Fr Doyle had many close shaves with death during his time as a military chaplain. One of those adventures occurred on March 5, 1916. We didn’t cover it yesterday because of Ash Wednesday, so I thought we might cover it today instead. This incident, and Fr Doyle’s description of it, reveal several things about his character: his trust in God’s protection and especially his faith in the Eucharist, his own …
WWI
March 6, 2014
Abandon yourself completely into the hands of God, and take directly from Him every event of life, agreeable, or disagreeable. Only then can God make you really holy. COMMENT: We love to stay in control. We find it hard to no longer be in charge of our own affairs. This is part of the natural human condition. But we are called to go beyond the natural level and to live …
January 29, 2014
Instead of a quote from Fr Doyle today we have an article about an incident he experienced during the war. This is taken from the December 2013 Pioneer Magazine. Fr Doyle was an enthusiastic member of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association founded by the Jesuit Fr James Cullen SJ. Pioneers take a pledge to abstain from alcohol, both to act as a witness to others but also as a form …
January 9, 2014
The following two excerpts from a letter written by Fr Doyle recount two incidents that happened on St Stephen’s Day, 1916. They give us a further insight into the harshness life in wartime, as well as Fr Doyle’s own cheerfulness in the face of the horrors of war. May we never have to face these trials in our own day, and if we do, may we face them with …
December 26, 2013
The following excerpt from O’Rahilly’s biography of Fr Doyle recalls Christmas Eve and Midnight Mass during the war in 1916… Christmas itself Fr. Doyle had the good luck of spending in billets. He got permission from General Hickie to have Midnight Mass for his men in the Convent. The chapel was a fine large one, as in pre-war times over three hundred boarders and orphans were resident in the …
December 24, 2013
St Peter Canisius, Doctor of the Church 21 December: A day I always like because the turning point of the year and from this on the evenings will be longer, the mornings brighter and, best of all, the sun hotter. I can quite understand now why the missioners when preaching to the Eskimos tell them that Hell is the devil and all of a cold place, otherwise every man …
December 21, 2013
Soldiers preparing Christmas dinner at the front Fr Doyle wrote the following letter to his sister from the trenches on 19th December 1916, 97 years ago today. It gives some insight into the hardship of his life, the humour and humanity with which he greeted these hardships, and his constant supernatural outlook. I want to have a little chat with you but you must promise to keep to yourself …
December 19, 2013
Remember the devil is a bad spiritual director, and you may always recognise his apparently good suggestions by the disturbances they cause in the soul. Our Lord would never urge you to turn away from a path which is leading you nearer to Himself, nor frighten you with the prospect of future unbearable trials. If they do come, grace will come also and make you abound with joy in all …
November 21, 2013
Soldiers from the 16th Irish Division. Fr Doyle was appointed chaplain 98 years ago today Received my appointment from the War Office as chaplain to the 16th Division. Fiat voluntas tua. What the future has in store I know not but I have given Jesus all to dispose of as He sees best. My heart is full of gratitude to Him for giving me this chance of being really …
November 15, 2013
Worshipper and Worshipped: Across the Divide: an Irish Padre of the Great War: Fr. Willie Doyle Chaplain to the Forces 1915-1917 by Carole Hope is published today, the anniversary of the end of the Great War. It is a most interesting chronological account of Fr Doyle’s life with a heavy focus on his time as military chaplain in World War 1. The book is in excess of 700 pages …
November 11, 2013