I received the email from Spain yesterday. The person who sent it gave me permission to publish it anonymously. I found it tremendously encouraging. Helping people to confess was a crucial part of Fr Doyle’s ministry, both as a mission priest and as a military chaplain, and similar testimonies were received in the years after Fr Doyle’s death. After much time away from God, I went to the intercession of …
Fr Doyle links
August 30, 2017
Tribute by Sergeant T. Flynn published in the Irish News on this day in 1917 We had the misfortune to lose our chaplain, Fr. Doyle, the other day. He was a real saint and would never leave his men, and it was really marvellous to see him burying dead soldiers under terrible shell fire. He did not know what fear was, and everybody in the battalion, Catholic and Protestant alike, …
August 29, 2017
Ronan McGreevy of the Irish Times, author of Wherever the Firing Line Extends, has produced a fascinating documentary entitled The Irish at Passchendeale, in which Fr Doyle features significantly. It is also of wider historical interest, telling the story of Irish troops in the war, and places Fr Doyle’s service in context. Ronan has kindly arranged a special screening of the video at Veritas on Abbey Street next Friday, …
August 28, 2017
Fr Doyle’s pamphlets were best sellers 100 years ago. His writings have lost none of their appeal. To Raise the Fallen, a collection of Fr Doyle’s war letters and writings, is now in the top 0.005% of books on the online retailer Book Depository. Book Depository is a subsidiary of Amazon and provides free shipping worldwide. So if you want to send some of Fr Doyle’s writings to friends worldwide …
August 25, 2017
Carmel Uí Cheallaigh had an article in Ireland’s Own magazine a couple of weeks ago – an image is pasted below. I had meant to post it before now but I am behind schedule – there were so many items to promote over the last few weeks, and I was trying to limit the number of daily posts: some days saw 4 or 5 posts. I have several other articles …
August 23, 2017
The British province of the Jesuits published an interesting article about Fr Doyle today. The second paragraph about the new path to canonisation in the motu proprio Maiorem Hac Dilectionem is especially important… http://www.jesuit.org.uk/fr-doyle-sj-truly-european-hero
August 22, 2017
The following was written about Fr Doyle by Sir Percival Phillips, the famous war correspondent, and appeared in the Daily Express on this day in 1917. The Orangemen will not forget a certain Roman Catholic chaplain who lies in a soldier’s grave in that sinister plain beyond Ypres. He went forward and back over the battle field with bullets whining about him, seeking out the dying and kneeling in the …
August 22, 2017
The sales figures for To Raise the Fallen place it as the Number 3* hardback non-fiction book in Ireland last week. That is a phenomenal achievement given the vast competition and the fact that this is Ireland in 2017. This is not about boasting or anything like that. I share this information because it shows that Fr Doyle is still relevant for people today. His writings have been met with a …
August 21, 2017
I shall give a talk about Fr Doyle this Wednesday, August 23, at 1pm in the Central Catholic Library, Merrion Square, Dublin. Copies of To Raise the Fallen will be available at the talk. I am also available to give talks about Fr Doyle around Ireland (or elsewhere!). I already have some other dates for other events in my diary and will publicise them in due course. Fr Doyle’s heroism …
August 21, 2017
Dom Mark Daniel Kirby, the founder and prior of Silverstream Priory in County Meath, has kindly written a nice note about To Raise the Fallen. He describes Fr Doyle very poetically as an incandescent figure of holiness – high praise from one who has an intimate knowledge of many of the canonised saints. Silverstream Priory is one of the hidden good news stories of the church in Ireland. There is …
August 19, 2017