous night: Last …
September 26, 2025
Posted by pat
I was very much annoyed because because someone burnt the floor of my dug-out and also on finding my candles had been …
September 25, 2025
Posted by pat
I have noticed that every time I have indulged myself, my appetite especially, for no matter what reason, I have always had …
September 25, 2025
Posted by pat
You may make the most complete and absolute offering of yourself to God to bear every pain He may wish to send. …
September 24, 2025
Posted by pat
It is indeed easy to condemn oneself to death, to make a generous offering of self-immolation; but to carry out the execution …
September 23, 2025
Posted by pat
You know well that even the smallest cross and happening of your life is part of our Blessed Lord’s plan for your …
September 22, 2025
Posted by pat
We must love God with our whole heart. Can He be loved otherwise? Is it too much that a finite heart should …
September 21, 2025
Posted by pat
A devotion which does not consist in any special form of prayer nor in doing anything in particular more than to listen …
September 20, 2025
Posted by pat
A fierce temptation during Mass and thanksgiving to break my resolution and indulge my appetite at breakfast. The thought of a breakfast …
September 18, 2025
Posted by pat
Without constant union with our Lord there cannot be any real holiness, one reason being that without recollection the inspirations of the …
September 18, 2025
Posted by pat
A deadly pitfall lies hidden in the desire of some to pour themselves out in works of zeal for God’s glory, to …
September 17, 2025
Posted by pat
Our Blessed Lord loves me, with all my faults and failings, and has marked me out for the special graces which will …
September 16, 2025
Posted by pat
To sensitive souls the pain they cause others is far worse than any sufferings they may endure themselves. They may have much …
September 15, 2025
Posted by pat
Oh Jesus, guard me now under the standard of Thy cross. May it be not only before my eyes, in my hands and on …
September 14, 2025
Posted by pat
I have felt strongly urged again to give myself entirely to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to follow His inspirations. …
September 12, 2025
Posted by pat
It seems to me the best and most practical resolution I can make in this retreat is to determine to perform each …
September 10, 2025
Posted by pat
St. Peter Claver was one of those generous heroic souls whom God sends upon this earth to serve as a stimulus to …
September 9, 2025
Posted by pat
For fifteen months Fr Doyle and I worked together out here, generally sharing the same dug-outs and billets, we became fast friends. …
September 9, 2025
Posted by pat
By cutting a piece out of the side of the trench I was just able to stand in front of my tiny …
September 9, 2025
Posted by pat
Don’t you know it is our Lady’s feast, and Mary had her mantle spread over us to save us from all harm? …
September 8, 2025
Posted by pat
A boy so young and so rich normally prefers a different kind of life. Today marks the canonisation of two young men …
September 7, 2025
Posted by pat
To be indifferent does not mean to desire things which are hard to nature, but a readiness and determination to embrace them …
September 7, 2025
Posted by pat
How little I think of committing venial sin, and how soon I forget I have done so! Yet God hates nothing more …
September 6, 2025
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, one of the most famous and popular Catholics of recent times. Saint Teresa …
September 5, 2025
Posted by pat
Today we continue the narrative and consider the events of September 4, 1916. Next morning there was a short march over the …
September 4, 2025
Posted by pat
The above image was published in an Irish newspaper at the end of 1916. The priest is unidentified, but we can well …
September 3, 2025
Posted by pat
The following praise for Fr Willie appeared in the Glasgow Weekly News on 1 September 1917. It was written by a Belfast …
September 1, 2025
Posted by pat
Reasons why our Communions and Masses do not make us Saints. 1. Want of preparation, through sloth, carelessness, or absorption in other …
September 1, 2025
Posted by pat
By entering religion and taking my vows I have given myself over absolutely to God and His service. He, therefore, has a …
August 31, 2025
Posted by pat
Why are we not saints? Want of courage and want of patience. We give up, we have not the strength of will …
August 30, 2025
Posted by pat
There is one thing we need never be afraid of, namely, that the devil will ever tempt us to be humble. He …
August 29, 2025
Posted by pat
How many wish to belong entirely to Jesus without reserve or restriction? Most want to serve two masters, to be under two …
August 28, 2025
Posted by pat
Don’t be stingy in giving praise, particularly with the young. If in a community there is some sister not as edifying as …
August 27, 2025
Posted by pat
If only one could grasp this fact: every tiny thing (aspiration, self-denial etc) makes us holier than we were. Just think of …
August 26, 2025
Posted by pat
One of the most important ways in which we can spread devotion to Fr Willie, and to raise the funds that are …
August 25, 2025
Posted by pat
I am truly glad you are looking to the perfection of your daily actions; it is the simplest, yet perhaps hardest, way …
August 25, 2025
Posted by pat
All these trials, snubs, unpleasantnesses, etc., do not come to you by chance, they are precious jewels from the hand of God, …
August 24, 2025
Posted by pat
Look upon the grace God gives you as a talent you must work with and increase. The Master in the Gospel gave …
August 23, 2025
Posted by pat
The following was written about Fr Doyle by Sir Percival Phillips, the famous war correspondent, and appeared in the Daily Express on …
August 22, 2025
Posted by pat
There are two patron saints to whom I have a tremendous devotion: a sheet of paper and a lead pencil. Mark down at …
August 21, 2025
Posted by pat
On this day in 1917, 4 days after Fr Willie’s death, Fr Frank Browne, the famous photographer and Jesuit military chaplain, wrote …
August 20, 2025
Posted by pat
How many deceive themselves in thinking sanctity consists in the holy follies of the saints! How many look upon holiness as something beyond …
August 20, 2025
Posted by pat
Two wings by which we can fly to God and become saints: the habit of little tiny acts of self-denial and the habit …
August 19, 2025
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of St Alberto Hurtado, a Jesuit saint from Chile. He was canonised by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, …
August 18, 2025
Posted by pat
Instead of a quote from Fr Doyle, today we present, courtesy of the Irish Messenger, a scanned copy of a booklet published …
August 18, 2025
Posted by pat
My Martyrdom for Mary’s Sake. Darling Mother Mary, in preparation for the glorious martyrdom which I feel assured thou art going to obtain …
August 16, 2025
Posted by pat
Today, the anniversary of Fr Doyle’s heroic death, we shall consider the role of serenity and peace in Fr Doyle’s life. One …
August 16, 2025
Posted by pat
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has the following to say about the fruits of the Holy Spirit: 1832 The fruits of the …
August 15, 2025
Posted by pat
The feast of the Assumption was an important date for Fr Willie. He made his religious vows on this day in 1893, …
August 15, 2025
Posted by pat
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has the following to say about the virtue of temperance. 1809 Temperance is the moral virtue …
August 14, 2025
Posted by pat
I have told you all my escapes, dearest Father, because I think what I have written will give you the same confidence which …
August 14, 2025
Posted by pat
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has the following to say about the virtue of fortitude. 1808 Fortitude is the moral virtue …
August 13, 2025
Posted by pat
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has the following to say about the virtue of justice. 1807 Justice is the moral virtue …
August 12, 2025
Posted by pat
Today we will consider the virtue of prudence in the life of Fr Willie. We will take a bit more care in …
August 11, 2025
Posted by pat
Today we have the last of Fr Doyle’s narratives from his letters home to his father in August 1917, less than a …
August 11, 2025
Posted by pat
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has the following to say about the virtue of charity: 1822 Charity is the theological virtue …
August 10, 2025
Posted by pat
Fr Willie, like all of us, had to struggle against his defects. We see an especially vivid example of his struggle in …
August 10, 2025
Posted by pat
We return today to Fr Willie’s narrative, and get some glimpse of the horror of war, and the comfort that the presence …
August 10, 2025
Posted by pat
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has the following to say about the virtue of hope: 1817 Hope is the theological virtue …
August 9, 2025
Posted by pat
Fr Willie does not have a specific record for the events of 9 August 1917, so we will instead have one of …
August 9, 2025
Posted by pat
There will be a talk about Fr Wille on Saturday, August 16th, at 2pm in Larne Museum. This talk will coincide with …
August 8, 2025
Posted by pat
Counting today, Fr Doyle’s anniversary is 9 days away. It is traditional for Catholics to reflect on specific themes, or to pray …
August 8, 2025
Posted by pat
Continuing our narrative today, it is hard not to be struck by the extraordinary good humour of Fr Willie. The “cathedral” to …
August 8, 2025
Posted by pat
If you are in Knock this Sunday at the Meath Diocesan Pilgrimage make sure to visit our stand in St John’s Rest …
August 7, 2025
Posted by pat
August 16th is Fr Willie’s anniversary. For 9 days we will reflect on different virtues and gifts in Fr Willie’s life. Let us …
August 7, 2025
Posted by pat
Today’s account, from 7 August 1917, gives us some small insight into the horrors of the war, especially when it involved the …
August 7, 2025
Posted by pat
The events of August 6 1917 in Fr Doyle’s own words. In particular today we note Fr Doyle’s devotion to the Mass. …
August 6, 2025
Posted by pat
We once again resume Fr Willie’s narrative of the events at the Battle of Passchendaele. This is his account of the events …
August 4, 2025
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of St John Vianney. Fr Willie had a great devotion to him and visited Ars in 1907. From …
August 4, 2025
Posted by pat
Four Dangers to be Feared after a Retreat: 1 . Dissipation: There, it is over; amuse yourself. 2. Toning Down: Too much, …
August 3, 2025
Posted by pat
We have no more reports from Fr Doyle until August 5th, and we shall take up his narrative once again on that …
August 2, 2025
Posted by pat
We continue today with Fr Willie’s narrative of events in the days leading up to his death. Today’s account is somewhat shorter …
August 1, 2025
Posted by pat
My poor orderly has nearly emptied the well, of course leaving the six dead Germans behind, in his efforts to make enough …
July 31, 2025
Posted by pat
We continue Fr Willie’s account of July 31, 1917 directly after he left off yesterday. Again what is most noticeable is his …
July 30, 2025
Posted by pat
Fr Willie describes the events of July 30, 1917: For the past week we have been moving steadily up to the Front …
July 30, 2025
Posted by pat
On August 12 1917 Fr Willie sent his last “budget” home to his father. It was a long account of his involvement …
July 29, 2025
Posted by pat
My loving Jesus, on this the morning of my Ordination to the priesthood, I wish to place in Your Sacred Heart, in …
July 28, 2025
Posted by pat
I assure you that you have my entire sympathy as well as my prayers in the trial you are going through. There …
July 27, 2025
Posted by pat
During a visit our Lord seemed to urge me not to wait till the end of the war, but to begin my …
July 26, 2025
Posted by pat
You ask how to pray well. The answer is, Pray often, in season and out of season, against yourself, in spite of …
July 25, 2025
Posted by pat
Do not give up prayer on any account, no matter how dry or rotten you feel; every moment, especially before Him in …
July 24, 2025
Posted by pat
I do not want, in fact I forbid you, to be imprudent in the matter of corporal penances. But, my dear child, …
July 22, 2025
Posted by pat
Jesus allowed her to wash His feet but knew well what those eyes had looked on. He allowed her lips to kiss …
July 22, 2025
Posted by pat
“I will give thee hidden treasures.” Isaiah 45. 3. Jesus has treasures which He hides from those who love Him not and …
July 21, 2025
Posted by pat
July 20, 2025
Posted by pat
Believe me, I feel intensely for you, my child, for I know what you have suffered in the past and how violent …
July 19, 2025
Posted by pat
I gave way today to indulgence, with the usual result. Jesus seemed to reproach me bitterly, reminding me that He seeks a …
July 18, 2025
Posted by pat
The reformation of one’s life must be the work of every day. I should take each rule and duty, think how Jesus …
July 17, 2025
Posted by pat
I have come back from the missions with feelings of joy and gratitude, for these last three missions have been blessed in …
July 16, 2025
Posted by pat
Fr Willie gave his last homily 108 years ago today. Here is Alfred O’Rahilly’s account of this last sermon, complete with valuable …
July 15, 2025
Posted by pat
The object of my life to be close union with and intense love of God. To acquire this I will (a) fly …
July 14, 2025
Posted by pat
I see more and more each day how different the world would be if we had more really holy priests. With this …
July 13, 2025
Posted by pat
But remember the devil will spoil the work if he can and by every means in his power turn you from your …
July 12, 2025
Posted by pat
Avoid haste and want of control of bodily movements. The interior man, no matter how burdened with work or pressed for time, …
July 11, 2025
Posted by pat
I awoke in the middle of the night with the feeling that Jesus wanted me. I resisted, but at last got out …
July 10, 2025
Posted by pat
God wants you to suffer willingly. Many rebel and fight against what God gives them; many more take their cross in a …
July 9, 2025
Posted by pat
There will be a presentation on Fr Willie at the St Sharbel Conference in Meigh, near Newry, on Saturday 12 July. The …
July 8, 2025
Posted by pat
Lord, give me grace and strength of character to tear myself away promptly from what, if not bad, is less good, and …
July 7, 2025
Posted by pat
I have often wondered what Jesus meant by the ‘work’, but I could never bring myself to ask you what you thought …
July 7, 2025
Posted by pat
As a boy…a passing glance at an immodest picture used to make me shudder; and until I began my theology at 31 …
July 6, 2025
Posted by pat
This morning at Mass, our Blessed Lord gave me grace to see what a fool I am to let my life slip …
July 5, 2025
Posted by pat
Today is the memorial of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. Amongst other things, Blessed Pier Giorgio was renowned, as a very young man, …
July 4, 2025
Posted by pat
Have you ever reflected on the power of an act of the love of God, when inspired by grace and made with …
July 3, 2025
Posted by pat
The conviction has been growing that nocturnal adoration will be established only if I spend much time myself before the Blessed Sacrament …
July 2, 2025
Posted by pat
As a child I was convinced that one day God would give me the grace of martyrdom. When quite small I read …
July 1, 2025
Posted by pat
Devotion to the Sacred Heart cannot exist without self-denial; the flames and thorns around that Heart, the cross that crowns It, point …
June 30, 2025
Posted by pat
Peter, the favoured one, denies his Master and turns his back on Him who loved him so; and Peter’s heart is won, …
June 29, 2025
Posted by pat
If an aspiration, on the authority of the Blessed Cure d’Ars, often saved a soul, what must you not do each day …
June 28, 2025
Posted by pat
“Most loving Jesus, kneeling before You in the Blessed Sacrament, I solemnly consecrate myself to Your Sacred Heart by vow. I vow …
