3 November: Blessed Solanus Casey. Born Bernard Francis Casey to Irish immigrants in 1870, he first considered the priesthood after witnessing a brutal murder as a young man. In seminary, he struggled with studies and mastering languages. Because of his poor grades, Blessed Solanus was dismissed. He was sent to a Capuchin Franciscan community. Blessed Solanus was hesitant but heard the Blessed Mother tell him to “go to Detroit” and so he did. He donned the Franciscan habit and chose the name Solanus, after a 17th-century missionary. Franciscan life was a good fit, but academic difficulties caused his superiors to decide he would remain a “simplex priest” (meaning he could not preach or hear confessions). Fr. Solanus was assigned to be the monastery’s porter: the main link from the friars to the outside world. He soon became renowned as “the doorkeeper” who gave gentle counsel and miraculous intercession. He would listen to anyone at any time, day or night. People would line up for blocks just to have a moment with him. He told them to “thank God ahead of time.” One story of his miraculous intercession is told about a friar who came to see Solanus on his way to have emergency dental work done. Fr. Solanus blessed him and told him to trust God. While the friar was at the dentist, a lady who came to visit the monastery brought Fr. Solanus two ice cream cones. Too busy to eat them, Fr. Solanus shoved the cones into his desk drawer, much to the dismay of his secretary. After more than half an hour, the friar returned from the dentist, his tooth found miraculously healthy. He went to thank Father Solanus, who pulled out perfectly frozen ice cream cones from his drawer on the hot summer day, which he offered to the friar to celebrate. Fr. Solanus was also known for quirky habits such as playing his harmonica to the monastery bees; for singing in a loud squeaky voice as he played his violin; and for eating his breakfast all mixed together as a penance– cereal, prune juice, coffee, and milk in the same bowl. Blessed Solanus’ last years were spent suffering severe pain but he never complained. He died on July 31, 1957, and tens of thousands lined up to view his body before burial. Thousands more have sought his miraculous intercession. Blessed Solanus was beatified in 2017. November 3 and July 30 are both dates associated with his feast.   

Ideas for celebrating this feast day at home:

• Enjoy ice cream cones today! For a crazy menu twist, try mixing up all your breakfast foods and drinks in the same bowl, like Blessed Solanus did, as a penance.
• Do something for the poor. Solanus is known for starting the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, which to this day cares for Detroit’s poor. Our own parish ministry, St. Vincent de Paul, is teaming up with the Knights of Columbus to provide turkey dinners and warm coats to those in need this holiday season. See the bulletin for specifics on how you can help them take care of the poor in our community.
• Watch a fascinating video on the extraordinary life of Blessed Solanus Casey. Click here to watch for free on FORMED.
• Listen to a reflection from Deacon Gus here.

28 October: Feast of Saints Simon and Jude. Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saints Simon and Jude whose names occur together in the Canon of the Mass. These Apostles of Jesus were both early missionaries of the Church. Saint Jude, also named Judas Thaddaeus or just Thaddaeus, had the abbreviated forename of “Jude” to be clearly distinguished from Judas Iscariot. Saint Jude was the Apostle who asked the Lord at the Last Supper why He had manifested Himself only to His disciples and not to the whole world (John 14:22). Tradition holds that Saint Jude preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Syria, Mesopotamia and Libya. The Apostles Jude and Bartholomew are believed to have been the first to bring Christianity to Armenia. St. Bridget of Sweden and St. Bernard had visions from God in which they were shown St. Jude as “The Patron Saint of the Impossible.” Saint Simon, also known as Simon the Zealot or Simon the Canaanite, was one of the most obscure among the apostles of Jesus. Not much is known about him; but he is thought to have been a fisherman. Born at Cana in Galilee, St. Simon was surnamed the Zealot because of his affiliation with “the Zealots” (a Jewish political party in opposition to pagan Rome). After Pentecost, Simon preached the Gospel in Persia, Asian Minor, and Egypt. He joined St. Jude in Syria and they were martyred there together. Simon is represented in art with a saw, the instrument of his martyrdom. Ancient tradition says St. Simon was sawed in half and St. Jude was beheaded with an axe. Saint Simon is the patron saint of curriers, sawyers, sawmen and tanners. Saint Jude is the patron saint of desperate situations, lost or impossible causes, hospitals and hospital workers.

Prayer

O God, who by the blessed Apostles have brought us to acknowledge your name, graciously grant, through the intercession of Saints Simon and Jude, that the Church may constantly grow by increase of the peoples who believe in you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (from The Roman Missal)

Ideas for celebrating this feast day at home:

• An idea for making “Apostle Cookies” can be found here.
• Recipes for Egyptian foods (remembering the work these saints did in Egypt) can be found here. Another recipe for Koshari (an Egyptian comfort food) is here. As a nod to Simon the fisherman, fish would be another fitting menu idea for today.
• Remembering the zeal and missionary work of Saints Jude and Simon, discuss these questions around your family table: What does service to Christ mean? How can each of us serve others in the name of Jesus?  What small sacrifices can we make for the happiness of others? Can we work together toward a common good as Simon and Jude did?
• In honor of Saint Jude and his powerful intercession, make a family “Prayer Board” – a place where everyone in the family can put prayer requests in a visible spot. Prayer board ideas here.
• Pray a novena to St. Jude: bring him your biggest, most stressful concerns.
• The word apostle means ‘one sent on a mission’ or ‘a person who first advocates an important belief.’ How can you be a Christian apostle? Use this feast day as a reminder to boldly share your faith; possibly with someone you already know.