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The Mass and the Missions, Part II: A Requiem for Father Willie Doyle

Tradition and Sanity

He was a man among the dead, a “curé of a parish of trenches,” a missionary on the threshold of hell. Surrounding him were the shattering blast, the piercing whine of shot and shell, the spit and rattle of machine gun fire, and everywhere, unceasingly, the agonized cries of the wounded and dying. Yet, amid the terror and stench of war, the waste and phenomenal loss, Fr. William Doyle’s heart rested in unspeakable peace, even as the Sacred Host rested in his hands. He leant over his makeshift altar made in the side of the trench, a doorway to eternity cut out of a living grave. Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine: et lux perpetua luceat eis. He whispered the prayer over and over again, gently shepherding his flock of departed souls, the sole man of peace in a world consumed by war. It was September 9, 1916, and he offered the Holy Sacrifice as the battle of the Somme raged all around him. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.traditionsanity.com/subscribe