June 27, 2025
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of St Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. Instead of a message from Fr Willie, we have …
June 26, 2025
Posted by pat
Do nothing without consulting Him in the Tabernacle. But then act fearlessly, if you see it is for His honour and glory, …
June 25, 2025
Posted by pat
Try to grasp the fact – a very hard thing to do – that in the spiritual life ‘feelings’ count for nothing, …
June 23, 2025
Posted by pat
Jesus told me today that the work of regeneration and sanctification is to be done by leading souls to Him in the …
June 21, 2025
Posted by pat
Sunday and Monday last were days of wonderful grace for me, as if the Hunter of souls had run His quarry down …
June 20, 2025
Posted by pat
You need not fear whatever He may send you to bear, since His grace will come with it; but you should always …
June 19, 2025
Posted by pat
A great desire to know our Lord better, His attractive character, His personal love for me, the resolve to read the life …
June 18, 2025
Posted by pat
I feel also a great longing to love Jesus very, very much, to draw very close to His Sacred Heart, and to …
June 17, 2025
Posted by pat
I felt the presence of Jesus very near to me while praying in the chapel at Ramsgrange. He seemed to want me …
June 16, 2025
Posted by pat
I feel that I could go through fire and water to serve such a man as Napoleon, that no sacrifice he could …
June 14, 2025
Posted by pat
The Moment of Benediction… The priest turns and raises aloft the Sacred Host. In loving adoration, in reverent awe, the invisible angels …
June 13, 2025
Posted by pat
Just as one tiny grain (of wheat) will bring forth an ear filled with many new grains, and each of these, if …
June 12, 2025
Posted by pat
The Third Degree of Humility. 1. Accepto. I will receive with joy all unpleasant things which I must bear : (a) pain, …
June 11, 2025
Posted by pat
Lord, You know I love you less than any other, but I long and desire to love You more than all the rest. Take my …
June 10, 2025
Posted by pat
I will strive ever to perform each action as perfectly as possible, paying special attention to small duties e.g. saying grace, odd …
June 9, 2025
Posted by pat
A devotion which does not consist in any special form of prayer nor in doing anything in particular more than to listen …
June 8, 2025
Posted by pat
15 years ago today the website fatherdoyle.com was started with the simple aim of fostering devotion to Fr Willie by posting a …
June 7, 2025
Posted by pat
Today we have a small excerpt from one of Fr Doyle’s letters which describes his preparations for the Battle of Messines. It …
June 6, 2025
Posted by pat
I think it is evident that, in these days of awful sin and hatred of God, our Blessed Lord wants to gather …
June 3, 2025
Posted by pat
Jesus is the most loving of lovable friends there never was a friend like Him before, there never can be one to …
June 2, 2025
Posted by pat
I assert fearlessly that if only we all prayed enough – and I mean by that a constant, steady unflagging stream of …
June 1, 2025
Posted by pat
We must be intellectually pious, that is, our piety should rest on the bedrock of principle, and not on mood, on sentiment, …
May 30, 2025
Posted by pat
As you might like to know how the ‘game of raiding your neighbour’ is played, a sort of novelty for your next …
May 29, 2025
Posted by pat
“One thing is wanting to thee” (Luke 18:22). How many souls there are upon whom Jesus looks would love, souls who are …
May 28, 2025
Posted by pat
You can test your love infallibly and find out how much you have by asking yourself this question: What am I willing …
May 27, 2025
Posted by pat
Dear Sir — One is often struck, on glancing over the papers, at the numerous appeals made to provide ‘comforts for our …
May 26, 2025
Posted by pat
Jesus is looking at me as once he did upon blind Bartimaemus: “What wilt thou that I do to thee?” Lord, that …
May 24, 2025
Posted by pat
One German prisoner, badly wounded in the leg, was brought in. He knew only a few words of English, but spoke French …
May 24, 2025
Posted by pat
A sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows sharper with use. COMMENT: How correct Fr Willie’s assessment is! The more …
May 21, 2025
Posted by pat
We have here an astonishing little old Father; little by name and little by stature. He is 85; but is active as …
May 20, 2025
Posted by pat
How often have we murmured against the good God because He has refused our petitions or frustrated our plans. Can we …
May 19, 2025
Posted by pat
V. Let us pray for Leo XIV, our Pope. R. May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him …
May 18, 2025
Posted by pat
If there is any certain mark of the abiding presence of the Holy Ghost in the soul, if there is any visible …
May 18, 2025
Posted by pat
Are you weary of the fight already and willing to give in to the enemy? Never mind, come back, begin again, …
May 16, 2025
Posted by pat
I feel ashamed at times that I do not profit more by His nearness, but I know that he makes allowances for …
May 14, 2025
Posted by pat
You would throw up your hands in horror were you to see my room at the present moment. It is a scene …
May 14, 2025
Posted by pat
I saw many interesting places and things during my weeks of travel. But over all hung a big cloud of sadness, for …
May 13, 2025
Posted by pat
I find the temptation growing stronger every day to leave aside all work that is not absolutely necessary and to spend the …
May 12, 2025
Posted by pat
I think our Lord wants your whole day to be one continued act of love and union with Him in your heart, …
May 11, 2025
Posted by pat
O eternal Lord . . . provided it be for Thy greater service and praise . . . and if Thy most …
May 10, 2025
Posted by pat
We love our life, cling to it, hug it, study how to prolong it, rebel if God thinks fit to shorten its …
May 9, 2025
Posted by pat
Sometimes God seems to leave me to my weakness and I tremble with fear. At other times I have so much trust …
May 6, 2025
Posted by pat
Having completed his course of philosophy, Willie returned to Clongowes in 1901 for another period of prefecting. Here he remained for two …
May 5, 2025
Posted by pat
At the community Mass this morning I again felt an overpowering desire to become a saint. It came suddenly, filling my soul …
May 4, 2025
Posted by pat
The more this generous spirit springs up in your heart, the nearer and dearer will you be to Jesus. Love for Love. …
May 3, 2025
Posted by pat
I feel drawn still more to the life of “interior union.” To acquire this I must practise the following: 1 . Constant …
May 2, 2025
Posted by pat
My Martyrdom for Mary’s Sake. Darling Mother Mary, in preparation for the glorious martyrdom which I feel assured thou art going to obtain …
May 1, 2025
Posted by pat
As you know I am very anxious to see these retreats started in Ireland, for I believe they would do a world …
May 1, 2025
Posted by pat
I said my rosary with arms extended. At the third mystery the pain was so great that I felt I could not …
April 30, 2025
Posted by pat
What is it to be a saint? Does it mean that we must macerate this flesh of ours with cruel austerities, such …
April 29, 2025
Posted by pat
We continue today with an excerpt from the original letter detailing some of the work Fr Willie had to undertake towards the …
April 28, 2025
Posted by pat
Jesus during His mortal life practised many virtues; but none is more conspicuous, none appeals more strongly to us, than His infinite …
April 27, 2025
Posted by pat
Fr Willie sent the letter below to his father one year after the gas attack of April 1916 (see yesterday’s post). In …
April 27, 2025
Posted by pat
Fr Willie had many incredibly close shaves with death during the almost 2 years he spent as a military chaplain. He has …
April 26, 2025
Posted by pat
I think I can say with truth that I have now no desire or wish except His. I have told Him that …
April 25, 2025
Posted by pat
I have long had the feeling that, since the world is growing so rapidly worse and worse and God has lost His …
April 24, 2025
Posted by pat
God sometimes seems to ask the impossible, a sorrow, a cross. Oh! it would crush me! How can this be? How? Lord, …
April 23, 2025
Posted by pat
Work for Jesus! Yes, though the weary head may ache and the tired brain refuse to act. Work on, work on; the …
April 22, 2025
Posted by pat
O God, who in your wondrous providence chose your servant Pope Francis to preside over your Church, grant, we pray, that, having …
April 21, 2025
Posted by pat
If my resurrection is to be a real one and is to produce fruit, it must be external, so that all may …
April 21, 2025
Posted by pat
May every Easter blessing be yours, and may our crucified Jesus, Who has certainly drawn you to Him on the cross, raise …
April 20, 2025
Posted by pat
The final scene of the awful tragedy is drawing to a close. Reverently the faithful few bear the dead Christ down the …
April 19, 2025
Posted by pat
The greatest thirst of Jesus on the Cross was His thirst for souls. He saw then the graces and inspirations He would …
April 18, 2025
Posted by pat
Pain and privation are only momentary, they quickly pass and become even delightfully sweet, if only borne in the spirit with which …
April 17, 2025
Posted by pat
Second pilgrimage to Amettes from Locre. During the journey I felt our Lord wanted to give me some message through St. Benedict …
April 16, 2025
Posted by pat
On Spy Wednesday evening after Benediction, I told the men I wanted nine volunteers to watch an hour during the following night …
April 16, 2025
Posted by pat
My denial of Jesus has been baser than that of Peter, for I have refused to listen to His voice calling me …
April 15, 2025
Posted by pat
During His Passion our Lord was bound and dragged from place to place. I have hourly opportunities of imitating Him by going …
April 14, 2025
Posted by pat
The fourteenth station: Jesus is laid in the tomb The final scene of the awful tragedy is drawing to a close. Reverently …
April 13, 2025
Posted by pat
Kneeling on the altar steps Jesus told me to devote one day of each week to the work of sanctification and reparation …
April 12, 2025
Posted by pat
The Thirteenth station: Jesus is taken down from the cross Mary stands at the foot of the cross to receive in her …
April 12, 2025
Posted by pat
Took Gemma for my patroness and protector…I have already felt her powerful help. COMMENT: April 11 is the feast of St Gemma …
April 11, 2025
Posted by pat
The Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the Cross Upon the cross He hangs now, the most abject and despised of all men, …
April 11, 2025
Posted by pat
The Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross Upon His last resting place Jesus lays Himself down. No soft bed, no …
April 10, 2025
Posted by pat
The Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of His garments At last He stands upon the hill of shame to pay the price …
April 9, 2025
Posted by pat
The ninth station: Jesus falls the third time The hill of Calvary is almost reached, the hour of the great sacrifice is …
April 8, 2025
Posted by pat
The Eighth Station: Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem The disciples of Jesus have deserted their Master, and fearful for their own …
April 7, 2025
Posted by pat
The Seventh Station: Jesus falls the second time Jesus falls a second time, crushed beneath the weight of His awful sufferings which …
April 6, 2025
Posted by pat
The Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus As the sorrowful procession moves slowly on, a woman, who with anxious gaze …
April 5, 2025
Posted by pat
The Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross When God lays a cross upon us, some misfortune, some unexpected …
April 4, 2025
Posted by pat
The Fourth Station: Jesus meets His Blessed Mother To sensitive souls the pain they cause others is far worse than any sufferings …
April 3, 2025
Posted by pat
The Third Station: Jesus falls the First time Bravely has our Lord borne the galling weight of His cross; bravely has He …
April 2, 2025
Posted by pat
The Second Station: Jesus takes up His cross Away from the palace now a sad procession is winding. On the faces of …
April 1, 2025
Posted by pat
Around the judgement seat are grouped a motley crowd. Men and women of every rank, the high-born Jewish maiden, the rough Samaritan …
March 31, 2025
Posted by pat
Today is the anniversary of Fr Doyle’s father’s death. Hugh Doyle died on this day in 1924, just three months short of …
March 28, 2025
Posted by pat
Today is the anniversary of Fr Doyle’s father’s death. Hugh Doyle died on this day in 1924, just three months short of …
March 28, 2025
Posted by pat
We do not mind what God does with us so long as it more or less fits in with our own wishes; …
March 26, 2025
Posted by pat
Do you not think that Jesus must have done very much for Mary during the nine months she bore Him within her? …
March 25, 2025
Posted by pat
It was a beautiful clear morning, such a morning as would tempt the laziest aviator to have a sail, so many eyes were …
March 24, 2025
Posted by pat
The great defect in my character and chief reason why I make so little progress is my want of fidelity. Thus in …
March 24, 2025
Posted by pat
As the moth is attracted to the light, is drawn ever nearer to the warmth and brightness, until at length with irresistible …
March 23, 2025
Posted by pat
I seemed to have lost all strength and courage, and simply hated the thought of the life. Then I ran to You …
March 22, 2025
Posted by pat
I know I can never be happy unless I am heroically generous with Him. This I have proved time after time. A …
March 21, 2025
Posted by pat
Death is the end of all things here, the end of time, of merit, of pain and mortification, of a hard life. …
March 21, 2025
Posted by pat
Passion of Christ, comfort me! Comfort me, for the day is long and weary. Comfort me as I fight my way up the path of …
March 20, 2025
Posted by pat
With great earnestness recommend to His mercy the poor souls who are in their agony. What a dreadful hour, an hour tremendously …
March 19, 2025
Posted by pat
Many thanks to Alvaro at the YouTube channel Uniquely Mary for a new interview about Fr Willie
March 18, 2025
Posted by pat
The events described in Fr Doyle’s letter below occurred on 18 March 1917 (Passion Sunday in that year). The statue Fr Doyle …
March 18, 2025
Posted by pat
I was struck today by the fact that St Patrick was above all a man of continuous prayer and felt inspired to …
March 17, 2025
Posted by pat
I wish I could write to you at length about grace. It is a fascinating subject. You are quite right in calling …
March 16, 2025
Posted by pat
See that blood-stained crown which our sins have woven for the brows of our King! Mark the gems that glisten and gleam …
March 14, 2025
Posted by pat
If I have resolved to nail myself to the cross, let me bear ever in mind that our Lord is on the …
March 13, 2025
Posted by pat
Vince teipsum – conquer yourself. This is the secret of the Spiritual Exercises. “I learnt no other lesson from my master Ignatius,” …
March 12, 2025
Posted by pat
Towards the end of the retreat a light came to me that, now that I have given Jesus all the sacrifices I …
March 11, 2025
Posted by pat
This morning during meditation I again felt that mysterious appeal from our Blessed Lord for a life of absolute, complete sacrifice of …
March 10, 2025
Posted by pat
A fierce temptation during Mass and thanksgiving to break my resolution and indulge my appetite at breakfast…Jesus urged me to pray for …
March 9, 2025
Posted by pat
Don’t be one of those who give God everything but one little corner of their heart on which they put up a …
March 8, 2025
Posted by pat
He loves your soul dearly, cling to Him, and trust Him, He so longs to be trusted. COMMENT: Many of us have …
March 7, 2025
Posted by pat
Passion of Christ, comfort me! Comfort me, for the day is long and weary; comfort me as I fight my way up …
March 6, 2025
Posted by pat
A young Willie Doyle on Ash Wednesday was spotted by an aunt as he spoke to himself in a mirror, waving his …
