THE CAUSE FOR BEATIFICATION OF FR WILLIE DOYLE SJ
The diocesan process for the cause of canonisation of Father Willie Doyle SJ will formally close at a ceremony in the Cathedral of Christ the King, Mullingar, on Sunday, 18 October, marking the completion of the Irish phase of the investigation.
Bishop Tom Deenihan, Bishop of Meath, will preside over sung Vespers at 4pm before the final public session of the Tribunal of Inquiry. He will seal the official records, which, together with the documentation and evidence gathered, will be sent to the Dicastery for the Causes of the Saints in Rome.
The cause was opened in 2022 and is the first Irish cause to reach this stage in more than 40 years. The last was that of Venerable Nano Nagle, foundress of the Presentation Sisters.
Ahead of the ceremony, Bishop Deenihan said, “All are welcome to the Cathedral to attend the ceremony to mark the closing session of the Diocesan Inquiry of the Cause for the Beatification and Canonisation of the Servant of God Father Willie Doyle SJ. This will be a significant prayerful occasion and, after the ceremony, the process will move to the Dicastery for the Causes of the Saints in Rome.”
Bishop Deenihan said Father Doyle’s example remained relevant today, particularly given his ministry to soldiers of different Christian denominations while serving as a British army chaplain during the First World War saying, “The example of Father Doyle, an Irish Catholic Jesuit priest who died serving as a British army chaplain in 1917, while ministering to soldiers of other Christian denominations … has much to offer our own time when nationality and denomination run the risk of polarity.”
Bishop Deenihan thanked Father John Hogan, Postulator for the cause, Dr Patrick Kenny of the Father Willie Doyle Association, and the members of the Diocesan Tribunal, Historical Commission and Theological Commission for their research and commitment.
He also encouraged people to pray through Father Doyle’s intercession for healing and to report any unexplained healing to the diocese or the Father Doyle Association.
Father Hogan said a miracle attributed to Father Doyle’s intercession would ordinarily be required for beatification, followed by a further approved miracle for canonisation.
Born in Dalkey, County Dublin, in 1873, Father Doyle became a military chaplain with the 16th (Irish) Division. He was killed on 16 August 1917 at the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium while attempting to assist wounded soldiers beyond the front line. His body was never recovered.
Sunday’s ceremony will bring together family members, bishops, clergy, military representatives and people from different Christian denominations to mark the conclusion of the diocesan inquiry.
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