I'm So Excited for Blessed Solanus Casey

Yes, I am!! Today, he will be beautified by the Catholic Church, so what does that mean? According to Church tradition:

"Blesseds may receive public veneration at the local or regional level, usually restricted to those dioceses or religious institutes closely associated with the person's life. "Public veneration" in this use of the term doesn't mean that it is done in public; rather,that it is an act done by the clergy, or delegated laity, in the name of the Church (Mass, Divine Office, images in churches etc.), even if done in private. On the other hand, "private veneration" means veneration by individuals or groups acting in their own name, even if done "in public." While the Church restricts the public venration of Blesseds, Catholics are free to privately venerate them.

The reason for this distinction and its disciplinary norm is that beatification is not considered an infallible papal act, and so it is not yet appropriate that the entire Church give liturgical veneration to the Blessed. Perhaps to reinforce this distinction, Pope Benedict XVI has restored the practice, in use prior to Pope Paul VI, of having the Prefect of the Congregation conduct the beatification, rather than the Pope doing it himself. He has made exceptions, one of which is his predecessor, Pope John Paul II"

To put it into an easier perspective, he is one step away from canonization. He led an exemplary life, as a Simplex priest, and one miracle has been directly recognized as a result of his intervention. Through his lifetime and since his death in 1957 thousands of miracles have been claimed by the faithful that knew him in life or prayed to him after his death. In 2012 a woman, who had a rare skin disorder, was completely healed of it after praying at Fr. Casey's grave. That is the miracle that the church has approved for the purposes of his beautification.  Fr. Casey himself suffered from skin ulcers and other disorders of the skin, as well, in his later years. Yet, when his body was exhumed in 1987 it was found to be incorrupt, even though water had partially filled his casket. His skin was as clear as porcelain. His body was then entombed in a new casket and is now in the public chapel of St. Bonaventure Monastery in Detroit. The Church no longer has Simplex priests btw.

He was known not only for his devotion to helping all people that came to him, but also for his wit, enthusiasm, stamina (long lines of people showed up every day for his prayers and solace both daily and into the night), his love of sports with his fellow Capuchins, and his violin and singing. Gosh I love this man.

I "met" him in 2008, even though he had died the year before I was born. I was going through a horrible year between Tom and my health and it was brutal. I met him in a dream on April 30th of that year. It sounds strange, I know, but I spoke to my Pastor about it, as well as people from his cause, and they all said that MANY people have visits from him in their dreams and it is usually during traumatic or difficult times. My Pastor knew someone that had a similar experience.  I had never heard of him before that night but after learning about his life and his role as a priest I understood a part of the dream which confused me. That was why he stopped me from telling him my sins. I later learned that as a Simplex priest he could not hear Confessions. I also learned that he was known to be able to read souls, which also kind of freaked me out to learn. Padre Pio had that gift as well. Can you imagine meeting someone, face-to-face, that knows ALL of your sins? Yikes, that's scary. Fr. Casey also knew where in the body or soul a person needed healing. That's pretty cool. I learned that from a woman who went to him with her mother. They were both healed after their visit with him. God is good.

I am going to share just a portion of the dream because it's very vivid and it includes a prayer that he taught me. Just rereading it and thinking of the experience calms me all these years later.

If you want to learn more about him there are a few great sites on the internet. One of my favorites is solanuscasey.org. Visit it and learn more about him.

God blessed us with a beautiful soul when he created Blessed Solanus Casey. I know he isn't resting in peace. He is still doing God's work from heaven.

Mare

..."At first I didn’t see the priest in there and just walked into the middle of the room. There were a number of people in the room milling around. I then turned around and saw the priest sitting in a chair. I knew him instantly and he knew me and he grasped my hands in joy and I knelt before him.  I knew him as my Pastor, my mentor, my good friend, but not on this earth. His eyes just twinkled with joy and he was very soft spoken. He was the man that gave me strength. I knew him as Brother/Father “Stanislaus” or something similar, but he never mentioned his name.  He was wearing a brown cassock with a woven cream-colored cord cinched at the waist. With the noise all around me I moved to his side and crouched next to him and bent toward him to be able to hear him speak. He knew my sins and also knew my tribulations and held my hands tight as he spoke to me. I did not verbally tell him my sins and he did not give me any penance.  When I had started to mention my sins he hushed me.  Instead, he asked me to recite a prayer with him, which I could not quite hear and didn’t know the name of, and I looked at him and told him I was unfamiliar with it.  A little boy standing nearby with his Mom and two siblings (a boy and a girl) overheard us and he came over to me and said, “you don’t know that prayer?” The little boy was about 5 or 6 and had crystal clear blue eyes that penetrated when he looked at mine. He said it’s easy and then he started to recite it. The boy’s mom then grabbed him and pulled him away.  I was very embarrassed that I did not know this prayer. It was also embarrassing that the boy and the others were overhearing our private conversation.

Father looked into my eyes and told me to recite the prayer after him, “Dear Jesus, let your precious blood wash over me and cleanse me.  Heal me.  Sanctify me. Fill me with your grace and peace.” It was so beautifully peaceful being with him, having him hold my hand, looking into his face, hearing his soft voice. I was close enough to feel the softness of his long white beard, which was as bright as fresh snow, and to see his skin, which was perfection, and to feel his warm breath. His breath and body had a calming scent to it, like a blessing oil. He then blessed me with broad strokes and kissed me on the forehead and I got up and left the room."...

~April 30, 2008 excerpt from my dream journal