March 5, 2025
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What is it to be a saint? Does it mean that we must macerate this flesh of ours with cruel austerities, such …
March 5, 2025
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Press on bravely and don’t mind the scratches, even when they come from human nails! COMMENT: We must always push on in …
March 4, 2025
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Today is Fr Willie’s birthday. He was born into this world on 3rd March 1873. Through the example of his life, and …
March 3, 2025
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It is useful from time to time to pause and ask ourselves if we are, like the child Jesus, growing in wisdom …
March 2, 2025
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Surely, my child, you are not surprised to find that you have broken your resolution, or rather, that the devil has gained …
March 1, 2025
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The merit of living under religious rule may be gathered from the difficulty of always and faithfully keeping that rule. Holiness and …
February 28, 2025
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Over and over again I asked myself, when reading that book, was it not strange that I should come across the very …
February 27, 2025
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He loves your soul dearly, cling to Him, and trust him, He so longs to be trusted. Be like a faithful dog …
February 26, 2025
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A habit of ejaculatory prayer is a sign of nearness to God, for our own holiness will be in proportion to our …
February 25, 2025
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How often have we murmured against the good God because He has refused our petitions or frustrated our plans. Can we look …
February 24, 2025
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As regards confession it would be much better to confine yourself to the accusation of, say, three faults, and turn the whole …
February 22, 2025
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If you are at the Divine Mercy Conference in Dublin this weekend make sure you stop by our stand in the Exhibition …
February 21, 2025
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The great light of this retreat, clear and persistent has been that God has chosen me, in His great love and through …
February 21, 2025
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I am convinced that generally we reach sanctity of life only through a long series of falls from which we get up. …
February 20, 2025
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As the moth is attracted to the light, is drawn ever nearer to the warmth and brightness, until at length with irresistible …
February 19, 2025
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Having set sail to the continent, Fr Doyle describes the crossing on this day in 1916. The moon was surrounded by magnificent …
February 18, 2025
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Many thanks to EWTN Ireland for its profile of our work to promote Fr Willie’s Cause. Please share with others! …
February 17, 2025
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Fr Willie left his training camp and headed to the continent 109 years ago today. Here are his sentiments on this occasion, …
February 17, 2025
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We should call a man a fool who wasted his wealth warming himself before a fire made of banknotes. Do we act …
February 16, 2025
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Ambassadors, Your Eminence, Your Excellencies, Fathers, Ladies and Gentlemen. On behalf of my colleague Dr Patrick Kenny, and the Father Willie Doyle …
February 16, 2025
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May I begin by thanking Her Excellency, Frances Collins, the Irish Ambassador to the Holy See and His Excellency, Chris Trott, the …
February 15, 2025
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I have gone through a great deal of desolation, discouragement, fear and dread of my proposed vow. When I make it — …
February 15, 2025
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We are having desperate work these days. The good God is simply pouring out His grace on these poor fellows and reconciling …
February 14, 2025
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A recent article from the Irish Catholic about Fr Willie’s Cause. https://www.irishcatholic.com/fr-willie-doyle-sj-remembered-at-the-holy-see/
February 13, 2025
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What I intended to imply was that I thought God had special designs on your soul and very great graces in store …
February 13, 2025
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The effect of fervour may be likened to that of fire on water. When cold, water is motionless and chills all that …
February 12, 2025
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A report in The Tablet: Fr Willie Doyle cause ‘progressing well’
February 11, 2025
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Almost the first thing which caught my eye at the grotto was our Lady’s words: “Penitence, penitence, penitence”. On leaving, I asked …
February 11, 2025
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You seem to be a little troubled at finding yourself cold at prayer and as if our Lord had abandoned you. Were …
February 10, 2025
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While praying at the shrine of St Apollonia I felt urged to ask her to help me to gain a complete mastery …
February 9, 2025
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Don’t be one of those who give God everything but one little corner of their heart on which they put up a …
February 8, 2025
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This is my vocation: reparation and penance for the sins of priests; hence the constant urging of our Lord to generosity. COMMENT: …
February 8, 2025
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Some of Fr Willie’s favourite aspirations: l. My Crucified Jesus, help me to crucify myself. 2. Lord, teach me how to pray …
February 7, 2025
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Then in addition there is the great privilege and joy of carrying our dear Lord next my heart day and night. Long …
February 7, 2025
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To-day while praying in the Chapel, suddenly it seemed to me as if I were standing before a narrow path all choked …
February 6, 2025
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I was meditating on my desire to die a martyr’s death for Jesus, and then asked myself if I was really in …
February 5, 2025
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Reading today of how Luisa de Carvajal made herself the slave of her two maids, the old desire for this kind of …
February 4, 2025
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It seems to me that the best and most practical resolution I can make is to determine to perform each action with …
February 3, 2025
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Kneeling there I asked her what God wanted from me, when I heard an interior voice clearly repeating, “Love Him, love Him.” …
February 2, 2025
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Constant urging of Jesus to do “hard things” for him, things which cost. I shrink from sacrifice, but I know well He …
February 1, 2025
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One month of the new year has passed away, leaving behind it the memory of what has been done for God and …
January 31, 2025
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A kind word goes far. I stopped to say a few words to a group of men at a street corner in …
January 30, 2025
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Abandon yourself completely into the hands of God, and take directly from Him every event of life, agreeable, or disagreeable. Only then …
January 29, 2025
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As to any practice of piety there is a double danger: recommending it as infallible, or condemning it as useless. I always …
January 28, 2025
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Last night I rose at 1am and went down to the church, renewing before the crucifix my desire and promise absolutely to …
January 27, 2025
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The mere saving of their souls should be the last thought of religious who have vowed their lives for God’s glory. COMMENT: …
January 26, 2025
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Every grace we get enlightens the understanding and strengthens the will. When the understanding is enlightened, we have the awful alternative of …
January 25, 2025
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There is nothing better than the practice of aspirations, steadily growing in number. Keep a little book and enter them once a …
January 24, 2025
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22 January 1911 My dear loving Jesus, what do you want from me? You never seem to leave me alone – thank …
January 22, 2025
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Even as a child I was convinced that one day God would give me the grace of martyrdom. When quite small I …
January 21, 2025
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Worries? Of course; and thank God. How else are you going to be a saint? “When thou comest to the service of …
January 19, 2025
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I felt Jesus asking me to make a long visit and wishing to speak to me. His message was: To note down …
January 18, 2025
Posted by pat
Our Lord wants me to give Him all I can give cheerfully, not repining or regretting any sacrifice; not saying, ‘I wish …
January 17, 2025
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Jesus knows I have only one wish in this world: to love Him and Him alone. For the rest He has carte …
January 16, 2025
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I see more and more that self-indulgence even in lawful things brings only unhappiness; and I realise I can never be truly …
January 15, 2025
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I want you to know what I went through by volunteering for the Front. God made me feel with absolute certainty – …
January 14, 2025
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108 years ago tonight Fr Doyle was awoken to absolve some dying soldiers. This is his description of the event, sent home …
January 13, 2025
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Each morning at Holy Communion invite Jesus, with all the love and fervour you can, to enter into your heart and dwell …
January 12, 2025
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Live for the day, but let it be a generous day. Have you ever tried giving God one day in which you …
January 11, 2025
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Today is the anniversary of the death of the Servant of God Fr Paul Ginhac SJ who died on this day in …
January 10, 2025
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It is a mother whose gentle care was ever round you, whose arms were open wide that you might nestle on her …
January 8, 2025
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It seems to me I have failed to keep my resolutions because I have not acted from the motive of the love …
January 7, 2025
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I contrast the obedience of St. Joseph with my obedience. His so prompt, unquestioning, uncomplaining, perfect; mine given so grudgingly; perhaps exterior …
January 6, 2025
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Today is the feast of St Charles of Mount Argus, a Dutch Passionist priest who spent about 30 years of his life …
January 5, 2025
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4 January 1916 Before I thank you for your letter which was doubly welcome in my exile, I want to tell you …
January 4, 2025
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He seems to me to want a year of great devotedness, intense sympathy and passionate love…Even one year of such a life …
January 3, 2025
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I can imagine I am a soul in Hell, and God in His mercy is saying to me, “Return to the world …
January 2, 2025
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How little the expression ‘we were shelled for two hours’ conveys to you. People read in their papers some mornings: ‘The enemy …
January 1, 2025
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A New Year! What visions of almost boundless good, hidden in the fair bosom of the new-born year, rise up before me. …
January 1, 2025
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“All our days are spent.” (Psalm 89. 9). The hour will come for each of us when we shall echo these words …
December 31, 2024
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Every little victory in the matter of food is a real triumph, for this is a real test of generosity. You will …
December 30, 2024
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Jesus, you know my longing to become a saint. You know how much I thirst to die a martyr. Help me to …
December 29, 2024
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I have celebrated Mass in some strange places and under extraordinary conditions but somehow I was more than usually impressed this morning. …
December 28, 2024
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Try to get down low and follow out what He Himself taught: “Unless you become as little children.” This will make you …
December 27, 2024
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The following two excerpts from a letter written by Fr Doyle recount two incidents that happened on St Stephen’s Day, 1916. They …
December 26, 2024
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What impressed me most in the meditation on the Nativity was the thought that Jesus could have been born in wealth and …
December 25, 2024
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The following excerpt from O’Rahilly’s biography of Fr Doyle recalls Christmas Eve and Midnight Mass during the war in 1916… Christmas itself …
December 24, 2024
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O’Rahilly’s biography of Fr Doyle is a remarkable source of information about Fr Doyle’s life and spirituality. However, there is another book …
December 24, 2024
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I was very much annoyed because someone burnt the floor of my dug-out and also on finding my candles had been taken. …
December 23, 2024
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My genius of an orderly fried meat and pudding together and, with a smile of triumph on his face, brought both on …
December 22, 2024
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Fr Doyle wrote the following in his diary on 21 December 1913, 114 years ago today. It relates to a recent trip …
December 21, 2024
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21 December: A day I always like because the turning point of the year and from this on the evenings will be …
December 21, 2024
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During the last three nights of the retreat I slept on the floor without feeling any inconvenience after, though I woke very …
December 20, 2024
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Fr Doyle wrote the following letter to his sister from the trenches on 19th December 1916, 108 years ago today. It gives …
December 19, 2024
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“I have called upon Thee in the day of my trouble” (Psalm 85. 7). Jesus is our comforter. What burden is there …
December 18, 2024
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A want of will is the chief obstacle to our becoming saints. We are not holy because we do not really wish …
