| Father Solanus Casey | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 25, 1870 Oak Grove, Wisconsin |
| Died | July 31, 1957 (aged 86) Detroit, Michigan |
| Nationality | U.S. |
| Education | St. Francis High School Seminary and the Capuchin School of Theology in Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Occupation | Priest, Order of Friars Minor Capuchin |
| Title | Father |
| Website | |
| http://www.solanuscasey.org/ | |
Venerable Bernard Francis Casey (November 25, 1870 – July 31, 1957) was born in Oak Grove, Wisconsin.[1][2] A Capuchin priest, Casey was known for his great faith, humility, and role as spiritual counselor and intercessor. The first United States-born man formally to be declared "Venerable" by the Roman Catholic church, Casey is a candidate now for beatification.
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The sixth of sixteen children of Irish immigrant parents,[3] he contracted diphtheria in his youth which permanently damaged his voice, leaving it wispy.[4] "Barney" left the farm to work in a series of jobs in his home state and Minnesota, as a lumberjack, hospital orderly, a prison guard in the Minnesota state penitentiary, and a street car operator.
He attended St. Francis High School Seminary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the age of 21, initially hoping to become a diocesan priest. Five years later, though, he joined the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, a Roman Catholic religious order for men. He took the name "Solanus" after St. Francis Solanus, a 17th century Spanish nobleman, intellectual, missionary and preacher.[3]
Casey struggled through seminary largely because most of his classes were conducted in the German language, which he had not previously studied. On July 24, 1904, at the age of 33, Solanus Casey was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood by Archbishop Sebastian Messmer at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Milwaukee.[5] Because he was judged to have performed insufficiently well in his seminary studies, Casey was ordained a "sacerdos simplex," a priesthood rank that prevented him from hearing confessions or preaching doctrinal sermons.[6]
After his ordination, Casey served for 20 years in a succession of assignments in Capuchin friaries in New York, Harlem, and Yonkers.[7] He was recognised as an inspiring speaker. In 1924, he was transferred to St. Bonaventure Monastery in Detroit, where he worked for a further 21 years. During this time, Casey served primarily as "porter", or receptionist and doorkeeper. Every Wednesday afternoon he conducted well-attended services for the sick. He became known for his great compassion and the amazing results of his consultations with visitors.[4] Many people considered him instrumental in cures and other blessings they received.
In 1946 in failing health, he was transferred to the Capuchin novitiate in Huntington, Indiana, where he lived until 1956 when he was hospitalized in Detroit.
Father Casey died on July 31, 1957, in Room 301 of St. John Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, at the age of 86.[8] His last words reportedly were: "I give my soul to Jesus Christ."[4] An estimated 20,000 people passed by his coffin prior to his burial in the cemetery at St. Bonaventure Monastery in Detroit, Michigan.[9]
On July 8, 1987, Father Solanus Casey's incorrupt body was exhumed and subsequently reinterred inside the Father Solanus Casey Center at the St. Bonaventure Monastery.[10]
Solanus Casey's cause for sainthood was opened in 1982. In 1995, Pope John Paul II declared Father Casey to be venerable,[10] the second step in the path to sainthood. Many miraculous cures have been associated with Father Solanus's intercession, both when he was alive and after his death.[11] Pilgrims from around the world continue to make pilgrimages to the tomb of Father Solanus Casey.
| Stages of canonization in the Catholic Church |
|---|
| Servant of God → Venerable → Blessed → Saint |