Venerable Fr. Solanus Casey, OFM Capuchin

 

"The only science that gives purpose to every other science is the science of religion--the science of our happy relationship with, and our providential dependence on God and our neighbor." 

 - Venerable Father Solanus Casey, OFM Capuchin

BEATIFICATION PRAYER FOR VEN SOLANUS CASEY

O God, I adore You. I give myself to You.
May I be the person You want me to be,
and may Your will be done in my life today.

I thank You for the gifts You gave to Father Solanus.
If it is Your Will, bless us with the beatification of
Venerable Solanus so that others may imitate
and carry on his love for all the poor and suffering of our world.

As he joyfully accepted Your divine plans,
I ask You, according to Your Will,
to hear my prayer for . . . (your intention)
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

“Blessed be God in all His designs.”

Imprimatur: Adam Cardinal Maida, Archbishop of Detroit

 

Father Solanus Casey, Capuchin, was born on November 25, 1870 on a farm in Wisconsin. His Irish immigrant parents named him Bernard. He was the sixth child in a family of ten boys and six girls. After he left the farm he worked throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota as a logger, a hospital orderly, a street car operator, and a prison guard.

At the age of 21, Bernard entered St. Francis High School Seminary in Milwaukee to study for the diocesan priesthood. Five years later he decided to enter a religious order. He was invested in the Capuchin Order at Detroit in 1897 and received his religious name of Solanus.

After his ordination in 1904, Father Solanus spent 20 years in New York, Harlem, and Yonkers. In 1924 he was sent to St. Bonaventure Monastery in Detroit where he worked for 20 years. In 1945, he returned to New York for one year. He was assigned to Huntington, Indiana from 1946 to 1956. He was reassigned to St. Bonaventure in 1956.

Father Solanus spent his life in the service of people. At the monastery door, he met thousands of persons from every age and walk of life. In time of trouble and sorrow, they sought his prayers and advice. Many attributed favors to his prayers. He constantly showed his love of God by loving all of God’s people. He was always ready and willing to listen to anyone any time of the day or night. In return he asked people to love and support the missions.

During his final illness, he remarked: "I'm offering my suffering that all might be one. If only I could see the conversion of the whole world." His last conscious act was to sit up in bed and exclaim, "I give my soul to Jesus Christ." He died in Detroit at the age of 86 on July 31, 1957 and is buried at St. Bonaventure Monastery.

Please report any personal knowledge of Father Solanus or favors to:

Vice Postulator

1780 Mt. Elliott Avenue

Detroit, Michigan 48207

Phone (313) 579-2100 Ext. 139

The Message of Father Solanus Casey, Capuchin

Who was Father Solanus? A simple man; a simple priest; not a man of letters although he sometimes wrote like a poet; not a man of degrees, yet his thought reached to profound depths.

In his own time, he was far ahead of his time. Like a prophet, he was a man with a message for our times. Like a prophet, he lived a life concerned for God's people, suffering and laboring for the conversion of sinners. His message, always one of faith and trust in God, was to console and to encourage. He brought about peace by a kindly insistence on our right relationship to – and dependence on – God and neighbor.

This Capuchin priest, Father Solanus Casey, was born November 25, 1870 on a Wisconsin farm along the banks of the Mississippi. He was the sixth child in a family of ten boys and six girls. His Irish immigrant parents named him Bernard after his father.

From an early age he learned obedience, diligence, and piety from his God-fearing parents. Life on the farm taught him to be practical and resourceful. At 17, eager to supplement the family income after several crop failures, Bernard willingly left the farm for other employment. In nearby Stillwater, Minnesota he worked for a time as a hand on the log-booms, as a part-time prison guard, then as one of the first streetcar operators when Stillwater installed the new electric trolleys.

In 1891 Bernard was able to pursue his long-cherished dream of becoming a priest. He began his studies at age 21 and entered St. Francis Seminary High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he dedicated himself to his spiritual and academic formation. Called by God to the Capuchin Order in 1896, Bernard was given the new name of Solanus. He soon became a model of religious observance, ever-faithful to the holy vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience. Although he experienced some difficulty with his studies, he so edified his Superiors and fellow religious that he was found worthy of ordination to the holy Priesthood on July 24, 1904.

His long priestly ministry then began in New York. During the fourteen years he served at Sacred Heart Parish in Yonkers, New York Fr. Solanus fulfilled the humble duties of Sacristan and Doorkeeper besides those of Director of the Young Ladies Sodality, Director of Altar Boys, and other pastoral duties. He soon edified the parishioners by his prayerful example at Mass, by his great charity toward the sick, the children, the non-Catholics and the poor. The sick especially were anxious for his priestly visits and consolation. His apostolate to the sick and to the poor continued in other places also. He was appointed to Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in New York City in 1918 and then to Our Lady of Angels Parish in Harlem in 1921. Soon after being appointed in 1924 to the Capuchin Friary of St. Bonaventure in Detroit Father Solanus became known and loved by all. Always available to the poor, the sick, and the troubled souls, he brought comfort to people from every age and walk of life. He was ready and willing to listen to anyone anytime. His ministry of charity and comfort was especially noted during the great Depression of 1929 when his concern for the poor inspired the Detroit Capuchins to establish their Soup Kitchen, a service of charity that continues to this day.

During the years of 1941-1945 Fr. Solanus' advice and prayers aided many anxious families whose sons and daughters served in World War II. Eager for the spread of the Catholic faith, Solanus actively promoted help for the Missions and showed great charity and concern toward non-Catholics. Always zealous for souls, his ministry to the sick and troubled continued unabated, even in the later years of his life when his Superiors, wanting to give him a well-earned retirement, sent him to the Friary of St. Felix in Huntington, Indiana in the spring of 1946. There he spent his time in prayer and ministry to the sick and troubled until his own infirmities brought him back to Detroit for special medical care.

Eighteen months later, after about a month in the hospital where he endured his pains with fortitude, his long life was completed. It was a life spent in total sacrifice for the glory of God by fulfilling to perfection the duties of a Christian, religious, and Priest of God. During his final illness he remarked, "I'm offering my sufferings that all might be one. If only I could see the conversion of the whole world." His last conscious act was to sit up and exclaim, "I give my soul to Jesus Christ." Fr. Solanus died on July 31, 1957 at the age of 86. He is buried at St. Bonaventure Monastery, Detroit, Michigan.

When the Cause of Solanus was recommended the Relator Fr. Peter Gumpel stated, "While his example is relevant for all priests and religious, it would seem to be such in a particular manner for all Americans. They will be able to derive from his life an inspiration entirely based on faith and charity, and at the same time, also deeply human: Sociable, optimistic and cheerful, compassionate and active in trying to alleviate the spiritual and material sufferings of others."