The late Father Solanus Casey will be beatified tomorrow in a ceremony at Ford Field. The event will be the final step before Casey will be declared a saint in the Catholic Church.
Casey was a friar at the St. Bonaventure monastery in Detroit, who died in 1957. Casey was known among the faithful as a miracle worker, whose faith led to healing sick people. Casey was a tireless worker on behalf of the poor, and founded the Capuchin Soup Kitchen.
As the movement picked up steam to make Fr. Solanus a saint, the Solanus Casey Center was established.
With his beatification, the center expects visitors to skyrocket in future years. Casey would be the second American man to become a saint of the church.
The beatification will take place starting at 4 P-M Saturday at Ford Field. All of the free tickets have been given out. The mass will be live-streamed on the archdiocese and the Michigan Catholic websites, and on the Catholic cable TV channels.
The altar that was used for Pope John Paul’s mass at the Pontiac Silverdome 30 years ago will be used for the mass for Father Solanus Casey.
Fr. Casey liked to play the violin, play tennis and volleyball, and was a jogger.
Fr. Casey died in Detroit July 31st, 1957. He was 86.
His last words were “I give my soul to Jesus Christ.”