December 17, 2024
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There will be a regional launch of the book “The Rock From Which You Were Hewn” on Saturday 21st December at 3pm …
December 16, 2024
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Avoid worry, anxiety, uneasiness about anything. “The devil’s boiling pot” expresses this state of mind; one trouble ended, another crops up to …
December 16, 2024
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I cannot say i am quite in love with camp life, which in many respects is quite repellent. But even in these …
December 15, 2024
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On this day in 1917, Major General Hickie paid another tribute to Fr Doyle. Writing to his father, Hugh Doyle, General Hickie …
December 15, 2024
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Surely you are not right in trying to keep our Lord away from you, or in thinking that He looks upon you …
December 14, 2024
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It is scarcely necessary to state that deliberate sin in any shape or form utterly destroys the interior life. COMMENT: It is …
December 13, 2024
Posted by pat
I am sorry to see you suffer and yet glad that the cross is your portion. If I had at this moment …
December 12, 2024
Posted by pat
I want to be generous with God and to refuse Him nothing. I do not want to say, “I will go just …
December 11, 2024
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Let us love silence and recollection. When we are at home with silence we are at home with God. Silence seems impossible …
December 10, 2024
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He has been tugging at my heart for so many years, urging me in so many ways to give myself wholly to …
December 9, 2024
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God delights to honour His saints by bestowing upon them special graces which mark them off from the rest of mankind. To …
December 8, 2024
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I believe that Our Lord is asking for victims who are willing to suffer much in reparation for sins, especially those of …
December 8, 2024
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I believe strongly in corporal penance as a means to the end. But a denial of your own will often costs more …
December 7, 2024
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I want you to make a greater effort to see the hand of God in everything that happens, and then to force …
December 6, 2024
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You must trust entirely in our Lord. He alone can help you. Give God His time. Be generous with Him and He …
December 5, 2024
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What must have been Mary’s thoughts when first she felt the infant child within her womb, and realised that from her pure …
December 4, 2024
Posted by pat
Xavier’s hour has come, the hour of his eternal reward and never-ending bliss. In a little hut, open on all sides to …
December 3, 2024
Posted by pat
Use your faults as stepping stones to better things. Don’t bemoan your faults and falls, but quietly take it out of yourself …
December 2, 2024
Posted by pat
The great light of this retreat, clear and persistent, has been that God has chosen me, in His great love and through …
December 1, 2024
Posted by pat
The saints had ever a childlike confidence and trust in God. Upon Him they cast all their anxieties and cares, under His …
December 1, 2024
Posted by pat
Will it be any help to you to learn that I know many who suffer as you do? Hence I can perfectly …
November 30, 2024
Posted by pat
It is scarcely necessary to state that deliberate sin in any shape or form utterly destroys the interior life and even gives …
November 29, 2024
Posted by pat
Vince teipsum (Conquer yourself). This is the secret of the Exercises. “I learnt no other lesson from my master Ignatius,” said St. …
November 28, 2024
Posted by pat
Try to take your days one by one as they come to you. The hard things of yesterday are past, and you …
November 27, 2024
Posted by pat
The chief thing God wants from me at present is an extraordinary and exquisite perfection in every little thing I do, even …
November 26, 2024
Posted by pat
The Practice of Humility I will strive to get a great contempt for myself, and to pray and desire that others may …
November 25, 2024
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I have long had the feeling that, since the world is growing so rapidly worse and worse and God has lost …
November 24, 2024
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Do not try to run till you can walk well. Draw up a list of certain little sacrifices which you feel God …
November 23, 2024
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“My yoke is sweet” (Matthew 11. 30). The service of God, the whole-hearted generous service of God, is full of a sweetness …
November 20, 2024
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We can never sufficiently thank Him for so completely showing us in the Garden that He was a man by praying to …
November 19, 2024
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Sir William Bernard Hickie was Major General of the 16th Irish Division and knew Fr Doyle extremely well. He wrote the following …
November 18, 2024
Posted by pat
Your desire for penance is an excellent sign…But have a fixed amount to be done each day and do not be doing …
November 18, 2024
Posted by pat
Meditating on the Particular Judgement, God gave me great light. I realised that I should have to give an exact account of …
November 17, 2024
Posted by pat
A new book: “The Rock From Which You Were Hewn: The lives and legacies of holy Irish men and women” has just …
November 16, 2024
Posted by pat
Holiness and perfection depend on yourself, not on the actions of others. COMMENT: How easy it is for us to blame others, …
November 16, 2024
Posted by pat
Received my appointment from the War Office as chaplain to the 16th Division. Fiat voluntas tua. What the future has in store …
November 15, 2024
Posted by pat
You certainly put your finger on the weak spot in most priestly lives – the want of prayer. The connection between prayer …
November 14, 2024
Posted by pat
At the close of the retreat my soul is full of many emotions. God has been more than good to me, has …
November 13, 2024
Posted by pat
Lord, You know I love You less than any others, but I long and desire to love You more than all the …
November 12, 2024
Posted by pat
106 years ago today the First World War came to an end. It was a dreadful war; the first industrial war in …
November 11, 2024
Posted by pat
From the Tabernacle Jesus seems to say, “Stay with Me for it is towards evening and the day is now far spent”. …
November 11, 2024
Posted by pat
My offering myself as a war chaplain to the Provincial has had a wonderful effect on me. I long to go and …
November 10, 2024
Posted by pat
The reason I find it so hard to love God, why I have so little affection for Him, is because of my …
November 10, 2024
Posted by pat
Our Lord is displeased only when He sees no attempt made to get rid of imperfections which, when deliberate, clog the soul …
November 9, 2024
Posted by pat
The Fruit of the Third Week The thought that Jesus has suffered so much for me to atone for my sins and …
November 8, 2024
Posted by pat
My God, I promise You, kneeling before the image of Your Sacred Heart, that I will do my best to lead a …
November 7, 2024
Posted by pat
Fr John Hogan, Postulator for the Cause of Fr Willie, will celebrate Mass on Thursday at 7pm in Holy Family Church, Drogheda. …
November 6, 2024
Posted by pat
The greatest thirst of Jesus on the Cross was his thirst for souls. He saw then the graces and inspirations He …
November 6, 2024
Posted by pat
Today, the Feast of all the Saints of the Society, while praying in the Chapel at Donnybrook (Poor Clares), our Lord seemed …
November 5, 2024
Posted by pat
During all these long years Jesus has been standing bound at the pillar, while I have cruelly scourged Him by my ingratitude …
November 5, 2024
Posted by pat
All my life my study has been to avoid suffering as much as possible, to make my life a comfortable one How …
November 4, 2024
Posted by pat
Crisis Magazine has published a new article today by Fr Edward Looney on how Fr Willie inspired him in his priestly ministry …
November 4, 2024
Posted by pat
I was greatly struck and helped yesterday by these words of the Imitation (of Christ): My child: let me do with you …
November 3, 2024
Posted by pat
From their cleansing prison of fire the holy souls cry to us for help. With joy indeed they bear the pain which …
November 2, 2024
Posted by pat
This evening I had a dispute with Father B. Instead of giving in to his wishes and allowing him to remain in …
November 1, 2024
Posted by pat
To-day the…Feast of All Saints, I made my election about offering myself for the Congo Mission. During the retreat I have been …
November 1, 2024
Posted by pat
On Wednesday 13th November at 7.30pm there will be a talk about Fr Willie with an exhibition of some of his personal …
October 31, 2024
Posted by pat
St. Alphonsus Rodriguez is a striking example of one who, though in a lowly station in life, devoid of all that in …
October 31, 2024
Posted by pat
“Time that passeth like a shadow”(Ecclesiastes, 7. 1). Watch the shadow of the sun’s rays creep silently across the dial’s face. Slowly, …
October 29, 2024
Posted by pat
A great desire to know our Lord better, His attractive character, His personal love for me, the resolve to read the life …
October 28, 2024
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Today we continue with some of Fr Doyle’s reflections on the Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises and his resolutions aimed at …
October 27, 2024
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I am slowly learning the lesson Jesus brought me out here to teach me. The first and greatest is that I must …
October 26, 2024
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What account shall I give of this resolution when I stand before my God for judgement? PRACTICE OF THE THIRD DEGREE. I. …
October 26, 2024
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Following straight on the heels of the meditations on the Two Standards and the Three Classes of Men, we will today consider …
October 25, 2024
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Fr Doyle wrote the following in his diary on October 25 1916. It refers to the previous night, in other words, this …
October 24, 2024
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We come now to one of the other great moments of the Spiritual Exercises – the Meditation on the Three Classes of …
October 24, 2024
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We come today to the famous meditation on the Two Standards. This is one of the high points of the Spiritual Exercises. …
October 23, 2024
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My God, this morning I was in despair. After some days of relaxation owing partly to sickness, I resolved to begin my …
October 22, 2024
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When it was not some infirmity or other than caused him to experience pain, it was he himself who inflicted discomfort and …
October 22, 2024
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Fr Doyle wrote the following notes on the “hidden life” of Jesus as a young boy and man in Nazareth. These reflections …
October 22, 2024
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As part of the Second week, St Ignatius recommends a meditation on the early life of Christ. Here are his points for …
October 21, 2024
Posted by pat
Feeling very unwell for the past few days, I gave way to self indulgence in food and sleep. Jesus has made it …
October 20, 2024
Posted by pat
As part of the Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises, retreatants meditate on the early life of Christ. One of these meditations …
October 20, 2024
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of St Paul of the Cross, the founder of the Passionist order. He lived in the 1700’s, and …
October 19, 2024
Posted by pat
Today we start Fr Doyle’s reflections on the second week of the Spiritual Exercises. This part of the Exercises begins with a …
October 19, 2024
Posted by pat
The Fruit of the First Week: I realise in a way I never did before that God created me for His service, …
October 18, 2024
Posted by pat
One of the obstacles to my leading a fervent life is the thought of what others may think. I would often wish …
October 17, 2024
Posted by pat
Meditating on the Particular Judgement, God gave me great light. I realised that I should have to give an exact account of …
October 16, 2024
Posted by pat
Last night I rose at one a.m. and walked two miles barefooted in reparation for the sins of priests to the chapel …
October 15, 2024
Posted by pat
The life of St. Teresa teaches us that we should never despair of becoming saints. As a child she was filled with …
October 15, 2024
Posted by pat
There will be a talk about Fr Willie, and an exhibition of some of his personal items, on Tuesday October 29th in …
October 14, 2024
Posted by pat
Death is the end of all things here, the end of time, of merit, of pain and mortification, of a hard life. …
October 14, 2024
Posted by pat
We continue with the meditations of the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises, and in particular with the meditation on Hell. Here …
October 13, 2024
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Today we consider one of the first exercises from the first week of the Spiritual Exercises – the meditation on sin. The …
October 12, 2024
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Today is the feast of St John XXIII. At first glance there does not seem to be much in common between Fr Doyle …
October 11, 2024
Posted by pat
Fr Doyle began his “Long retreat” – 30 days of the Spiritual Exercises – at this time in 1907. It was a …
October 11, 2024
Posted by pat
Today we will start a new series of special quotations from Fr Doyle. This day 117 years ago – 10 October 1907 …
October 10, 2024
Posted by pat
Pray for all, but especially for sinners, and in particular for those whose sins are most painful to His Sacred Heart. With …
October 9, 2024
Posted by pat
Solid virtue is so called because it is formed by amassing together a facility in repeated acts. Hence the practice of any …
October 8, 2024
Posted by pat
To Mary’s feet in heaven today the angels come in never-ending stream to lay before her the offerings of her loving earthly …
October 7, 2024
Posted by pat
“Behold I stand at the gate and knock” (Rev. 3. 20) Jesus stands at the door of my heart, patiently, uncomplainingly. …
October 6, 2024
Posted by pat
Do I ever say, when an occasion of denying myself comes, “It’s too hard, I am no saint?” Might it not be …
October 5, 2024
Posted by pat
In the end what once caused us pain and tears becomes the source of great interior joy, since we have realised how …
October 4, 2024
Posted by pat
I cannot deny that I love Jesus, love Him passionately, love Him with every fibre of my heart. He knows it, too, …
October 3, 2024
Posted by pat
He hath given His angels charge over us, to guide us, to guard and shelter us from dangers, to lead us safely …
October 2, 2024
Posted by pat
Kneeling at the grave of the Little Flower I gave myself into her hands to guide and to make me a saint. …
October 1, 2024
Posted by pat
Don’t dwell on what you have not done, for I think that want of confidence in His willingness to forgive our shortcomings …
September 30, 2024
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of the archangels, though in Fr Willie’s time 29 September was only the feast St Michael. St Michael …
September 29, 2024
Posted by pat
Patrick Kenny, the President of the Father Willie Doyle Association, was privileged to take part in a recent discussion with Fr Philomeno …
September 28, 2024
Posted by pat
