A CEREMONY is being held today to mark the end of an initial phase of the canonisation process for an Irish priest.
Father William Doyle died on August 16, 1917 at the Battle of Passchendaele while running to the aid of two Protestant soldiers.
The Diocese of Meath says that makes Fr Doyle an ecumenical martyr of charity as it prepares to sign off an almost four-year inquiry into the priest's cause for sainthood.
"This is the first Irish cause to close in over 40 years, the last being that of Venerable Nano Nagle, foundress of the Presentation Sisters," said Fr Tom Deenihan, Bishop of Meath.
Fr Doyle 'has much to offer our own time'
Born in Dalkey, Co. Dublin in 1872, Fr Doyle entered the Jesuit novitiate at Rahan, Co. Offaly in 1891.
He became a military chaplain for the 16th (Irish) Division of the British Army and was present at several important battles, including the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Messines Ridge.
He was awarded the Parchment of Merit for bravery during a gas attack in April 1916, awarded the Military Cross for his bravery at the Somme and nominated for both the Distinguished Service Order and Victoria Cross.
At the Battle of Passchendaele, a group of soldiers led by Lieutenant Charles Marlow and Lieutenant Arthur Green got into trouble beyond the front line.
Fr Doyle ran to assist them and the three men were about to take shelter when they were hit by a German shell and killed.
This afternoon's ceremony at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Mullingar marks the end of the Diocese of Meath's inquiry and the completion of the Irish phase of the investigation.
The cause was formally opened in November 2022 following a campaign by the Father Willie Doyle Association, which was founded in 2020 to work towards his beatification and canonisation.
The diocesan tribunal has spent four years collection extensive documentation supporting Fr Doyle's cause, including personal writings, published works and official testimonies.
The documentation was sealed by Bishop Deenihan this week and he will today sign a final decree validating the evidence.
Among today's congregation will be some of Fr Doyle's family members, 15 bishops from throughout Ireland and parishioners from the Diocese of Meath.
There will also be representatives of other Christian denominations and military personnel from Ireland and England.
"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 — as well as his commitment to promoting the Gospel and vocations, and his spirituality which involved sacrifice — has much to offer our own time when nationality and denomination run the risk of polarity," said Bishop Deenihan.
"To quote Pope Francis, 'Christians build bridges, not walls'. Indeed Father Doyle's spirituality and example resonate very much with that of the spirituality of Gen Z."
Sainthood process
Following today's ceremony, the documentation for Fr Doyle's cause will be sent to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in Rome.
The Roman postulator will take the local findings and compile them into a comprehensive master volume called a positio, which will be reviewed by a panel of Vatican theologians, bishops and cardinals.
If they vote in favour of the proposal, the Pope will issue a Decree of Heroic Virtues, elevating Fr Doyle to the title of 'venerable'.
The process is still a long way from the beatification and canonisation stages, which both require evidence of a miracle attributed to the candidate.
Bishop Deenihan has urged people to offer prayers of intercession to Fr Doyle for those who may be ill.
"I encourage people to pray through Fr Doyle's intercession and, if they believe they have received a healing through his intercession, to report it to the diocese as soon as possible," he said.
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