The beatification Mass for Fr. Solanus Casey is scheduled for November 18 at Ford Field in Detroit.
“Not unlike the [1987] Silverdome Mass celebrated by St. John Paul, this, too, will be a history-making liturgy,” said Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit.
“The beatification of Fr. Solanus Casey is an incomparable grace for the Church in the Archdiocese of Detroit and for the whole community. He is an inspiration to Catholics — and to all — of the power of grace to transform one’s life.”
The Capuchins of the Pittsburgh Diocese will also celebrate the Casey beatification with a Tuesday, November 14 Mass, 6:30 p.m. at St. Augustine Church, Our Lady of the Angels Parish, 225-37th St., Pittsburgh, PA 15201.
In May, Pope Francis announced the beatification of Casey, a Capuchin devoted to the sick and poor who died in 1957.
Born in 1870, Fr. Solanus entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order in 1897 and was ordained a priest in 1904. Due to his inability to complete all the academic requirements for the priesthood, he was never permitted to preach, hear Confessions, or fulfill the usual pastoral work of priests.
Instead, he was given the humble task of answering the door and talking to the many people who come to the Capuchin friaries in New York and Detroit where he was assigned.
Fr. Solanus, however, had an immense impact for the good. He became famous as a spiritual adviser and a man of prayer.
He spent 20 years in Detroit and it was there that he achieved his reputation for charity and holiness.
During the Great Depression he founded a soup kitchen to feed the poor of Detroit and he was known for his pastoral visits to the sick. He said that he had two great loves: the sick and the poor.
Many people claimed that they received healings and other divine favors through his prayers. “God will answer our prayers,” Fr. Solanus was known for saying.
People did not forget him after his death and devotion to his life and legacy continued.
Pope John Paul II declared him venerable in 1995.
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