The Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Murillo September 8 The Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary Don’t you know it is our Lady’s feast, and Mary had her mantle spread over us to save us from all harm? COMMENT: Fr Doyle wasn’t speaking of today’s remembrance of the birth of Mary when he made the above comment to a soldier, but the sentiment is just …
WWI
September 8, 2010
We continue the narrative from O’Rahilly’s biography which recounts the events of September 5, 1916. Please note: this excerpt reveals the true horror of war, and those who are a bit squeamish may prefer to skip the first coupler of paragraphs. At last came the expected order to advance at once and hold the front line, the part assigned being Leuze Wood, the scene of much desperate fighting. Fr. Doyle …
September 5, 2010
A German Krupp gun Today we continue the narrative and consider the events of September 4, 1916. Next morning there was a short march over the brow of a hill and down into a valley still nearer to the front line. It was a great change from the trench life of the past six months, since at Loos for days one never saw a soul overground and all guns were …
September 4, 2010
I stumbled across the above image by accident a few weeks ago. It was published in an Irish newspaper at the end of 1916. The priest is unidentified, but could it be Fr Doyle? This thought occurred to me not just because it was an Irish military chaplain, but because of the date depicted – 2nd September 1916. Fr Doyle and his men had to suddenly march to the …
September 3, 2010
St Teresa Margaret Redi Reasons why our Communions and Masses do not make us Saints. 1. Want of preparation, through sloth, carelessness, or absorption in other things; no thought of the greatness and immense dignity of the act, no stirring up of fervour. 2. No pains to examine our conscience carefully, to destroy affection to venial sin, and to root out faults often unrecognized for years. A soul filled with …
September 1, 2010
Martyrdom of St Bartholomew August 24 The Feast of St Bartholomew My dear child, as I have a few spare moments before we set out at 10 p.m. for the firing line, I must send you some words of encouragement. What has happened, is God’s happening. He will bring all things out smoothly and pleasantly in the end. Trust Him. You must try to be patient and wait for God …
August 24, 2010
Fr Doyle was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery at the Battle of the Somme As we have been reflecting on Fr Doyle’s heroic activities in the trenches and on the battlefield over the past few weeks, we could form the impression that he was some form of clerical Rambo, a superhero who never felt fear and who was thrilled with danger and with war. If we believed this, …
August 18, 2010
Remembering Fr Doyle in Dalkey Yesterday I visited the Church of the Assumption in Dalkey, just a few minutes from where Fr Doyle grew up. He used to attend Mass in this Church with his family, and if I am not mistaken, he used to occasionally play the organ here. I was delighted to see that Fr Doyle is still remembered here: a special plaque commemorating Fr Doyle was placed …
August 17, 2010
3 March 1873 – 16 August 1917 My Martyrdom for Mary’s Sake. Darling Mother Mary, in preparation for the glorious martyrdom which I feel assured thou art going to obtain for me, I, thy most unworthy child, on this the first day of thy month, solemnly commence my life of slow martyrdom by earnest hard work and constant self-denial. With my blood I promise thee to keep this resolution, …
August 16, 2010
The Assumption by Murillo August 15. The feast of the Assumption of Our Lady This was an important feast for Fr Doyle. He made his religious vows on this feast in 1893, and always felt that that Our Lady obtained special graces for him on this day. Here is his account of Mary’s protection on August 15th, 1916 (a year before his death) during one German shell attack: Knowing there …
August 15, 2010