July 23, 2024 // Diocese

Local Authors Collaborate to Share Stories of Blessed Solanus Casey

Jill Boughton

Freelance Writer

In April, Lambing Press published “Memorable Graces: Testimonies, Memories, Anecdotes, and Favors Granted Through the Intercession of Blessed Father Solanus Casey, O.F.M. Cap.” The 93-page book was written, compiled, and edited by two authors from Huntington – Richard G. Beemer and Linda Leist. Beemer is a longtime member of the Catholic press, having served previously as Managing Editor of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper and, currently, of Angelus, the official magazine of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. This is the first foray into writing for Leist, a mother of six and grandmother of eight who has been married to her husband for 49 years. Today’s Catholic recently spoke to the authors about the book, the life of Father Solanus, and why he can serve as inspiration to those in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and the wider U.S. Church. Blessed Solanus’ feast day is celebrated on July 30.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Today’s Catholic: Who was Blessed Father Solanus Casey?

Linda Leist: Bernard Francis Casey was the sixth of 16 children born in 1870 to an Irish immigrant family in Oak Grove, Wisconsin. The family was devout, praying the Rosary together every night. Bernard felt a call to the priesthood when he was a streetcar conductor; his heart went out to a woman he saw being brutally beaten. He entered a seminary, but because all the classes were taught in German or Latin, his grades were so poor that he was advised to enter a religious order instead.

He was attracted by the Capuchins’ poverty and simplicity. They accepted him, but his academic record led them to ordain him as a “simplex” priest who could celebrate Mass but not teach, preach, or hear confessions. For most of his life, he served as a porter, or doorkeeper, but people soon began flocking to the door to seek his counsel and prayers. At St. Bonaventure Monastery in Detroit and then in several places in New York City, he offered soup for the hungry, kind words for the troubled, and a healing touch for those who were sick. He died in 1957. Thirty years later, his body was found to be incorrupt.

Today’s Catholic: What is his connection to our diocese?

Richard Beemer: From 1946 to 1956, toward the end of his life, Father Solanus lived at St. Felix Friary in Huntington, fulfilling his usual role as porter. Due to age and ill health, it was supposed to be a place of retirement for him, but his reputation preceded him, and people began seeking him out at all hours of the day and night. He never turned anyone away.

Today’s Catholic: You both grew up in Huntington. Do you have early memories of St. Felix?

Beemer: My mother used to take me to a very early morning Mass at St. Felix, full of auditory, visual, and olfactory memories, incense and Gregorian chant as the monks solemnly processed in one by one. I also remember hiking to the friary as a teenager. At that point there were no houses nearby, just fields of corn, beans, wheat, and alfalfa, with a gravel road in front of the property. The young porter, Brother Francis, answered my knock. Realizing that I must be thirsty, he offered me a can of cold ginger ale and showed me around.

Leist: I learned about Father Solanus from my grandmother, who told me I owed my life to him. My troubled mother had made an appointment to abort me, but her parents convinced her to make an appointment with Father Solanus first, and he gently persuaded her to let me live. No wonder my father had a badge taped to his favorite chair bearing the image of the priest! I once asked if he knew who that old man was. “Yes, I do,” he answered. “That’s Father Solanus Casey, and he’s a holy man.” When I grew older, I read everything I could get my hands on about Father Solanus Casey.

Today’s Catholic: When and why did you begin working on this book?

Beemer: About three years ago, I had designed and copy edited a book. While I was on the phone with the author, the name of Father Solanus Casey came up in our conversation. Suddenly, it dawned on me that no one had compiled stories of the many, many people whose lives he had touched. I invited the author to take up this project. She agreed, but she soon lost interest, so I decided to do it myself. Then Linda came along and began collecting stories; her devotion to Blessed Solanus and her enthusiasm for the book kicked the project into high gear.

Today’s Catholic: What’s your favorite anecdote?

Beemer: I love the story entitled “The Restorative Power of Prayer.” My dear friend, Mike Perkins, Editor of our local newspaper, described himself as a nominal member of a Methodist church. When he was diagnosed with a serious heart ailment, Joan McClure, who had attended Mike’s church before she became a Catholic, gave him a second-class relic, a badge including a photo of Blessed Father Solanus, one of his favorite sayings (“Blessed be God in all his designs”), and a tiny piece of his robe. Mike told her he’d put it in his wallet, and she admonished him not to let it touch money! Little by little, he began to experience steady improvement. Eventually, his cardiologist said he had no explanation, but Mike’s heart had become perfectly healthy. As Perkins wrote in “Memorable Graces,” “I don’t know why I deserve his blessing, but I believe that I have received it, and I thank God for it.”

