Father Doyle's Worldwide Reach

Chances are, if you’ve spent any time on the SSM campus, you’ve received a birthday card from Father Henry Doyle. Or perhaps you’ve received a thank you card, a holiday card, an anniversary card, or all of the above. And you probably don't even remember mentioning the occasion for which you received the heartfelt gesture.

Father Doyle’s cards, like the man himself, are a gift to each member of the Shattuck-St. Mary's community, near and far, to let them know that they are special and loved. He sends over 9,000 birthday cards every year across the world, and each one never fails to bring a smile to the face of the recipient. That’s an average of 24 cards a day—and that’s just birthday cards! He sends another 2,000 around the holidays, not to mention weddings, anniversaries, graduations and other well-wishes to let people know that someone is thinking of them. Father Doyle began this practice as a way to connect with others and stay connected, as he feels strongly that our lives are about the relationships we make with other people.

Father Doyle moved to Faribault in 1989 to take over the chaplain position at SSM. Originally, he had planned to stay for only two or three years, because that’s how long he had been told most chaplains stayed at their first job after seminary. Fortunately for the SSM community, he ended up staying a bit longer than that.

When he stepped down as Head Chaplain in 2009, Father Doyle continued his steadfast work of fortifying connections within the SSM community in his new role of Alumni Relations and Advancement Outreach. Each year, he officates at numerous SSM alumni weddings, baptisms, and funerals, sometimes traveling across country or abroad to do so.

Father Doyle has not only become integral to ShattuckSt. Mary's, but to the wider Faribault community as well. In 2014, he was chosen as Faribault’s “Citizen of the Year” for his service to the community and for his work in connecting SSM students with the town, through events such as the Community Easter Egg Hunt and Hands Across Faribault. In 2017, Faribault chose him as Grand Marshal for the annual Heritage Days festival, a time to celebrate Faribault’s history and legacy.

Throughout his career, he’s served in local ministry and prison ministry associations, served on the boards of the Red Cross, the Faribault Area Food Shelf, and Big Brothers Big Sisters, delivered Meals on Wheels to many of Faribault’s elderly residents for over a decade, and even performed on stage at the Paradise Center for the Arts downtown. Father Doyle does everything with his trademark energy and blessings, little pieces of which he sends all over the world in his cards.

Shattuck-St. Mary's may be just a small piece of a small town, but there’s no question that Father Doyle’s fierce love for his community has had an international impact. His influence will endure long after he retires, which he plans to do at the end of the next school year, in the spring of 2024.

Help us celebrate the final year of his career at SSM by sending us your favorite Father Doyle memories, stories, and photos!

13,321 CARDS MAILED IN 2022

45 3 TO

50 states countries U.S. territories & districts

9,000+ BIRTHDAY CARDS A YEAR

PLUS 1,400+ 250+

1,500+ Christmas cards Anniversary cards Easter Cards

EACH YEAR FEATURES | INSIDE SSM

WE ARE A GLOBAL LEARNING COMMUNITY THAT HONORS TRADITION WHILE EMBRACING INNOVATION. BY CULTIVATING CREATIVE, INDEPENDENT THINKING, WE FOSTER THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR STUDENTS TO BECOME CITIZENS OF INTEGRITY FOR AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD. WE ARE A GLOBAL LEARNING COMMUNITY THAT HONORS TRADITION WHILE EMBRACING INNOVATION. BY CULTIVATING CREATIVE, INDEPENDENT THINKING, WE FOSTER THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR STUDENTS TO BECOME CITIZENS OF INTEGRITY FOR AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD. WE ARE A GLOBAL LEARNING COMMUNITY THAT HONORS TRADITION WHILE EMBRACING INNOVATION. BY CULTIVATING CREATIVE, INDEPENDENT THINKING, WE FOSTER THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR STUDENTS TO BECOME CITIZENS OF INTEGRITY FOR AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD. WE ARE A GLOBAL LEARNING COMMUNITY THAT HONORS TRADITION WHILE EMBRACING INNOVATION. BY CULTIVATING CREATIVE, INDEPENDENT THINKING, WE FOSTER THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR STUDENTS TO BECOME CITIZENS OF INTEGRITY FOR AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD. WE ARE A GLOBAL LEARNING COMMUNITY THAT HONORS TRADITION WHILE EMBRACING INNOVATION. BY CULTIVATING CREATIVE, INDEPENDENT THINKING, WE FOSTER THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR STUDENTS TO BECOME CITIZENS OF INTEGRITY FOR AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD. WE ARE A GLOBAL LEARNING COMMUNITY THAT HONORS TRADITION WHILE EMBRACING INNOVATION. BY CULTIVATING CREATIVE, INDEPENDENT THINKING, WE FOSTER THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR STUDENTS TO BECOME CITIZENS OF INTEGRITY FOR AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD. WE ARE A GLOBAL LEARNING COMMUNITY THAT HONORS TRADITION WHILE EMBRACING INNOVATION. BY CULTIVATING CREATIVE, INDEPENDENT THINKING, WE FOSTER THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR STUDENTS TO BECOME CITIZENS OF INTEGRITY FOR AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD. WE ARE A GLOBAL LEARNING COMMUNITY THAT HONORS TRADITION WHILE EMBRACING INNOVATION. BY CULTIVATING CREATIVE, INDEPENDENT THINKING, WE FOSTER THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR STUDENTS TO BECOME CITIZENS OF INTEGRITY FOR AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD. WE ARE A GLOBAL LEARNING COMMUNITY THAT HONORS TRADITION WHILE EMBRACING INNOVATION. BY CULTIVATING CREATIVE, INDEPENDENT THINKING, WE FOSTER THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR STUDENTS TO BECOME CITIZENS OF INTEGRITY FOR AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD. WE ARE A GLOBAL LEARNING COMMUNITY THAT HONORS TRADITION WHILE EMBRACING INNOVATION. BY CULTIVATING CREATIVE, INDEPENDENT THINKING, WE FOSTER THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR STUDENTS TO BECOME CITIZENS OF INTEGRITY FOR AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD.