Father J. Basil Doyle, CSP, was born in Montreal, Quebec, on March 29, 1893, one of nine children. In his youth he held a championship for swimming to the Toronto island. He was also a close friend of Gene Lockhart, the Canadian character actor, singer, and playwright. He attended St. Michael's College in Toronto and became interested in the Paulists after speaking with Newman Chaplain Father Thomas E. Burke, CSP. He entered the Paulist community in 1915 and made his profession on June 14, 1919. He was ordained a Catholic priest in Toronto on February 2, 1920.

The first years of Father Doyle's career were spent in parish work at Saint Paul the Apostle in New York and Saint Phillip Neri parish in Portland. In 1923 he joined the mission band in Tennessee and proved a moving speaker. An alumni publication of the University of Toronto in February 1925 referred to Father Doyle's style when preaching a mission there: "Judging from the enthusiasm of all those who heard his sermon, Father Doyle has set a standard that will be hard for future retreat masters to equal. Father Doyle held his audience in rapt attention throughout each lecture."

Father Doyle then served as director of novices at the Paulist novitiate in Oak Ridge, New Jersey, from 1929 until 1931. He would spend the next nine years in Toronto as pastor of Saint Peter's parish and Newman chaplain.

Always a missionary at heart, in 1940 Father Doyle returned to mission preaching and spent his remaining years of pastoral work preaching on mission bands based in Detroit, Clemson, Winchester and San Francisco. Even though his health was declining, he served briefly at the Paulist Center in Boston from 1965 to 1966, and then as an assistant at Saint Austin's parish in Austin, Texas, from 1966 to 1969. He returned to Toronto on sick leave in 1969 and died there on December 22 of that year at the age of 76 and having served as a Paulist priest for 49 years.

Father J. Basil Doyle, CSP, was born in Montreal, Quebec, on March 29, 1893, one of nine children. In his youth he held a championship for swimming to the Toronto island. He was also a close friend of Gene Lockhart, the Canadian character actor, singer, and playwright. He attended St. Michael's College in Toronto and became interested in the Paulists after speaking with Newman Chaplain Father Thomas E. Burke, CSP. He entered the Paulist community in 1915 and made his profession on June 14, 1919. He was ordained a Catholic priest in Toronto on February 2, 1920.

The first years of Father Doyle's career were spent in parish work at Saint Paul the Apostle in New York and Saint Phillip Neri parish in Portland. In 1923 he joined the mission band in Tennessee and proved a moving speaker. An alumni publication of the University of Toronto in February 1925 referred to Father Doyle's style when preaching a mission there: "Judging from the enthusiasm of all those who heard his sermon, Father Doyle has set a standard that will be hard for future retreat masters to equal. Father Doyle held his audience in rapt attention throughout each lecture."

Father Doyle then served as director of novices at the Paulist novitiate in Oak Ridge, New Jersey, from 1929 until 1931. He would spend the next nine years in Toronto as pastor of Saint Peter's parish and Newman chaplain.

Always a missionary at heart, in 1940 Father Doyle returned to mission preaching and spent his remaining years of pastoral work preaching on mission bands based in Detroit, Clemson, Winchester and San Francisco. Even though his health was declining, he served briefly at the Paulist Center in Boston from 1965 to 1966, and then as an assistant at Saint Austin's parish in Austin, Texas, from 1966 to 1969. He returned to Toronto on sick leave in 1969 and died there on December 22 of that year at the age of 76 and having served as a Paulist priest for 49 years.