Leist: In New York on a hot summer day, Father Solanus noticed that a seminarian was in excruciating pain with a toothache. He blessed him and went on with his work as a porter. Someone grateful for a favor received brought Father Solanus two ice cream cones. Because he was so busy, he stuck them in a desk drawer and went on with his day, counseling and praying with many people. Hours later, the seminarian returned to report that he’d canceled the tooth extraction and his mouth was feeling fine. “Let’s celebrate,” Father Solanus invited – and he pulled the two ice cream cones out of the drawer, still frozen and delicious.

Today’s Catholic: How about a favorite quote?

Beemer: From Father Ron Rider, OFM Cap., a former pastor of my parish, SS. Peter and Paul: “I was scrubbing toilets as a novice and felt sorry for myself. All of my high school graduate classmates are at Notre Dame, etc. Here I am on my hands and knees in a monastery scrubbing toilets. Father Solanus walked into the bathroom and said, ‘Oh how lucky you are to be cleaning toilets for your brothers!’ I thought he was crazy, but I never forgot those words. He lived that way.”

Leist: “Blessed be God in all his designs.” This statement portrays the total faith and surrender Blessed Father Solanus exemplifies.

Today’s Catholic: Why is Blessed Solanus so important for the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and for the U.S. Church?

Leist: He’s such a simple, ordinary person, with a spirituality of faith, gratitude, and generosity that anyone can emulate.  And he lived right here among us. His spirit still lingers in this place where he lived and prayed. He touched so many lives in his 10 years among us, and they’ve never forgotten what he did for them. He’ll be a special part of the Huntington community as long as it exists – and hopefully soon be recognized worldwide as a canonized saint. We “thank God ahead of time.”

Today’s Catholic: Do you think he’ll be recognized as a saint?

Beemer: May it be soon! We report to Father Ed Foley, Vice Postulator for his cause, who wrote the foreword to our book. Father Solanus Casey could be the first American-born man to be honored in this way, God willing, although he is only one of several American-born male “blesseds.” There are several American-born women saints, including St. Kateri Tekakwitha and St. Katharine Drexel, but all the male saints who ministered in the United States were born elsewhere.

Leist: Perhaps one of the miracles reported in our book will be verified as the one necessary for his canonization!

Today’s Catholic: Tell us about the place where Father Casey lived in Huntington.

Beemer: After St. Felix Friary closed, it had fallen into disrepair, and the property was actually purchased by a Protestant group in 1980, but the Fort Wayne Tippmann family bought it back for the diocese in 2010 and totally refurbished the entire property. It is now known as St. Felix Catholic Center. Currently, Scott and Gabriella Mayo are the full-time caretakers. They’ve done a beautiful job with the monastery and grounds, including cleaning up and installing along a path through the woods the Stations of the Cross donated by the Victory Noll Sisters, a missionary order once headquartered in Huntington. Groups that come to St. Felix Catholic Center to make retreats often comment on its ambiance. There’s such a sense of peace, love, and holiness. You can tell that a holy person lived and prayed here.

Leist: Father Solanus’ simple room is just as it was when he lived there, with his straw mattress, one of his habits lying on the bed, his Bible, his phone on his desk, and a crucifix on the wall. Four years ago, I was very concerned for a family member dealing with a difficult medical diagnosis.  I went up to Father Solanus’ room and simply rested my hand on the wooden door latch he must have touched hundreds of times. Immediately, I was flooded with peace, love, and serenity. I knew in my heart that she was going to live. I lingered for a while praying and crying and thanking God, swept away by the love I felt. I later learned that another relative had also rested his hand on that door latch in the midst of a medical crisis of his own and had the same experience.

Today’s Catholic: How can readers get a copy of your book?

Beemer: If you don’t catch us at a book signing, you can order it from amazon.com, catholicbooksdirect.com or lambingpress.com. Just search for it by the title, “Memorable Graces.” Our pastor, Father Tony Steinacker, has done a great job of promoting the book with bulletin notices and book signings.

Today’s Catholic: What’s next for you two?

Beemer: We’re working on another book of memories, hoping this time to collect them from Blessed Solanus’ time in Detroit, New York City, Brooklyn, Harlem, the Bronx, and other parts of each state. We realize many of those anecdotes will come not from those who experienced them but from their children, grandchildren, relatives, and friends. We have no idea how many stories are out there!

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New Documentary Released

On July 27, the new documentary film “The Violinist: Stories of Solanus Casey” premiered  at the Solanus Casey Center in Detroit. The film, produced by the Augustine Institute, uses beautiful filming and provoking storytelling to weave together stories from three people who knew him when he was alive. On July 28, “The Violinist” will open to the public with multiple screenings at the Solanus Casey Center. On July 30, the film will be made available exclusively on Formed, the Augustine Institute’s on-demand streaming platform.