I am convinced that generally we reach sanctity of life only through a long series of falls from which we get up.

COMMENT: Fr Doyle had a very realistic understanding of our human nature. He too struggled with temptations and with his own defects, but like the saints he realised that we do not battle alone, but rather with the help of our loving God, of our guardian angel and of the entire communion of saints.

Perhaps many of us have already forgotten what our new year’s resolutions were. Well, Lent begins in two days time, and we have another perfect opportunity to set ourselves some new goals and resolutions. We may also fail in these resolutions, but no matter, we can pick ourselves up and keep moving forward. The most important thing is never to give up.

I chose this particular quote from Fr Doyle today because a friend of mine found a leaflet printed in 1955 from Maine in the United States which contains this particular quote from Fr Doyle whom the author referred to as a “the saintly chaplain of World War 1”. How true those words were. It is interesting to come across yet another unexpected reference to Fr Doyle from another part of the world. This is a further testament to how widespread devotion was to Fr Doyle was at one point.

You may find there entire pamphlet here (Fr Doyle is mentioned on page 6):

Save Souls leaflet