Don’t let the devil spoil the work by making you fret and worry. COMMENT: This line from Fr Doyle is taken from …
September 28, 2024
Posted by pat
For fifteen years has Jesus been waiting for me to return to Him, to return to the fervour of my first year …
September 27, 2024
Posted by pat
There will be a talk and exhibition of some of Fr Willie’s personal items in Clonfert Family Centre, Brackernagh, Ballinasloe, County Galway …
September 26, 2024
Posted by pat
Fr Doyle wrote the following very private notes in his diary on 27 September 1915 about his prayer the previous night: Last …
September 26, 2024
Posted by pat
I was very much annoyed because because someone burnt the floor of my dug-out and also on finding my candles had been …
September 25, 2024
Posted by pat
I have noticed that every time I have indulged myself, my appetite especially, for no matter what reason, I have always had …
September 25, 2024
Posted by pat
You may make the most complete and absolute offering of yourself to God to bear every pain He may wish to send. …
September 24, 2024
Posted by pat
It is indeed easy to condemn oneself to death, to make a generous offering of self-immolation; but to carry out the execution …
September 23, 2024
Posted by pat
You know well that even the smallest cross and happening of your life is part of our Blessed Lord’s plan for your …
September 22, 2024
Posted by pat
We must love God with our whole heart. Can He be loved otherwise? Is it too much that a finite heart should …
September 21, 2024
Posted by pat
A devotion which does not consist in any special form of prayer nor in doing anything in particular more than to listen …
September 20, 2024
Posted by pat
A fierce temptation during Mass and thanksgiving to break my resolution and indulge my appetite at breakfast. The thought of a breakfast …
September 18, 2024
Posted by pat
Without constant union with our Lord there cannot be any real holiness, one reason being that without recollection the inspirations of the …
September 18, 2024
Posted by pat
A deadly pitfall lies hidden in the desire of some to pour themselves out in works of zeal for God’s glory, to …
September 17, 2024
Posted by pat
Our Blessed Lord loves me, with all my faults and failings, and has marked me out for the special graces which will …
September 16, 2024
Posted by pat
To sensitive souls the pain they cause others is far worse than any sufferings they may endure themselves. They may have much …
September 15, 2024
Posted by pat
Oh Jesus, guard me now under the standard of Thy cross. May it be not only before my eyes, in my hands and on …
September 14, 2024
Posted by pat
Lieutenant Colonel H. R. Stirke, who commanded the 8th Dublins, had the following praise for Fr Doyle in a note that he …
September 13, 2024
Posted by pat
I have felt strongly urged again to give myself entirely to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to follow His inspirations. …
September 12, 2024
Posted by pat
My intense desire and longing is to make others love Jesus and to draw them to His Sacred Heart. Recently at Mass …
September 11, 2024
Posted by pat
It seems to me the best and most practical resolution I can make in this retreat is to determine to perform each …
September 10, 2024
Posted by pat
St. Peter Claver was one of those generous heroic souls whom God sends upon this earth to serve as a stimulus to …
September 9, 2024
Posted by pat
Don’t you know it is our Lady’s feast, and Mary had her mantle spread over us to save us from all harm? …
September 8, 2024
Posted by pat
To be indifferent does not mean to desire things which are hard to nature, but a readiness and determination to embrace them …
September 7, 2024
Posted by pat
How little I think of committing venial sin, and how soon I forget I have done so! Yet God hates nothing more …
September 6, 2024
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, one of the most famous and popular Catholics of recent times. Saint Teresa …
September 5, 2024
Posted by pat
Today we continue the narrative and consider the events of September 4, 1916. Next morning there was a short march over the …
September 4, 2024
Posted by pat
On Sunday 22 September the St Joseph’s Young Priest’s Society, Dromore will host a talk about Fr Willie in Dromantine Retreat Centre, …
September 3, 2024
Posted by pat
The above image was published in an Irish newspaper at the end of 1916. The priest is unidentified, but we can well …
September 3, 2024
Posted by pat
The following praise for Fr Willie appeared in the Glasgow Weekly News on 1 September 1917. It was written by a Belfast …
September 2, 2024
Posted by pat
Reasons why our Communions and Masses do not make us Saints. 1. Want of preparation, through sloth, carelessness, or absorption in other …
September 1, 2024
Posted by pat
By entering religion and taking my vows I have given myself over absolutely to God and His service. He, therefore, has a …
August 31, 2024
Posted by pat
Why are we not saints? Want of courage and want of patience. We give up, we have not the strength of will …
August 30, 2024
Posted by pat
There is one thing we need never be afraid of, namely, that the devil will ever tempt us to be humble. He …
August 29, 2024
Posted by pat
How many wish to belong entirely to Jesus without reserve or restriction? Most want to serve two masters, to be under two …
August 28, 2024
Posted by pat
Don’t be stingy in giving praise, particularly with the young. If in a community there is some sister not as edifying as …
August 27, 2024
Posted by pat
If only one could grasp this fact: every tiny thing (aspiration, self-denial etc) makes us holier than we were. Just think of …
August 26, 2024
Posted by pat
I am truly glad you are looking to the perfection of your daily actions; it is the simplest, yet perhaps hardest, way …
August 25, 2024
Posted by pat
All these trials, snubs, unpleasantnesses, etc., do not come to you by chance, they are precious jewels from the hand of God, …
August 24, 2024
Posted by pat
Look upon the grace God gives you as a talent you must work with and increase. The Master in the Gospel gave …
August 23, 2024
Posted by pat
The following was written about Fr Doyle by Sir Percival Phillips, the famous war correspondent, and appeared in the Daily Express on …
August 22, 2024
Posted by pat
There are two patron saints to whom I have a tremendous devotion: a sheet of paper and a lead pencil. Mark down at …
August 21, 2024
Posted by pat
On this day in 1917, 4 days after Fr Willie’s death, Fr Frank Browne, the famous photographer and Jesuit military chaplain, wrote …
August 20, 2024
Posted by pat
How many deceive themselves in thinking sanctity consists in the holy follies of the saints! How many look upon holiness as something beyond …
August 20, 2024
Posted by pat
Two wings by which we can fly to God and become saints: the habit of little tiny acts of self-denial and the habit …
August 19, 2024
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of St Alberto Hurtado, a Jesuit saint from Chile. He was canonised by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, …
August 18, 2024
Posted by pat
Instead of a quote from Fr Doyle, today we present, courtesy of the Irish Messenger, a scanned copy of a booklet published …
August 17, 2024
Posted by pat
My Martyrdom for Mary’s Sake. Darling Mother Mary, in preparation for the glorious martyrdom which I feel assured thou art going to obtain …
August 16, 2024
Posted by pat
Today, the anniversary of Fr Doyle’s heroic death, we shall consider the role of serenity and peace in Fr Doyle’s life. One …
August 16, 2024
Posted by pat
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has the following to say about the fruits of the Holy Spirit: 1832 The fruits of the …
August 15, 2024
Posted by pat
The feast of the Assumption was an important date for Fr Willie. He made his religious vows on this day in 1893, …
August 15, 2024
Posted by pat
I have told you all my escapes, dearest Father, because I think what I have written will give you the same confidence which …
August 14, 2024
Posted by pat
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has the following to say about the virtue of temperance. 1809 Temperance is the moral virtue …
August 14, 2024
Posted by pat
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has the following to say about the virtue of fortitude. 1808 Fortitude is the moral virtue …
August 13, 2024
Posted by pat
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has the following to say about the virtue of justice. 1807 Justice is the moral virtue …
August 12, 2024
Posted by pat
Today we will consider the virtue of prudence in the life of Fr Willie. We will take a bit more care in …
August 11, 2024
Posted by pat
Today we have the last of Fr Doyle’s narratives from his letters home to his father in August 1917, less than a …
August 11, 2024
Posted by pat
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has the following to say about the virtue of charity: 1822 Charity is the theological virtue …
August 10, 2024
Posted by pat
Fr Willie, like all of us, had to struggle against his defects. We see an especially vivid example of his struggle in …
August 10, 2024
Posted by pat
We return today to Fr Willie’s narrative, and get some glimpse of the horror of war, and the comfort that the presence …
August 10, 2024
Posted by pat
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has the following to say about the virtue of hope: 1817 Hope is the theological virtue …
August 9, 2024
Posted by pat
Fr Willie does not have a specific record for the events of 9 August 1917, so we will instead have one of …
August 9, 2024
Posted by pat
Counting today, Fr Doyle’s anniversary is 9 days away. It is traditional for Catholics to reflect on specific themes, or to pray …
August 8, 2024
Posted by pat
Continuing our narrative today, it is hard not to be struck by the extraordinary good humour of Fr Willie. The “cathedral” to …
August 8, 2024
Posted by pat
August 16th is Fr Willie’s anniversary. For 9 days we will reflect on different virtues and gifts in Fr Willie’s life. Let us …
August 7, 2024
Posted by pat
Today’s account, from 7 August 1917, gives us some small insight into the horrors of the war, especially when it involved the …
August 7, 2024
Posted by pat
The events of August 6 1917 in Fr Doyle’s own words. In particular today we note Fr Doyle’s devotion to the Mass. …
August 6, 2024
Posted by pat
We once again resume Fr Willie’s narrative of the events at the Battle of Passchendaele. This is his account of the events …
August 5, 2024
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of St John Vianney. Fr Willie had a great devotion to him and visited Ars in 1907. From …
August 4, 2024
Posted by pat
Four Dangers to be Feared after a Retreat: 1 . Dissipation: There, it is over; amuse yourself. 2. Toning Down: Too much, …
August 3, 2024
Posted by pat
We have no more reports from Fr Doyle until August 5th, and we shall take up his narrative once again on that …
August 2, 2024
Posted by pat
We continue today with Fr Willie’s narrative of events in the days leading up to his death. Today’s account is somewhat shorter …
August 1, 2024
Posted by pat
My poor orderly has nearly emptied the well, of course leaving the six dead Germans behind, in his efforts to make enough …
July 31, 2024
Posted by pat
We continue Fr Willie’s account of July 31, 1917 directly after he left off yesterday. Again what is most noticeable is his …
July 31, 2024
Posted by pat
Fr Willie describes the events of July 30, 1917: For the past week we have been moving steadily up to the Front …
July 30, 2024
Posted by pat
On August 12 1917 Fr Willie sent his last “budget” home to his father. It was a long account of his involvement …
July 29, 2024
Posted by pat
My loving Jesus, on this the morning of my Ordination to the priesthood, I wish to place in Your Sacred Heart, in …
July 28, 2024
Posted by pat
I assure you that you have my entire sympathy as well as my prayers in the trial you are going through. There …
July 27, 2024
Posted by pat
During a visit our Lord seemed to urge me not to wait till the end of the war, but to begin my …
July 26, 2024
Posted by pat
You ask how to pray well. The answer is, Pray often, in season and out of season, against yourself, in spite of …
July 25, 2024
Posted by pat
Do not give up prayer on any account, no matter how dry or rotten you feel; every moment, especially before Him in …
July 24, 2024
Posted by pat
I do not want, in fact I forbid you, to be imprudent in the matter of corporal penances. But, my dear child, …
July 23, 2024
Posted by pat
“I will give thee hidden treasures.” Isaiah 45. 3. Jesus has treasures which He hides from those who love Him not and …
July 21, 2024
Posted by pat
Believe me, I feel intensely for you, my child, for I know what you have suffered in the past and how violent …
July 19, 2024
Posted by pat
I gave way today to indulgence, with the usual result. Jesus seemed to reproach me bitterly, reminding me that He seeks a …
July 18, 2024
Posted by pat
The reformation of one’s life must be the work of every day. I should take each rule and duty, think how Jesus …
July 17, 2024
Posted by pat
I have come back from the missions with feelings of joy and gratitude, for these last three missions have been blessed in …
July 16, 2024
Posted by pat
Fr Willie gave his last homily 107 years ago today. Here is Alfred O’Rahilly’s account of this last sermon, complete with valuable …
July 15, 2024
Posted by pat
The object of my life to be close union with and intense love of God. To acquire this I will (a) fly …
July 14, 2024
Posted by pat
I see more and more each day how different the world would be if we had more really holy priests. With this …
July 13, 2024
Posted by pat
But remember the devil will spoil the work if he can and by every means in his power turn you from your …
July 12, 2024
Posted by pat
Avoid haste and want of control of bodily movements. The interior man, no matter how burdened with work or pressed for time, …
July 11, 2024
Posted by pat
I awoke in the middle of the night with the feeling that Jesus wanted me. I resisted, but at last got out …
July 10, 2024
Posted by pat
God wants you to suffer willingly. Many rebel and fight against what God gives them; many more take their cross in a …
July 9, 2024
Posted by pat
Lord, give me grace and strength of character to tear myself away promptly from what, if not bad, is less good, and …
July 8, 2024
Posted by pat
I have often wondered what Jesus meant by the ‘work’, but I could never bring myself to ask you what you thought …
July 7, 2024
Posted by pat
As a boy He gave me something of the kind, so that a passing glance at an immodest picture used to make …
July 6, 2024
Posted by pat
This morning at Mass, our Blessed Lord gave me grace to see what a fool I am to let my life slip …
July 5, 2024
Posted by pat
Today is the memorial of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. Amongst other things, Blessed Pier Giorgio was renowned, as a very young man, …
July 4, 2024
Posted by pat
The conviction has been growing that nocturnal adoration will be established only if I spend much time myself before the Blessed Sacrament …
July 2, 2024
Posted by pat
As a child I was convinced that one day God would give me the grace of martyrdom. When quite small I read …
July 1, 2024
Posted by pat
Devotion to the Sacred Heart cannot exist without self-denial; the flames and thorns around that Heart, the cross that crowns It, point …
June 30, 2024
Posted by pat
Peter, the favoured one, denies his Master and turns his back on Him who loved him so; and Peter’s heart is won, …
June 29, 2024
Posted by pat
If an aspiration, on the authority of the Blessed Cure d’Ars, often saved a soul, what must you not do each day …
June 28, 2024
Posted by pat
The misery of the past few days has proved to me that I can be happy only by doing what Jesus wants, …
June 27, 2024
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of St Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. Instead of a message from Fr Willie, we have …
June 26, 2024
Posted by pat
Do nothing without consulting Him in the Tabernacle. But then act fearlessly, if you see it is for His honour and glory, …
