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 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 on
November 25,1870, the sixth child in a family often boys and six girls, on a
Wisconsin farm along the banks of the Mississippi. 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, and 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, Minn., he worked for a time as a hand on
the log-booms, as a part-time prison guard, and then as one of the first
street-car operators when Stillwater installed the I 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, entering 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 fellow Religious and his
Superiors that he was found worthy of ordination to the holy Priesthood on
July 24, 1904. His long priestly ministry then began in New York.
Over 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 and Devotions, and by his great charity toward
the sick, the children, the non-Catholics and the poor.
The sick especially were devoted to him and were anxious for
his priestly visits and consolation. This 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 for three years and then to Our Lady of
Angels Parish in Harlem, N.Y. for three years. More than fifty years later
his name is still held in great reverence at these places.
Soon after being appointed to the Capuchin Friary of St.
Bonaventure in Detroit, July 31, 1924, Father Solanus became known and loved
for his virtues. Ever available to the poor, the sick, and to troubled
souls, he brought comfort and help to persons from every age and walk of
life. He was ready and willing to listen to anyone, anytime. His ministry of
charity and comfort were 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 war years of 1941-1945, Fr. Solanus' advice and
prayers aided many an anxious family whose sons and daughters were engaged
in the great war. Zealous for the spread of the Catholic Faith, he actively
promoted help for the Missions and showed great charity and concern toward
non-Catholics. His wise counsel and burning faith led many of these to the
Catholic Faith.
Always zealous for souls, ministry to the sick continued
unabated, even in the later years of his life when his Superiors, desiring
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 in the 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 of sacrifice was completed. It was a
life spent entirely in a complete and total sacrifice for the glory of God
and for the service and sanctification of his fellow man by fulfilling to
perfection the duties of a Christian, of a Religious and a 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 in bed and exclaim: "I
give my soul to Jesus Christ." Fr. Solanus died in Detroit at the age of
86 on July 31, 1957. He is buried at St. Bonaventure Monastery,
Detroit, Michigan.
SIGNIFICANT DATES IN THE LIFE OF FATHER SOLANUS
- 1870 November 25 -Bernard Casey (Father Solanus) born
near Prescott, Wisconsin.
- 1870 December 18- Baptized Bernard Francis Casey at St.
Joseph's Mission Church, Prescott, Wisconsin.
- 1883 Received his First Holy Communion at St. Patrick's
Church, Hudson, Wisconsin.
- 1887 Completed District School at Burkhardt, Wisconsin.
1887 Lived and worked in Stillwater, Minnesota.
- 1890 Worked in Superior, Wisconsin on the new electric
trolley.
- 1892 Studied at St. Francis DeSales Seminary,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- 1896 December 24- Arrived at St. Bonaventure Monastery.
Detroit, Michigan.
- 1897 January 14- Invested as a Capuchin Novice, Frater
Francis Solanus.
- 1898 July 21- Made Simple Profession of Vows at St.
Bonaventure Chapel, Detroit, Michigan, then continued studies at St.
Francis Monastery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- 1901 July 21- Solemn Profession of Vows at St. Francis
Monastery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- 1903 December 8- Ordained a Subdeacon at St. Francis
DeSales Seminary Chapel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- 1904 March 20- Ordained a Deacon at St. Francis Church,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- 1904 July 24- Ordained a Priest at St. Francis Church,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- 1904 July 31-Sang his First Holy Mass at St. Joseph's
Church in Appleton, Wisconsin.
- 1904 August 4- Arrived at Sacred Heart Friary, Yonkers,
New York, his first assignment.
- 1918 July -Transferred to Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in
New York City.
- 1921 October 25- Transferred to Our Lady of Angels
Parish in Harlem, New York.
- 1924 August 1- Arrived at St. Bonaventure Friary,
Detroit, Michigan, a new assignment.
- 1945 July 23 -Transferred to St. Michael's Parish in
Brooklyn, New York.
- 1946 April 25 -Semi-retired at St. Felix Friary in
Huntington, Indiana.
- 1956 Spring -Returns to Detroit, Michigan, for medical
treatments.
- 1957 July 31 -Gives up his soul to God, Death at St.
John Hospital, Detroit, Michigan.
- 1957 August 3 -Buried, St. Bonaventure Friary Cemetery,
Detroit, Michigan.
- 1987 July 8- Body exhumed, then reinterred in St.
Bonaventure Church, Detroit, Michigan.
- 1995 July 11 -Declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II
PRAYER
Father, 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. Thank You
for the gifts You gave to Father Solanus. If it is Your will,
glorify him on earth so that others will carry on his love for the
poor, lonely and suffering of our world.
In order that others will joyfully accept Your
divine plan, I ask You to hear this prayer...through Jesus Christ,
Our Lord. Amen.
Here are some other web sites about Solanus Casey:
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Father
Solanus spent his life in the service of people, especially the hungry. The
garden's
focal point will be a sculpture of Father Solanus specifically commissioned
by a private donor. Holding out a loaf of bread to visitors, the
visual effect is relevant not only to his many years serving the poor, but
also to his first Mass at St. Joseph Church. A small collection box marked
"Feed the Poor" and a bench will be placed near the statue.
The stone archway over the entrance will be graced by a
grape arbor and clumps of ornamental grass to suggest sheaves of wheat. A
small placard near the entrance will echo the same words found at the
entrance to the Solanus Casey Center in Detroit: "Seek. Knock. Ask."
Again, relevance to the Eucharist is key. A curved walkway of pavers will
widen halfway across the courtyard to accommodate a simple water feature and
a second bench. Biblical garden species will include trillium, passion vine,
Solomon's Seal, jack-in-the-pulpit and others. A small medicinal herb
garden recalls the monastic life. A large rock will be home to some
Irish moss as a mark of Father Solanus' Irish heritage.