While many people first encountered Fr Doyle through the O’Rahilly book, there are a lot whose first contact was actually the book Merry in God. This book was published in 1939, and many people mistakenly believe it was also written by O’Rahilly. However, no author’s name appears on the text. The book appears to have been written by Fr Charles Doyle, Willie’s older brother with whom he was inseparable as …
July 17th, 2017
July 31, 2017
Carole Hope, the author of Worshipper and Worshipped, was at the Tyne Cot memorial today and left a floral tribute there to commemorate Fr Doyle as part of the 100th anniversary commemorations for the Battle of Passchendaele. Fr Doyle killed in this battle on August 16 1917.
July 31, 2017
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 to sleep. It was the morning of July 31st, the Feast of …
July 31, 2017
I long to get back to my little room at night, to calm and quiet, and yet I dread it, for He is often so loving there. I feel He is near because I cannot go to Him in the Tabernacle. It is such a helpless feeling to be tossed about as it were on the waves of love, to feel the ardent, burning love of His heart, to know …
July 30, 2017
Fr Doyle describes the events of July 30, 1917: 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 biggest effort since the War began. The blood-stained Ypres battle field is to be the centre of the fight, with our left wing running down to the Belgian coast …
July 30, 2017
Worshipper and Worshipped was written by Carole Hope and published in 2013. It has the distinction of being the longest book about Fr Doyle – it is over 700 pages in length! This is the definitive study of Fr Doyle’s life as a military chaplain. If the O’Rahilly book is approximately 60% general biography and spiritual life and 40% about the war, this book is balanced in the opposite …
July 29, 2017
On August 12 1917 Fr Doyle sent his last “budget” home to his father. It was a long account of his involvement in the early stages of the Battle of Passchendaele. 4 days later he was hit by a German shell while rescuing 2 wounded soldiers and was killed instantly. His account of the battle commences on July 30 and we shall follow his account in his own words each …
July 29, 2017
The publication of K.V. Turkey’s article in the Catholic Herald (see http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/issues/july-28th-2017/how-one-priest-saved-countless-souls-in-the-first-world-war/) is a great opportunity to write about this excellent Catholic Truth Society booklet by the same author. This booklet has the distinct honour (as far as I am aware) of being the first entirely new book in English about Fr Doyle in nearly 75 years (I did hear a rumour of another book written by a priest in …
July 28, 2017
The UK’s Catholic Herald has an article about Fr Doyle written by K.V Turley, the author of Fr Willie Doyle & World War 1: A Chaplain’s Story published by the Catholic Truth Society. Check out the article here and share it with others: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/issues/july-28th-2017/how-one-priest-saved-countless-souls-in-the-first-world-war/
July 28, 2017
28 July 1907, Miltown Park, Dublin. Fr Doyle is marked with an X. My loving Jesus, on this the morning of my Ordination to the priesthood, I wish to place in Your Sacred Heart, in gratitude for all that You have done for me, the resolution from this day forward to go straight to holiness. My earnest wish and firm resolve is to strive with might and main to become …
July 28, 2017