Leonard J. Doyle

Leonard J. Doyle
July 17, 1914 – October 22, 1970

Leonard Joseph Doyle was born in Milwaukee on July 17, 1914. He attended Gesu Grade School, Marquette High School, and Marquette University, where he received a B.A. in journalism. He did volunteer work at the Catholic Worker in Milwaukee and throughout his life was an advocate for peace and justice. After graduation he joined the staff of the Los Angeles archdiocesan newspaper.

In 1946 Leonard came to St. John’s Abbey at Collegeville, MN, where he worked as a printer in the abbey print shop. During this period he met his future wife, Elizabeth Finegan of Rochester, NY; they were married at St. John’s in 1948 and lived near the abbey and university.

Leonard had a small printing press in the basement of their home, where he set his own type and printed cards, leaflets, and other small orders. He later found employment at The Liturgical Press, which was located on the St. John’s campus. A quiet and unassuming man, he was a gifted translator of German, French, Italian, and Latin works for The Liturgical Press, in addition to operating his own publishing company, named Doyle and Finegan.

His translations include such titles as A Commentary for Benedictine Oblates (1950); Benedictine Peace (1950); The Simplification of the Rubrics (1955); Parish Holy Week Missal (1956); Benedictinism Through Changing Centuries (1958); A History of Benedictine Nuns (1958); Theological Dimensions of the Liturgy (1959-); Rubrics of the Roman Breviary and Missal (1960); The Life of Perfection (1961); Liturgy and Spirituality (1971), among others. His translation from Latin of St. Benedict’s Rule for Monasteries, which was first published in 1948, is still sold by The Liturgical Press. After Vatican II, Leonard worked on the official liturgical books published by The Liturgical Press, including the Lectionary, the Sacramentary , and the Breviary.

Leonard died of a heart attack on October 22, 1970. His wife, five of his six sons, and three daughters survive.