June 25, 2024
Posted by pat
Try to grasp the fact – a very hard thing to do – that in the spiritual life ‘feelings’ count for nothing, …
June 23, 2024
Posted by pat
“No evil shall come upon you”, (Jerem. 23. 17). It is a consoling thought that God watches over us with unceasing care; …
June 22, 2024
Posted by pat
Jesus told me today that the work of regeneration and sanctification is to be done by leading souls to Him in the …
June 21, 2024
Posted by pat
Sunday and Monday last were days of wonderful grace for me, as if the Hunter of souls had run His quarry down …
June 20, 2024
Posted by pat
You need not fear whatever He may send you to bear, since His grace will come with it; but you should always …
June 19, 2024
Posted by pat
A great desire to know our Lord better, His attractive character, His personal love for me, the resolve to read the life …
June 18, 2024
Posted by pat
I feel also a great longing to love Jesus very, very much, to draw very close to His Sacred Heart, and to …
June 17, 2024
Posted by pat
I felt the presence of Jesus very near to me while praying in the chapel at Ramsgrange. He seemed to want me …
June 16, 2024
Posted by pat
One of the obstacles to my leading a fervent life is the thought of what others may think. I would often wish …
June 15, 2024
Posted by pat
I feel that I could go through fire and water to serve such a man as Napoleon, that no sacrifice he could …
June 14, 2024
Posted by pat
The Moment of Benediction… The priest turns and raises aloft the Sacred Host. In loving adoration, in reverent awe, the invisible angels …
June 13, 2024
Posted by pat
Just as one tiny grain (of wheat) will bring forth an ear filled with many new grains, and each of these, if …
June 12, 2024
Posted by pat
The Third Degree of Humility. 1. Accepto. I will receive with joy all unpleasant things which I must bear : (a) pain, …
June 11, 2024
Posted by pat
Lord, You know I love you less than any other, but I long and desire to love You more than all the rest. Take my …
June 10, 2024
Posted by pat
Patrick Kenny will give a talk about Fr Willie next Sunday 16 June at 1.45pm in St Bede’s, Thornton Road, Clapham. Books …
June 9, 2024
Posted by pat
I will strive ever to perform each action as perfectly as possible, paying special attention to small duties e.g. saying grace, odd …
June 9, 2024
Posted by pat
It is such a helpless feeling to be tossed about as it were on the waves of love, to feel the ardent, …
June 8, 2024
Posted by pat
14 years ago today, on 7 June 2010, the first blog/website about Fr Willie was launched. The Father Willie Doyle Association, and …
June 7, 2024
Posted by pat
“Most loving Jesus, kneeling before You in the Blessed Sacrament, I solemnly consecrate myself to Your Sacred Heart by vow. I vow …
June 7, 2024
Posted by pat
Today we have a small excerpt from one of Fr Doyle’s letters which describes his preparations for the Battle of Messines. It …
June 6, 2024
Posted by pat
I have not told them at home, and do not want them to know but we have had a terrible time for …
June 5, 2024
Posted by pat
I had not the heart to wake up the poor nuns, and after all when one is fast asleep, is not a …
June 4, 2024
Posted by pat
I think it is evident that, in these days of awful sin and hatred of God, our Blessed Lord wants to gather …
June 3, 2024
Posted by pat
I assert fearlessly that if only we all prayed enough – and I mean by that a constant, steady unflagging stream of …
June 1, 2024
Posted by pat
We must be intellectually pious, that is, our piety should rest on the bedrock of principle, and not on mood, on sentiment, …
May 30, 2024
Posted by pat
As you might like to know how the ‘game of raiding your neighbour’ is played, a sort of novelty for your next …
May 29, 2024
Posted by pat
You can test your love infallibly and find out how much you have by asking yourself this question: What am I willing …
May 27, 2024
Posted by pat
Dear Sir — One is often struck, on glancing over the papers, at the numerous appeals made to provide ‘comforts for our …
May 26, 2024
Posted by pat
Jesus is looking at me as once he did upon blind Bartimaemus: “What wilt thou that I do to thee?” Lord, that …
May 25, 2024
Posted by pat
The Father Willie Doyle Association is delighted to be present in Lourdes during the International Military Pilgrimage. Thousands of military personnel, along …
May 24, 2024
Posted by pat
I had been along the front line as usual to give the men a General Absolution which they are almost as anxious …
May 23, 2024
Posted by pat
This year, for the first time, a special pilgrimage to Knock in honour of Fr Willie Doyle will take place on Sunday …
May 22, 2024
Posted by pat
Are you not foolish in wishing to be free from these attacks of impatience, etc.? I know how violent they can be, …
May 22, 2024
Posted by pat
A sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows sharper with use. COMMENT: How correct Fr Willie’s assessment is! The more …
May 21, 2024
Posted by pat
We have here an astonishing little old Father; little by name and little by stature. He is 85; but is active as …
May 20, 2024
Posted by pat
A devotion which does not consist in any special form of prayer nor in doing anything in particular more than to listen …
May 19, 2024
Posted by pat
If there is any certain mark of the abiding presence of the Holy Ghost in the soul, if there is any visible …
May 18, 2024
Posted by pat
Do we realise the infinite possibilities of grace which lie hidden in the Tabernacle? Jesus only awaits our coming: and even before …
May 17, 2024
Posted by pat
Are you weary of the fight already and willing to give in to the enemy? Never mind, come back, begin again, …
May 16, 2024
Posted by pat
I feel ashamed at times that I do not profit more by His nearness, but I know that he makes allowances for …
May 15, 2024
Posted by pat
You would throw up your hands in horror were you to see my room at the present moment. It is a scene …
May 14, 2024
Posted by pat
I saw many interesting places and things during my weeks of travel. But over all hung a big cloud of sadness, for …
May 13, 2024
Posted by pat
I think our Lord wants your whole day to be one continued act of love and union with Him in your heart, …
May 11, 2024
Posted by pat
O eternal Lord . . . provided it be for Thy greater service and praise . . . and if Thy most …
May 10, 2024
Posted by pat
We love our life, cling to it, hug it, study how to prolong it, rebel if God thinks fit to shorten its …
May 9, 2024
Posted by pat
There will be a talk ab0ut Fr Willie in St Saviour’s Church, Bridge Street, Waterford on Sunday May 19 at 4pm, followed …
May 8, 2024
Posted by pat
My way is sure. I think I can say now without a shade of doubt or hesitation that the path by which …
May 8, 2024
Posted by pat
The past few weeks have been weeks of extraordinary grace and light and strength. I see clearly what He wants from me …
May 7, 2024
Posted by pat
Sometimes God seems to leave me to my weakness and I tremble with fear. At other times I have so much trust …
May 6, 2024
Posted by pat
At the community Mass this morning I again felt an overpowering desire to become a saint. It came suddenly, filling my soul …
May 4, 2024
Posted by pat
The more this generous spirit springs up in your heart, the nearer and dearer will you be to Jesus. Love for Love. …
May 3, 2024
Posted by pat
I feel drawn still more to the life of “interior union.” To acquire this I must practise the following: 1 . Constant …
May 2, 2024
Posted by pat
My Martyrdom for Mary’s Sake. Darling Mother Mary, in preparation for the glorious martyrdom which I feel assured thou art going to obtain …
May 1, 2024
Posted by pat
As you know I am very anxious to see these retreats started in Ireland, for I believe they would do a world …
May 1, 2024
Posted by pat
I said my rosary with arms extended. At the third mystery the pain was so great that I felt I could not …
April 30, 2024
Posted by pat
What is it to be a saint? Does it mean that we must macerate this flesh of ours with cruel austerities, such …
April 29, 2024
Posted by pat
We continue today with an excerpt from the original letter detailing some of the work Fr Willie had to undertake towards the …
April 28, 2024
Posted by pat
Fr Willie sent the letter below to his father one year after the gas attack of April 1916 (see yesterday’s post). In …
April 27, 2024
Posted by pat
Fr Willie had many incredibly close shaves with death during the almost 2 years he spent as a military chaplain. He has …
April 26, 2024
Posted by pat
I think I can say with truth that I have now no desire or wish except His. I have told Him that …
April 25, 2024
Posted by pat
I have long had the feeling that, since the world is growing so rapidly worse and worse and God has lost His …
April 24, 2024
Posted by pat
God sometimes seems to ask the impossible, a sorrow, a cross. Oh! it would crush me! How can this be? How? Lord, …
April 23, 2024
Posted by pat
Work for Jesus! Yes, though the weary head may ache and the tired brain refuse to act. Work on, work on; the …
April 22, 2024
Posted by pat
This morning I lay awake powerless to over come myself and to make my promised visit to the chapel. Then I felt …
April 21, 2024
Posted by pat
Second pilgrimage to Amettes from Locre. During the journey I felt our Lord wanted to give me some message through St. Benedict …
April 16, 2024
Posted by pat
What more insignificant than the ordinary daily duties of religious life! Each succeeding hour brings with it some allotted task, yet in …
April 15, 2024
Posted by pat
There will be a talk about Fr Willie in the Parish Centre, Christ the King Cathedral Mullingar on Thursday April 25th at …
April 13, 2024
Posted by pat
How sweet it is when our day is ended to find the body tired, the head heavy and jaded with work done …
April 13, 2024
Posted by pat
Kneeling on the altar steps Jesus told me to devote one day of each week to the work of sanctification and reparation …
April 12, 2024
Posted by pat
Took Gemma for my patroness and protector…I have already felt her powerful help. COMMENT: April 11 is the feast of St Gemma …
April 11, 2024
Posted by pat
I want you to stick to two things: the aspirations and the tiny acts of self-conquest. Count them and mark them daily. You …
April 10, 2024
Posted by pat
If you are not yet strong enough to seek humiliations, just accept the little reverses that come. When you say or do …
April 9, 2024
Posted by pat
Do you not think that Jesus must have done very much for Mary during the nine months she bore Him within her? …
April 8, 2024
Posted by pat
Jesus during His mortal life practised many virtues; but none is more conspicuous, none appeals more strongly to us, than His infinite …
April 7, 2024
Posted by pat
No one is holy who is not fervent. But the fervour of the holy is not an impetuous, noviciate first-fervour, which does …
April 6, 2024
Posted by pat
If one of two has to suffer, why shouldn’t you be the one? Always choose the worst and hardest. Do not try …
April 4, 2024
Posted by pat
I had an opportunity, a rare one, thanks to the fog, of examining closely in daylight one of the wonders of the …
April 3, 2024
Posted by pat
Today we review some of Fr Doyle’s war narrative from early April 1916. Taking a short-cut across to our lines I found …
April 2, 2024
Posted by pat
If my resurrection is to be a real one and is to produce fruit, it must be external, so that all may …
April 1, 2024
Posted by pat
May every Easter blessing be yours, and may our crucified Jesus, Who has certainly drawn you to Him on the cross, raise …
March 31, 2024
Posted by pat
The final scene of the awful tragedy is drawing to a close. Reverently the faithful few bear the dead Christ down the …
March 30, 2024
Posted by pat
The greatest thirst of Jesus on the Cross was His thirst for souls. He saw then the graces and inspirations He would …
March 29, 2024
Posted by pat
Pain and privation are only momentary, they quickly pass and become even delightfully sweet, if only borne in the spirit with which …
March 28, 2024
Posted by pat
On Spy Wednesday evening after Benediction, I told the men I wanted nine volunteers to watch an hour during the following night …
March 27, 2024
Posted by pat
My denial of Jesus has been baser than that of Peter, for I have refused to listen to His voice calling me …
March 26, 2024
Posted by pat
During His Passion our Lord was bound and dragged from place to place. I have hourly opportunities of imitating Him by going …
March 25, 2024
Posted by pat
The fourteenth station: Jesus is laid in the tomb The final scene of the awful tragedy is drawing to a close. Reverently …
March 24, 2024
Posted by pat
The Thirteenth station: Jesus is taken down from the cross Mary stands at the foot of the cross to receive in her …
March 23, 2024
Posted by pat
The Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the Cross Upon the cross He hangs now, the most abject and despised of all men, …
March 22, 2024
Posted by pat
The Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross Upon His last resting place Jesus lays Himself down. No soft bed, no …
March 21, 2024
Posted by pat
The Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of His garments At last He stands upon the hill of shame to pay the price …
March 20, 2024
Posted by pat
The ninth station: Jesus falls the third time The hill of Calvary is almost reached, the hour of the great sacrifice is …
March 19, 2024
Posted by pat
The Eighth Station: Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem The disciples of Jesus have deserted their Master, and fearful for their own …
March 18, 2024
Posted by pat
With great earnestness recommend to His mercy the poor souls who are in their agony. What a dreadful hour, an hour tremendously …
March 18, 2024
Posted by pat
I was struck today by the fact that St Patrick was above all a man of continuous prayer and felt inspired to …
March 17, 2024
Posted by pat
The Seventh Station: Jesus falls the second time Jesus falls a second time, crushed beneath the weight of His awful sufferings which …
March 17, 2024
Posted by pat
The Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus As the sorrowful procession moves slowly on, a woman, who with anxious gaze …
March 16, 2024
Posted by pat
The Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross When God lays a cross upon us, some misfortune, some unexpected …
March 15, 2024
Posted by pat
The Fourth Station: Jesus meets His Blessed Mother To sensitive souls the pain they cause others is far worse than any sufferings …
March 14, 2024
Posted by pat
The Third Station: Jesus falls the First time Bravely has our Lord borne the galling weight of His cross; bravely has He …
March 13, 2024
Posted by pat
The Second Station: Jesus takes up His cross Away from the palace now a sad procession is winding. On the faces of …
March 12, 2024
Posted by pat
The prolific author and novelist Fiorella de Maria has written a wonderful new historical novel about Fr Willie for young people. Entitled …
March 12, 2024
Posted by pat
Around the judgement seat are grouped a motley crowd. Men and women of every rank, the high-born Jewish maiden, the rough Samaritan …
March 11, 2024
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Don’t be one of those who give God everything but one little corner of their heart on which they put up a …
March 8, 2024
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Fr John Hogan, Diocesan Postulator for the Fr Willie’s Cause, had a very nice interview recently with Fr Edward Looney. The video …
March 7, 2024
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He loves your soul dearly, cling to Him, and trust Him, He so longs to be trusted. COMMENT: Many of us have …
March 7, 2024
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Passion of Christ, comfort me! Comfort me, for the day is long and weary; comfort me as I fight my way up …
March 6, 2024
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Press on bravely and don’t mind the scratches, even when they come from human nails! COMMENT: We must always push on in …
March 4, 2024
