St John Vianney August 4 Feast of St John Marie Vianney, Patron of parish priests. Fr Doyle had a great devotion to the then Blessed John Vianney, and visited Ars in 1907. From O’Rahilly’s biography: In spite of missing a train, and after an adventurous journey on a very primitive steam-tram, he found himself in the spot hallowed by the Curé of Ars. Fr. Doyle insisted on seeing everything the …
Life
August 4, 2010
Photo of an Irish soldier taken by Fr Browne We have no more reports from Fr Doyle until August 5th, and we shall take up his narrative once again on that date. What we do know about these days is that Fr Doyle and his men had a few days rest before facing the trauma of battle once again. This might be an appropriate place to give the following excerpt …
August 2, 2010
1st August Feast of St Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church We continue today with Fr Doyle’s narrative of events in the days leading up to his death. Today’s account is somewhat shorter than that of other days. Even if the events of this day are less dramatic than what is to come, we can still glimpse some of the suffering Fr Doyle and the men had to endure, as …
August 1, 2010
July 31st The feast of St Ignatius Loyola, Founder of the Jesuits. We continue Fr Doyle’s account of July 31, 1917 directly after he left off yesterday. Again what is most noticeable is Fr Doyle’s good humour and cheerfulness, even in the midst of this awful war. It was 1.30 a.m. when our first halting place was reached, and as we march again at three, little time was wasted getting …
July 31, 2010
"When one has put in a long day of hard work…the prospect of a stiff march is not too pleasant". From the last letter of Fr Doyle to his father describing the events of 93 years ago today: For the past week we have been moving steadily up to the Front once more to face the hardships and horrors of another big push, which report says is to be the …
July 29, 2010
On August 12 1917 Fr Doyle sent his last letter home to his father. It was a long account of his involvement in the early stages of the Battle of Passchendaele. 5 days later he was hit by a German shell while rescuing a wounded soldier and was killed instantly. His account of the battle commences on July 30 and we shall follow his account in his own words …
July 28, 2010
Pope Benedict preparing to hear Confessions in St Peter's Basilica I, too, used long ago to hate Confession, for no reason whatever, till as a priest I began to realize the fact that it is the biggest help and quickest means to holiness, since a Sacrament pours grace into the soul. COMMENTS: Fr Doyle is of course correct in stating that there is no reason whatever for fearing Confession. But …
July 26, 2010
From a letter from Fr Doyle to his father, 25 July 1917: We shall have desperate fighting soon but I have not the least fear, on the contrary a great joy in the thought that I shall be able to make a real offering of my life to God, even if He does not think that poor life worth taking. God accepted the offering of Fr Doyle’s life three weeks …
July 23, 2010
Fr Doyle in the pulpit during his last homily, July 1917 In the lead up to the anniversary of Fr Doyle’s death on August 16, we shall recount some of the events of those last days on the anniversary of their occurrence. If we have a record of these events they will mostly replace the regular thoughts for each day. Today there is a lengthy quote from O’Rahilly’s biography about …
July 21, 2010
St Lawrence of Brindisi, Doctor of the Church Feast of St Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619), Doctor of the Church “I will give thee hidden treasures.” Isaiah 45. 3. Jesus has treasures which He hides from those who love Him not and do not seek Him. To His favoured ones, His faithful servants, He opens wide the storehouse where they lie and pours His graces forth unmeasured. He is a hidden …
July 20, 2010