Father Solanus Casey (1870-1957) was beatified last month, Nov. 18, in Detroit. Solanus Casey was born Bernard Francis Casey on Nov. 25, 1870, on a farm near Oak Grove, Wis. He was the sixth child in a family of 10 boys and six girls born to Irish immigrant parents. He was called "Barney" by his family.

The childhood of Barney was steeped in Catholic tradition. The children of the family loved sports, hunting, fishing, swimming, skiing, and skating. The 10 boys formed their own baseball team: The Casey Nine. The other boys enjoyed boxing, but Barney would not participate, for he did not want to inflict pain on others.

Barney developed a great love for prayer. His father would call the boys saying, “Prayer, boys, prayer!” Barney learned to love the rosary as his mother did and he resolved to say it every day.

At the age of 21, Barney entered the seminary in Milwaukee to study for the diocesan priesthood. Barney loved the life in seminary, however, he had difficulty learning German and Latin, the languages in which theology was taught at the time. Finally, his superiors advised that he was not likely to succeed and they suggested he enter a religious order.

In 1896, a spiritual adviser suggested he write to the Jesuits, Franciscans, and Capuchins. All three communities replied with letters of welcome. In order to discern which community to join, Barney invited his mother and his sister Ellen to join him in praying a novena for the nine days leading up to the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. On the last day of the novena, after Holy Communion, Barney distinctly heard the Blessed Mother telling him, “Go to Detroit.” The  Capuchins community was headquartered in Detroit.

Barney travelled through a snowstorm for three days to arrive at the door of St. Bonaventure Friary on Christmas Eve. Exhausted from the trip, he fell asleep, but was awakened by the sound of bells and singing. With joy, Barney jumped up from his nap and joined the procession to the chapel for Midnight Mass.

On Jan. 14, 1897, Barney was given the new name, Friar Francis Solanus. He became known as “Solanus.” In his studies, Brother Solanus' grades were only average or passing. His superiors questioned his suitability for holy orders. Eventually, the superiors decided Brother Solanus would be ordained a “simplex priest” – one who can say Mass, but not publicly preach or hear confessions. He was ordained a priest in July 1904.

Since Father Solanus was a “sacerdos simplex,” he was given the same jobs as lay brothers of the order. He first served as sacristan, then director of the altar servers, then porter or “doorkeeper,” answering the bell at the monastery door. He spent 21 years as a porter at St. Bonaventure Friary in Detroit.

Father Solanus said, "I have two loves: the sick and the poor." He was always available to the poor, the sick, and troubled souls and gave spiritual guidance to many people. Father Solanus greatly supported the work of the Seraphic Mass Association (today called the Capuchin Mass Association) as a means to support Capuchin foreign missionaries.

Those who enrolled their name with a small donation would be remembered in the prayers and Masses of the Capuchin Friars around the world. When Father Solanus enrolled a person, amazing results and even complete cures began to happen regularly. Father Provincial asked that notes be made of special favours reported through the Seraphic Mass Association. Father Solanus would eventually fill seven notebooks with more than 6,000 entries until 1956.

During his final illness Father Solanus 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." Father Solanus died on July 31, 1957.

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新真福愛護貧病者 

蘇拉諾.嘉晰神父(1870-1957)於本年11月18日在美國底特律被宣福。原名伯納.方濟.嘉晰的蘇拉諾.嘉晰,於1870年11月25日,出生在美國威斯康新州奧麴縣,屬來自愛爾蘭的移民家庭;父母共有孩子十男六女,蘇拉諾排行第六,家中稱他為「伯彌」。 

伯彌從小在天主教的傳統中成長,而兄弟姊妹們都喜愛運動,如打獵、釣魚、游泳、滑雪及溜冰,甚至兄弟十人自組名為「嘉晰九」的棒球隊。不過,伯彌不像其他兄弟般喜歡拳擊,因為他不喜歡對別人造成傷害。

伯彌培育成喜愛祈禱。他父親常對兒子們說:「祈禱!男孩子們,祈禱!」伯彌如母親一樣,喜唸玫瑰經;後來他自己每天都誦唸玫瑰經。

二十一歲時,伯彌進入密爾沃基的修院,有意成為教區神父。雖然他甚愛修院生活,但學習德文及拉丁文遇上困難,皆因神學以這兩種語言授課。最後,他的長上認為他不可能完成相關學科,勸他轉往修會修院繼續修道。

1896年神師建議他去信耶穌會、方濟會、嘉布遣會,結果全部修會回應都是歡迎他加入。選擇加入那個修會的同時,他邀請母親和妹妹雅倫一起在聖母無原罪瞻禮前做九日敬禮。在敬禮的最後一日,他清楚聽到聖母聲音對他說:「到底特律去!」那裡是美國嘉布遣會團體的總部。

經過三整天的風雪旅程,在聖誕日前夕,伯彌到達聖文德修院的門口。由於實在太疲倦了,他打了瞌睡。還是聖誕的鐘聲和聖詠聲把他吵醒,遂趕快起來,加入巡遊隊伍進入小堂,參與子夜彌撒。

1897年1月14日,伯彌被冠以新名字:「方濟.蘇拉諾」修士,眾人卻簡呼他「蘇拉諾」。蘇拉諾修士學業成績強差人意,或只得及格的分數,且受到長上質疑他是否適合領受神品。終於,長上決定蘇拉諾修士可以晉鐸,但只能做一位主持彌撒的「簡單神父」,不能講道或聽告解。1904年7月,蘇拉諾晉鐸。

既然被視為「簡單司祭」,彌撒外,蘇拉諾神父只被派做輔理修士的工作;他當過祭衣房管理、掌管輔祭,而亦當了二十一年聖文德修院的修院入口門監。

蘇拉諾神父嘗謂:「我有兩個愛:貧者與病者。」他任何時間都願意服務貧病和心靈有重擔者,並給很多人提供神導靈訓;他又十分支持「熾愛彌撒會(後易名『嘉布遣彌撒會』)」,是為資助嘉布遣在異地傳教。所有善長在全世界嘉布遣會的祈禱及彌撒中,均受到恩惠。

每當蘇拉諾神父加入一位善長名字,這人便會得到奇妙的恩賜,包括疾病的痊癒,而且是經常性地發生。省會長願意記錄藉「熾愛彌撒會」所得的特殊恩典。直至1956年,蘇拉諾神父記錄了超過六千項恩典。

蘇拉諾神父病逝前強調過:「我奉獻我的痛苦為所有的人能合一。我多願見到整個世界的皈化。」蘇拉諾神父在1957年7月31日辭世,他最後有意識的行動是坐起來,嚷著:「我把我的靈魂交託給耶穌基督!」。