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A special request from Patrick Kenny, President, Father Willie Doyle Association and Fr. John S. Hogan, Postulator. Today is Fr Willie’s …
March 3, 2024
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It is useful from time to time to pause and ask ourselves if we are, like the child Jesus, growing in wisdom …
March 2, 2024
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Surely, my child, you are not surprised to find that you have broken your resolution, or rather, that the devil has gained …
March 1, 2024
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Abandon yourself completely into the hands of God, and take directly from Him every event of life, agreeable, or disagreeable. Only then …
February 29, 2024
Posted by pat
The merit of living under religious rule may be gathered from the difficulty of always and faithfully keeping that rule. Holiness and …
February 28, 2024
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Over and over again I asked myself, when reading that book, was it not strange that I should come across the very …
February 27, 2024
Posted by pat
He loves your soul dearly, cling to Him, and trust him, He so longs to be trusted. Be like a faithful dog …
February 26, 2024
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A habit of ejaculatory prayer is a sign of nearness to God, for our own holiness will be in proportion to our …
February 25, 2024
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How often have we murmured against the good God because He has refused our petitions or frustrated our plans. Can we look …
February 24, 2024
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The world’s first Fr Willie Doyle Prayer Group was inaugurated on Thursday 22 February in Holy Family Church, Ballsgrove, Drogheda. It meets …
February 23, 2024
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“The power of the Most High shall overshadow thee” (Luke, 1:35). Light comes with this blessed over-shadowing,. and before God’s power difficulties …
February 23, 2024
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As regards confession it would be much better to confine yourself to the accusation of, say, three faults, and turn the whole …
February 22, 2024
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The great light of this retreat, clear and persistent has been that God has chosen me, in His great love and through …
February 21, 2024
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I am convinced that generally we reach sanctity of life only through a long series of falls from which we get up. …
February 20, 2024
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As the moth is attracted to the light, is drawn ever nearer to the warmth and brightness, until at length with irresistible …
February 19, 2024
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A fierce temptation during Mass and thanksgiving to break my resolution and indulge my appetite at breakfast…Jesus urged me to pray for …
February 18, 2024
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Fr Doyle left his training camp and headed to the continent 108 years ago today. Here are his sentiments on this occasion, …
February 17, 2024
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We should call a man a fool who wasted his wealth warming himself before a fire made of banknotes. Do we act …
February 16, 2024
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I have gone through a great deal of desolation, discouragement, fear and dread of my proposed vow. When I make it — …
February 15, 2024
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We are having desperate work these days. The good God is simply pouring out His grace on these poor fellows and reconciling …
February 14, 2024
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What is it to be a saint? Does it mean that we must macerate this flesh of ours with cruel austerities, such …
February 14, 2024
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What I intended to imply was that I thought God had special designs on your soul and very great graces in store …
February 13, 2024
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The effect of fervour may be likened to that of fire on water. When cold, water is motionless and chills all that …
February 12, 2024
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Almost the first thing which caught my eye at the grotto was our Lady’s words: “Penitence, penitence, penitence”. On leaving, I asked …
February 10, 2024
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You seem to be a little troubled at finding yourself cold at prayer and as if our Lord had abandoned you. Were …
February 10, 2024
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While praying at the shrine of St Apollonia I felt urged to ask her to help me to gain a complete mastery …
February 9, 2024
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Don’t be one of those who give God everything but one little corner of their heart on which they put up a …
February 8, 2024
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This is my vocation: reparation and penance for the sins of priests; hence the constant urging of our Lord to generosity. COMMENT: …
February 8, 2024
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Then in addition there is the great privilege and joy of carrying our dear Lord next my heart day and night. Long …
February 7, 2024
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Some of Fr Willie’s favourite aspirations: l. My Crucified Jesus, help me to crucify myself. 2. Lord, teach me how to pray …
February 6, 2024
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To-day while praying in the Chapel, suddenly it seemed to me as if I were standing before a narrow path all choked …
February 5, 2024
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I was meditating on my desire to die a martyr’s death for Jesus, and then asked myself if I was really in …
February 5, 2024
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Reading today of how Luisa de Carvajal made herself the slave of her two maids, the old desire for this kind of …
February 4, 2024
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It seems to me that the best and most practical resolution I can make is to determine to perform each action with …
February 3, 2024
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Kneeling there I asked her what God wanted from me, when I heard an interior voice clearly repeating, “Love Him, love Him.” …
February 2, 2024
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Constant urging of Jesus to do “hard things” for him, things which cost. I shrink from sacrifice, but I know well He …
February 1, 2024
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One month of the new year has passed away, leaving behind it the memory of what has been done for God and …
January 31, 2024
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A kind word goes far. I stopped to say a few words to a group of men at a street corner in …
January 30, 2024
Posted by pat
Abandon yourself completely into the hands of God, and take directly from Him every event of life, agreeable, or disagreeable. Only then …
January 29, 2024
Posted by pat
As to any practice of piety there is a double danger: recommending it as infallible, or condemning it as useless. I always …
January 28, 2024
Posted by pat
The Father Willie Doyle Association has now opened an Instagram account and can be found on the account @frwilliedoyle. https://www.instagram.com/frwilliedoyle/ If you …
January 27, 2024
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Last night I rose at 1am and went down to the church, renewing before the crucifix my desire and promise absolutely to …
January 27, 2024
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The mere saving of their souls should be the last thought of religious who have vowed their lives for God’s glory. COMMENT: …
January 26, 2024
Posted by pat
Every grace we get enlightens the understanding and strengthens the will. When the understanding is enlightened, we have the awful alternative of …
January 25, 2024
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There is nothing better than the practice of aspirations, steadily growing in number. Keep a little book and enter them once a …
January 24, 2024
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I should examine all my actions, taking Jesus as my model and example. What a vast difference between my prayer and His; …
January 23, 2024
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22 January 1911 My dear loving Jesus, what do you want from me? You never seem to leave me alone – thank …
January 22, 2024
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Even as a child I was convinced that one day God would give me the grace of martyrdom. When quite small I …
January 21, 2024
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Worries? Of course; and thank God. How else are you going to be a saint? “When thou comest to the service of …
January 19, 2024
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I felt Jesus asking me to make a long visit and wishing to speak to me. His message was: To note down …
January 18, 2024
Posted by pat
Our Lord wants me to give Him all I can give cheerfully, not repining or regretting any sacrifice; not saying, ‘I wish …
January 17, 2024
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Jesus knows I have only one wish in this world: to love Him and Him alone. For the rest He has carte …
January 16, 2024
Posted by pat
I see more and more that self-indulgence even in lawful things brings only unhappiness; and I realise I can never be truly …
January 15, 2024
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I want you to know what I went through by volunteering for the Front. God made me feel with absolute certainty – …
January 14, 2024
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107 years ago tonight Fr Doyle was awoken to absolve some dying soldiers. This is his description of the event, sent home …
January 13, 2024
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Each morning at Holy Communion invite Jesus, with all the love and fervour you can, to enter into your heart and dwell …
January 12, 2024
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Live for the day, but let it be a generous day. Have you ever tried giving God one day in which you …
January 11, 2024
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Today is the anniversary of the death of the Servant of God Fr Paul Ginhac SJ who died on this day in …
January 10, 2024
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It is a mother whose gentle care was ever round you, whose arms were open wide that you might nestle on her …
January 8, 2024
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It seems to me I have failed to keep my resolutions because I have not acted from the motive of the love …
January 7, 2024
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I contrast the obedience of St. Joseph with my obedience. His so prompt, unquestioning, uncomplaining, perfect; mine given so grudgingly; perhaps exterior …
January 6, 2024
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Today is the feast of St Charles of Mount Argus, a Dutch Passionist priest who spent about 30 years of his life …
January 5, 2024
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4 January 1916 Before I thank you for your letter which was doubly welcome in my exile, I want to tell you …
January 4, 2024
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He seems to me to want a year of great devotedness, intense sympathy and passionate love…Even one year of such a life …
January 3, 2024
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I can imagine I am a soul in Hell, and God in His mercy is saying to me, “Return to the world …
January 2, 2024
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How little the expression ‘we were shelled for two hours’ conveys to you. People read in their papers some mornings: ‘The enemy …
January 1, 2024
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A New Year! What visions of almost boundless good, hidden in the fair bosom of the new-born year, rise up before me. …
January 1, 2024
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“All our days are spent.” (Psalm 89. 9). The hour will come for each of us when we shall echo these words …
December 31, 2023
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Every little victory in the matter of food is a real triumph, for this is a real test of generosity. You will …
December 30, 2023
Posted by pat
Jesus, you know my longing to become a saint. You know how much I thirst to die a martyr. Help me to …
December 29, 2023
Posted by pat
I have celebrated Mass in some strange places and under extraordinary conditions but somehow I was more than usually impressed this morning. …
December 28, 2023
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Try to get down low and follow out what He Himself taught: “Unless you become as little children.” This will make you …
December 27, 2023
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The following two excerpts from a letter written by Fr Doyle recount two incidents that happened on St Stephen’s Day, 1916. They …
December 26, 2023
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O’Rahilly’s biography of Fr Doyle is a remarkable source of information about Fr Doyle’s life and spirituality. However, there is another book …
December 25, 2023
Posted by pat
What impressed me most in the meditation on the Nativity was the thought that Jesus could have been born in wealth and …
December 25, 2023
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The following excerpt from O’Rahilly’s biography of Fr Doyle recalls Christmas Eve and Midnight Mass during the war in 1916… Christmas itself …
December 24, 2023
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I was very much annoyed because someone burnt the floor of my dug-out and also on finding my candles had been taken. …
December 23, 2023
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My genius of an orderly fried meat and pudding together and, with a smile of triumph on his face, brought both on …
December 22, 2023
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Fr Doyle wrote the following in his diary on 21 December 1913, 110 years ago today. It relates to a recent trip …
December 21, 2023
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21 December: A day I always like because the turning point of the year and from this on the evenings will be …
December 21, 2023
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During the last three nights of the retreat I slept on the floor without feeling any inconvenience after, though I woke very …
December 20, 2023
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Fr Doyle wrote the following letter to his sister from the trenches on 19th December 1916, 107 years ago today. It gives …
December 19, 2023
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“I have called upon Thee in the day of my trouble” (Psalm 85. 7). Jesus is our comforter. What burden is there …
December 18, 2023
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A want of will is the chief obstacle to our becoming saints. We are not holy because we do not really wish …
December 17, 2023
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Avoid worry, anxiety, uneasiness about anything. “The devil’s boiling pot” expresses this state of mind; one trouble ended, another crops up to …
December 16, 2023
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I cannot say i am quite in love with camp life, which in many respects is quite repellent. But even in these …
December 15, 2023
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On this day in 1917, Major General Hickie paid another tribute to Fr Doyle. Writing to his father, Hugh Doyle, General Hickie …
December 15, 2023
