The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-08-17
GREAT Loss To 7it> e1acH
Father Doyle, the Eminent Pau.
Rector of the Apostolic Mission
House, Washington, Dies Suddenly
in San Francisco-The Apostle of
the Non-CathoIic Mission Movement
in America.

in America.
During the past week the Catholic
Church in America has suffered an
almost irreparable loss in the untime-
ly death of the Very Rev. A. P. Doyle,
c. S. P, Rector of the Apostolic Mis-
sion House in Washington, D. C.
Few, even among Father Doyle's init
mate friends, knew that he was all
ing. But the strain of continual ap-
plication to duty had begun to tell on
his robust strength. Two weeks ago
he left his post in Washington and
crossed the continent for sojourn in
California, believing that his native
air would restore him to his wonted
vigor He entered st. Mary's Hos
pital, San Francisco, where he was
suddenly stricken with an acute at
tack of diabetes to which he sue
cumbed on Friday, August 9. Up to
the present writing no details have
been received regarding his last mo-
ments or the funeral services.
The news of Father Doyle's sudden
death came as shock to the Rev
erend Clergy and Catholics of st. Paul
to whom he was we'll known. Some
years ago he preached several mis-
sions in the churches of the Twin Cities
and elsewhere throughout the State.
Two years ago next week the do
cesar retreat for the clergy was con-
Quoted by him and he had also
preached a retreat for the students of
the Seminary. On other occasions,
too, he visited St. Paul as the guest
of the Most Reverend Archbishop and
in company with the Apostolic Dele
gate, now Cardinal Falconio.
Biographical Sketch.
Father Doyle was born in San Fran
cisco in 1857, and received his early
education from the Jesuits and Chris
tian Brothers in that city. At the age
of eighteen he entered the Congrega-
ton of St. Paul and was ordained to
the priesthood in 1880. For twelve
years he was engaged in giving mis-
sions throughout the United States.
From 1892 to 1904 he was editor of the
Catholic World Magazine, published
by the Paulist Fathers of New York.
He founded the Catholic Book Ex-
change for the dissemination of Cath
olic literature, was General Secretary
of the Total Abstinence Union for ten
years prior to 1903 and during that
time organized the Temperance Pub
lication Bureau which issued over a
million temperance tracts. In 1896 he
organized the Catholic Missionary
Union for the purpose of financing
the movement for giving missions to
non-Catholics and eight years later
supervised the building of the Apos-
tolic Mission House at Washington to
train priests for this work. He col
lected the funds for the erection and
endowment of the institution and sue
ceeded the Rev. Walter Elliott in the
Rectorship, a position which he held
at the time of his death.
A Typical PauIist.
Those who were privileged to know
Father Doyle cannot speak of him in
any but the highest terms. He was
a. cultured, Jealous priest whose every
thought was for the welfare of the
Church he served so disinterestedly.
AS a member of the Paulist Order he
was the embodiment of all the zeal
and aggressiveness of Father Hecker
and the other founders of the congre-
CATION and with the venerable Father
Elliott was regarded as it's foremost
representative in America today. In
his priestly life he typifed the dis
tinguishing characteristics of the COM
munity and devoted his every thought
to the attainment of the ends for
which it was organized. His zeal
knew no bounds. He was ready to do
a yeoman's share in furthering any
good work that promised to enhance
the prestige of the Church in America.
No one appealed to him in vain on
her behalf and for the promotion of
her interests.
A Leader in Temperance Work.
From early manhood he was an
ardent preacher and exemplar of total
abstinence. In this line of work his
zeal, ability and earnestness were
recognized by the Catholic Total Alb
stinence Union of America whose
efficient General Secretary he was for
a decade of years. He resigned the
position only when the burden of
other duties pressed too heavily upon
his shoulders to give him time to do
the work as he believed it ought to be
done. 1t may be said with truth that
no other priest in America has served
the cause of total abstinence so we'll
He wrote, edited and published thou.
sands of phamplets dealing with diff.
ferent phases of the temperance ques.
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