In Loving Memory of Father Donal Doyle, S.J.
2025年10月28日
On May 6th we received, with deep sorrow, the news from Father Augustine Salli that Father Donal Doyle, S.J. -- who stood at the very heart of the Ireland Sophians Association and who always kept in his thoughts those of us who had taken root in this land -- has passed away.
From afar here in Ireland, we wish to express our heartfelt gratitude for his years of kindness and extend our deepest condolences. We are told that he passed away peacefully at the age of 93, having lived 73 years in the Society of Jesus.
It is with great sadness that we bid him farewell. Yet, we believe with quiet faith that he will continue to watch over us from heaven.
Over the years we were blessed to meet him on many occasions, both in Ireland and in Japan, and those encounters remain vivid and cherished memories.
At the funeral Mass held on May 13th at St Ignatius Church, members of the Ireland Sophians Association residing in Japan gathered to pay their respects, while others in Ireland joined the ceremony online. We are most grateful to Mr Masao Torii, President of the Sophians Association, for recalling in his eulogy our shared memories with Father Doyle on behalf of the Ireland Sophians Association.
At the conclusion of the funeral Mass, a message of condolence from His Excellency Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland, was read aloud.
The full text of this message is reproduced below.
--
Dear Confreres of Father Doyle,
It was with deep sadness that I have learned of the passing of Father Donal Doyle S.J.
May I offer to you, the community at Sophia University, and to the Society of Jesus, our most heartfelt
condolences. Father Doyle was a figure of great distinction and enduring influence within the
Irish community in Japan and indeed far beyond. Since he arrived in Japan in 1958, Father Doyle
was the most distinguished member of the Irish community in his adopted country.
In establishing the Ireland studies programs in 1985 which later developed into the Ireland
studies tour, a program that gave students a special personal experience of the country and the
people, he opened the gateway to Irish history, literature and culture. Through his vision, the
Ireland studies tour gave many young Japanese students the opportunity to experience Ireland
in a deeply personal way, encouraging a new generation of cultural ambassadors who have gone
on to enrich their own communities across the spheres of business, public service and the arts.
In 2015 I had the honour of conferring upon him the Presidential Distinguished Service Award
for the Irish abroad. It was a fitting tribute to Father Doyle, in light of the immeasurable
contribution that he made to the deep and enduring friendship between our two nations, to a
man who helped plant the seeds of Irish heritage in faraway soil and who nurtured them with
compassion and care. Father Doyle dedicated his life to inclusion and to building welcoming and
engaging communities. His passing will be keenly felt by all who had the privilege to have known
him, to work alongside him and to benefit from his quiet wisdom, his enduring compassion and
his lifelong commitment to the values of education, justice and spiritual reflection.
May I extend to all who knew and loved Father Doyle, to his colleagues, his students and the
many friends he made across the years, my heartfelt condolences on his passing. We remember
a life well lived in service to others and in the cause of a better world. May his spirit, which
shone so clearly in his life, continue to inspire all who follow in his path.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dı́lis. (May their faithful soul rest at the right hand of God.)
Yours Sincerely
Michael D Higgins
Uachtarán na hÉireann President of Ireland
--
Sachiko Tanaka
（Faculty of Foreign Studies, French Department 1982）
William McIntyre
（Faculty of Liberal Arts 2012-2013）
On behalf of all members of the Ireland Sophians Association
Fr. Donal Doyle, S.J. (1931-2025)
At the Presidential Distinguished Service Award Ceremony, with the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins
August 27, 2015, in Dublin, with IE Sophians and Sophian friends from Japan visiting Ireland for Fr Doyle's Golden Jubilee celebration.
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