The Gentle Holiness of Blessed Solanus Casey
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The gentle holiness of Blessed Solanus Casey On Nov. 18 in Detroit, Blessed Solanus Casey will become the second U.S-born priest to be beatified, joining Oklahoma City priest Father Stanley Rother, who was beatified just this September. Among the personal effects belonging to Blessed Stanley at the time of his 1981 martyrdom were several relics. It’s notable that one of those few relics in his possession was a third-class relic of Father Solanus, a Capuchin friar and miracle worker who gained widespread notoriety for his holiness. The cause of canonization informally began for Blessed Solanus in 1960, when the Father Solanus Guild was established to preserve his memory. Favors began being reported to Rome in the mid-1960s. A canonization cause was initiated via the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1976, and in 1995 it was declared Father Solanus lived a life of heroic virtue, earning him the distinction as the first U.S.-born male to be given the title “venerable.” A miracle attributed to his intercession was validated in 1998, only to be proven false subsequently. On May 4, 2017, Pope Francis approved the miracle attributed to his intercession that cleared the path for his beatification — an event that will be held Nov. 18 at Detroit’s Ford Field in front of an anticipated crowd of 60,000 or more. Ahead of this special event, we look back at the life of Father Solanus, so well-known as a miracle worker, but who more importantly teaches us how to grow in our own relationships with God and others. Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic. Follow him on Twitter @HeinleinMichael. Who is Father Solanus Casey? Born Bernard Francis Casey in Wisconsin to Irish immigrant parents on Nov. 25, 1870, he spent his early years gaining a reputation as diligent and hard working. But not unlike many of the saints, Blessed Solanus struggled in identifying his vocation. Time and again it seemed he had found where God wanted him, only to find out otherwise. CNS photo As a young adult he tried his hand at a variety of jobs — from operating a street car to serving as a prison guard. Always personable and charming, Blessed Solanus did not find it too difficult to fit in and develop relationships with those around him. But Blessed Solanus was left wanting more than just a job. In his young adult years, he thought marriage was in his future — having proposed to a young woman only to have her disapproving mother send her off to a boarding school. A very sensitive man by nature, this experience wounded him deeply. But experiences such as this led him to learn how to unite his sensitivity and the many hurts in his life with the sufferings of Christ. Searching for his vocation As is the case with divine providence, when God closes one door he opens another — an even better one. And so he did for Blessed Solanus. This would be shown time and again throughout his life because of the many challenges posed to him regarding his vocation. The unfolding story of his vocation taught him much about the dependence on God’s will and providence; what he learned is the path to his heart’s contentment and peace. After witnessing a brutal murder of a woman while on duty as a street-car operator in 1891, Blessed Solanus first felt the call to the priesthood. He felt the urge to do something concrete to bring about change in a broken world and make a difference in the lives of others. After praying and reflecting for a few days, Blessed Solanus visited his parish priest and asked how to go about entering the seminary. He was destined for more hurt and disappointment during his time at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee. Having gone out in search of work as a young man to help his financially struggling family, Blessed Solanus had not completed any schooling higher than eighth grade, and this made his seminary studies difficult. Classes were conducted in German and Latin, and Blessed Solanus struggled academically, particularly with languages. Although the seminary officials in Milwaukee dismissed him because of his poor grades, they were of the opinion that the religious life might be a good fit for him. He visited the Capuchin Franciscans nearby, but felt no attraction to their life — especially their use of German or their wearing of the cumbersome beards he disliked. Not sure of what to do next, he went home in 1896. A Love for the violin Blessed Solanus was given a new name when he professed vows as a Capuchin — after the Franciscan St. Francis Solanus. The Spanish priest was a missionary to South America and known for playing his violin for the native peoples to whom he brought the Gospel. As a means to bring them joy, the saint also would play the violin for the sick and suffering he visited. The violin was known to bring Blessed Solanus as much joy as it did consolation. He picked up the skill as a young man and would perform at barn dances and the like. He was no prodigy at playing the instrument, but he did his very best. Friars recalled Blessed Solanus playing “Pop Goes The Weasel” and “Turkey in the Straw” among other tunes. During times of communal recreation, he would play the violin for his confreres, and his melodies often would be accompanied by an Irish tune. His voice was weak and poor, related to a speaking impediment. These performances would often end with Blessed Solanus excusing himself because his confreres more or less would make fun of him. So Blessed Solanus would end up sneaking off to the chapel where he would play his very best for the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. One Christmas, one of his confreres later recalled how he discovered Blessed Solanus alone in the main chapel of the friary, playing Christmas carols for the newborn Christ in the manger. “He looked so at peace, spending time with the Lord in devotion,” his fellow Capuchin said. Once, when another brother at his friary went to gather up apples on the monastery grounds, he found no bees coming near him. Then, realizing the miraculous nature of avoiding the well-known pesky bees that swarmed about the monastery grounds, he heard Blessed Solanus’ violin in the background, with all the bees swarming about him. Once he stopped playing, the bees attacked the brother until Blessed Solanus fixed the problem, causing confusion among the bees by removing one of the two queen bees in the hive. Blessed Solanus then blessed the brother, and all the bee stings disappeared, saving his life. A Selfless Soul There are numerous stories that illustrate the selflessness of Blessed Solanus. This is, of course, one of the key descriptions of a saint — one who loves as Christ loves is one who lives for others. Blessed Solanus had a weak physical constitution and was prone to developing colds frequently. One of the friars at the monastery urged him to leave his porter’s desk so he could go to bed and get some rest. But a young couple came in and Blessed Solanus spent his time with them instead. Sometime later, the brother saw Blessed Solanus finishing up his visit with the couple. Expressing his regret that Blessed Solanus could not get some much-needed rest, the saintly friar likened the situation to Christ visiting and consoling the women in Jerusalem just before his third fall. This is just one of the many ways when Blessed Solanus mirrored the self-emptying quality of Christ’s love to which each of us is called and by which each of us is challenged. An Embrace of Suffering Blessed Solanus recognized the great spiritual opportunity available to those who suffer. This entailed for him a great trust in God’s providence. He knew that God would care for each of us in our physical and spiritual difficulties. The ministry he carried out as the monastery porter brought him in contact with an array of human suffering. He always urged people to take up their crosses joyfully, which would lead to a closer relationship with God. “Do not pray for easy lives,” Blessed Solanus said, “pray to be stronger.” Shutterstock photos This must be understood when considering the gifts of healing brought about through the prayers of Blessed Solanus. The healings that occurred brought about a greater good and brought strength in the recipient’s faith. Through all of this, both in embracing sufferings or receiving healings, Blessed Solanus’ sole desire was to bring peace to people’s lives through a stronger relationship with God. This all arose from Blessed Solanus’ total confidence in God’s ways, which he wrote are “always wonderful.” “In my opinion, there is hardly anything else that the enemy of our soul [that is, Satan] dreads more than confidence in God,” Blessed Solanus said Entering the Capuchins Under the tutelage and counsel of a Capuchin in Wisconsin, however, the young Casey decided to give the Capuchins a closer look, although he still was reticent and unenthused. The friar who counseled him even said the beard would help his throat, where he suffered chronic illness. After a lengthy correspondence, Blessed Solanus was accepted into the order. Throughout his life, Blessed Solanus was especially dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, so he decided to place his future in her hands. After completing a novena in commemoration of her Immaculate Conception, Blessed Solanus received a mystical experience that relayed to him an important message: “Go to Detroit.” Detroit was home to the novitiate for the Capuchin province of St.