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Surely you are not right in trying to keep our Lord away from you, or in thinking that He looks upon you …
December 14, 2023
Posted by pat
Since I became chaplain I’ve grown very lazy and unmortified, the cause of much unhappiness and remorse to me. My excuse is …
December 13, 2023
Posted by pat
It is scarcely necessary to state that deliberate sin in any shape or form utterly destroys the interior life. COMMENT: It is …
December 13, 2023
Posted by pat
I am sorry to see you suffer and yet glad that the cross is your portion. If I had at this moment …
December 12, 2023
Posted by pat
I want to be generous with God and to refuse Him nothing. I do not want to say, “I will go just …
December 11, 2023
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Let us love silence and recollection. When we are at home with silence we are at home with God. Silence seems impossible …
December 10, 2023
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He has been tugging at my heart for so many years, urging me in so many ways to give myself wholly to …
December 9, 2023
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I believe that Our Lord is asking for victims who are willing to suffer much in reparation for sins, especially those of …
December 8, 2023
Posted by pat
God delights to honour His saints by bestowing upon them special graces which mark them off from the rest of mankind. To …
December 8, 2023
Posted by pat
I believe strongly in corporal penance as a means to the end. But a denial of your own will often costs more …
December 7, 2023
Posted by pat
I want you to make a greater effort to see the hand of God in everything that happens, and then to force …
December 6, 2023
Posted by pat
You must trust entirely in our Lord. He alone can help you. Give God His time. Be generous with Him and He …
December 5, 2023
Posted by pat
What must have been Mary’s thoughts when first she felt the infant child within her womb, and realised that from her pure …
December 4, 2023
Posted by pat
Xavier’s hour has come, the hour of his eternal reward and never-ending bliss. In a little hut, open on all sides to …
December 3, 2023
Posted by pat
The saints had ever a childlike confidence and trust in God. Upon Him they cast all their anxieties and cares, under His …
December 3, 2023
Posted by pat
Use your faults as stepping stones to better things. Don’t bemoan your faults and falls, but quietly take it out of yourself …
December 2, 2023
Posted by pat
The great light of this retreat, clear and persistent, has been that God has chosen me, in His great love and through …
December 1, 2023
Posted by pat
Will it be any help to you to learn that I know many who suffer as you do? Hence I can perfectly …
November 30, 2023
Posted by pat
It is scarcely necessary to state that deliberate sin in any shape or form utterly destroys the interior life and even gives …
November 29, 2023
Posted by pat
Vince teipsum (Conquer yourself). This is the secret of the Exercises. “I learnt no other lesson from my master Ignatius,” said St. …
November 28, 2023
Posted by pat
Try to take your days one by one as they come to you. The hard things of yesterday are past, and you …
November 27, 2023
Posted by pat
The chief thing God wants from me at present is an extraordinary and exquisite perfection in every little thing I do, even …
November 26, 2023
Posted by pat
The Practice of Humility I will strive to get a great contempt for myself, and to pray and desire that others may …
November 25, 2023
Posted by pat
Even as a child I longed and prayed to be a saint. But somehow it always seemed to me as if that …
November 24, 2023
Posted by pat
Do not try to run till you can walk well. Draw up a list of certain little sacrifices which you feel God …
November 23, 2023
Posted by pat
I felt strongly urged to rise and make the Holy Hour every night. In the past twelve months I have gone down to the …
November 22, 2023
Posted by pat
Remember the devil is a bad spiritual director, and you may always recognise his apparently good suggestions by the disturbances they cause …
November 21, 2023
Posted by pat
“My yoke is sweet” (Matthew 11. 30). The service of God, the whole-hearted generous service of God, is full of a sweetness …
November 20, 2023
Posted by pat
We can never sufficiently thank Him for so completely showing us in the Garden that He was a man by praying to …
November 19, 2023
Posted by pat
Sir William Bernard Hickie was Major General of the 16th Irish Division and knew Fr Doyle extremely well. He wrote the following …
November 18, 2023
Posted by pat
Your desire for penance is an excellent sign…But have a fixed amount to be done each day and do not be doing …
November 18, 2023
Posted by pat
Meditating on the Particular Judgement, God gave me great light. I realised that I should have to give an exact account of …
November 17, 2023
Posted by pat
Holiness and perfection depend on yourself, not on the actions of others. COMMENT: How easy it is for us to blame others, …
November 16, 2023
Posted by pat
Received my appointment from the War Office as chaplain to the 16th Division. Fiat voluntas tua. What the future has in store …
November 15, 2023
Posted by pat
Here is a link to Patrick Kenny’s talk in Fr Doyle’s native parish of Dalkey on 6 November 2023. On that evening …
November 14, 2023
Posted by pat
You certainly put your finger on the weak spot in most priestly lives – the want of prayer. The connection between prayer …
November 14, 2023
Posted by pat
Bravery Under Fire will be screened in Mucklagh Community Centre, Tullamore, County Offaly this coming Friday at 8pm. It will be followed …
November 13, 2023
Posted by pat
At the close of the retreat my soul is full of many emotions. God has been more than good to me, has …
November 13, 2023
Posted by pat
Lord, You know I love You less than any others, but I long and desire to love You more than all the …
November 12, 2023
Posted by pat
105 years ago today the First World War came to an end. It was a dreadful war; the first industrial war in …
November 11, 2023
Posted by pat
From the Tabernacle Jesus seems to say, “Stay with Me for it is towards evening and the day is now far spent”. …
November 11, 2023
Posted by pat
My offering myself as a war chaplain to the Provincial has had a wonderful effect on me. I long to go and …
November 10, 2023
Posted by pat
The reason I find it so hard to love God, why I have so little affection for Him, is because of my …
November 10, 2023
Posted by pat
Our Lord is displeased only when He sees no attempt made to get rid of imperfections which, when deliberate, clog the soul …
November 9, 2023
Posted by pat
Patrick Kenny of the Father Willie Doyle Association, will speak about Fr Willie’s heroic life of sacrifice on 11th November at 11.30am …
November 8, 2023
Posted by pat
The Fruit of the Third Week The thought that Jesus has suffered so much for me to atone for my sins and …
November 8, 2023
Posted by pat
My God, I promise You, kneeling before the image of Your Sacred Heart, that I will do my best to lead a …
November 7, 2023
Posted by pat
The greatest thirst of Jesus on the Cross was his thirst for souls. He saw then the graces and inspirations He …
November 6, 2023
Posted by pat
At this evening’s event in Dalkey Church at 7.30pm we will have Fr Willie’s boyhood shirt on display. This is the first …
November 6, 2023
Posted by pat
Today, the Feast of all the Saints of the Society, while praying in the Chapel at Donnybrook (Poor Clares), our Lord seemed …
November 5, 2023
Posted by pat
During all these long years Jesus has been standing bound at the pillar, while I have cruelly scourged Him by my ingratitude …
November 5, 2023
Posted by pat
All my life my study has been to avoid suffering as much as possible, to make my life a comfortable one How …
November 4, 2023
Posted by pat
I was greatly struck and helped yesterday by these words of the Imitation (of Christ): My child: let me do with you …
November 3, 2023
Posted by pat
From their cleansing prison of fire the holy souls cry to us for help. With joy indeed they bear the pain which …
November 2, 2023
Posted by pat
This evening I had a dispute with Father B. Instead of giving in to his wishes and allowing him to remain in …
November 1, 2023
Posted by pat
To-day the…Feast of All Saints, I made my election about offering myself for the Congo Mission. During the retreat I have been …
November 1, 2023
Posted by pat
St. Alphonsus Rodriguez is a striking example of one who, though in a lowly station in life, devoid of all that in …
October 31, 2023
Posted by pat
Darling Mother Mary, in preparation for the glorious martyrdom which I feel assured thou art going to obtain for me, I, …
October 30, 2023
Posted by pat
“Time that passeth like a shadow”(Ecclesiastes, 7. 1). Watch the shadow of the sun’s rays creep silently across the dial’s face. Slowly, …
October 29, 2023
Posted by pat
A great desire to know our Lord better, His attractive character, His personal love for me, the resolve to read the life …
October 28, 2023
Posted by pat
Today we continue with some of Fr Doyle’s reflections on the Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises and his resolutions aimed at …
October 27, 2023
Posted by pat
I am slowly learning the lesson Jesus brought me out here to teach me. The first and greatest is that I must …
October 26, 2023
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What account shall I give of this resolution when I stand before my God for judgement? PRACTICE OF THE THIRD DEGREE. I. …
October 26, 2023
Posted by pat
November 6 is the feast of all the saints of Ireland. On this day Fr Willie will be remembered in his native …
October 25, 2023
Posted by pat
Following straight on the heels of the meditations on the Two Standards and the Three Classes of Men, we will today consider …
October 25, 2023
Posted by pat
Fr Doyle wrote the following in his diary on October 25 1916. It refers to the previous night, in other words, this …
October 24, 2023
Posted by pat
We come now to one of the other great moments of the Spiritual Exercises – the Meditation on the Three Classes of …
October 24, 2023
Posted by pat
Patrick Kenny will present on the priestly witness and courage of Fr Willie as part of the “Inspiring priests of the past, …
October 23, 2023
Posted by pat
We come today to the famous meditation on the Two Standards. This is one of the high points of the Spiritual Exercises. …
October 23, 2023
Posted by pat
My God, this morning I was in despair. After some days of relaxation owing partly to sickness, I resolved to begin my …
October 22, 2023
Posted by pat
Fr Doyle wrote the following notes on the “hidden life” of Jesus as a young boy and man in Nazareth. These reflections …
October 22, 2023
Posted by pat
As part of the Second week, St Ignatius recommends a meditation on the early life of Christ. Here are his points for …
October 21, 2023
Posted by pat
Feeling very unwell for the past few days, I gave way to self indulgence in food and sleep. Jesus has made it …
October 20, 2023
Posted by pat
As part of the Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises, retreatants meditate on the early life of Christ. One of these meditations …
October 20, 2023
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of St Paul of the Cross, the founder of the Passionist order. He lived in the 1700’s, and …
October 19, 2023
Posted by pat
Today we start Fr Doyle’s reflections on the second week of the Spiritual Exercises. This part of the Exercises begins with a …
October 19, 2023
Posted by pat
A cope of this beautiful new image of Fr Willie will be installed in Dalkey parish church, Dublin, on Monday November 6 …
October 18, 2023
Posted by pat
The Fruit of the First Week: I realise in a way I never did before that God created me for His service, …
October 18, 2023
Posted by pat
One of the obstacles to my leading a fervent life is the thought of what others may think. I would often wish …
October 17, 2023
Posted by pat
Meditating on the Particular Judgement, God gave me great light. I realised that I should have to give an exact account of …
October 16, 2023
Posted by pat
Last night I rose at one a.m. and walked two miles barefooted in reparation for the sins of priests to the chapel …
October 15, 2023
Posted by pat
The life of St. Teresa teaches us that we should never despair of becoming saints. As a child she was filled with …
October 15, 2023
Posted by pat
Death is the end of all things here, the end of time, of merit, of pain and mortification, of a hard life. …
October 14, 2023
Posted by pat
Fr Doyle wrote the following in his diary on this day in 1916: Lately the desire to be trampled on and become …
October 13, 2023
Posted by pat
We continue with the meditations of the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises, and in particular with the meditation on Hell. Here …
October 13, 2023
Posted by pat
Patrick Kenny, President of the Father Willie Doyle Association, talks about Fr Willie on A Catholic Take with Joe McClane on Station …
October 12, 2023
Posted by pat
Today we consider one of the first exercises from the first week of the Spiritual Exercises – the meditation on sin. The …
October 12, 2023
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of St John XXIII. At first glance there does not seem to be much in common between Fr Doyle …
October 11, 2023
Posted by pat
Fr Doyle began his “Long retreat” – 30 days of the Spiritual Exercises – at this time in 1907. It was a …
October 11, 2023
Posted by pat
Today we will start a new series of special quotations from Fr Doyle. This day 116 years ago – 10 October 1907 …
October 10, 2023
Posted by pat
Pray for all, but especially for sinners, and in particular for those whose sins are most painful to His Sacred Heart. With …
October 9, 2023
Posted by pat
To Mary’s feet in heaven today the angels come in never-ending stream to lay before her the offerings of her loving earthly …
October 7, 2023
Posted by pat
“Behold I stand at the gate and knock” (Rev. 3. 20) Jesus stands at the door of my heart, patiently, uncomplainingly. …
October 6, 2023
Posted by pat
Do I ever say, when an occasion of denying myself comes, “It’s too hard, I am no saint?” Might it not be …
October 5, 2023
Posted by pat
In the end what once caused us pain and tears becomes the source of great interior joy, since we have realised how …
October 4, 2023
Posted by pat
I cannot deny that I love Jesus, love Him passionately, love Him with every fibre of my heart. He knows it, too, …
October 3, 2023
Posted by pat
Starting at 7pm on Wednesday, there will be a screening of EWTN’s Bravery Under Fire, followed by a short talk about Fr …
October 2, 2023
Posted by pat
He hath given His angels charge over us, to guide us, to guard and shelter us from dangers, to lead us safely …
October 2, 2023
Posted by pat
Kneeling at the grave of the Little Flower I gave myself into her hands to guide and to make me a saint. …
October 1, 2023
Posted by pat
Don’t dwell on what you have not done, for I think that want of confidence in His willingness to forgive our shortcomings …
September 30, 2023
Posted by pat
Today is the feast of the archangels, though in Fr Willie’s time 29 September was primarily the feast St Michael. St Michael …
September 29, 2023
Posted by pat
Don’t let the devil spoil the work by making you fret and worry. COMMENT: This line from Fr Doyle is taken from …
September 28, 2023
Posted by pat
For fifteen years has Jesus been waiting for me to return to Him, to return to the fervour of my first year …
September 27, 2023
Posted by pat
Fr Doyle wrote the following very private notes in his diary on 27 September 1915 about his prayer the previous night: Last …
September 26, 2023
Posted by pat
I was very much annoyed because because someone burnt the floor of my dug-out and also on finding my candles had been …
September 25, 2023
Posted by pat
I have noticed that every time I have indulged myself, my appetite especially, for no matter what reason, I have always had …
September 25, 2023
Posted by pat
We must love God with our whole heart. Can He be loved otherwise? Is it too much that a finite heart should …
September 21, 2023
Posted by pat