God Blessed Granduncle Barney

Fr. Solanus is seated at his mother's left hand;
Grandma is the middle of the three sisters standing.

My grandma, Genevieve Casey, had a famous brother. He is known to most as Fr. Solanus Casey, OFM, Capuchin, and before a crowd of 66,000 witnesses in Detroit on November 18, 2017, Fr. Solanus was declared Blessed. Beatified. The Catholic Church officially bears witness that Fr. Solanus dwells with Jesus in heaven.

But in my childhood imagination (which I can't shake, thanks be to God) he is Granduncle "Barney," a nickname derived from his given name, Bernard Casey. And no, it's not burrNARD, as in the French, but BURRnerd, as the Irish say it. I was oddly pleased when the papal proclamation included Fr. Solanus's baptismal name. I recognized Bernard Casey, even in its Latin form.

Blessed Solanus Casey, OFM Cap.

Since I returned from what was, for me, a profoundly meaningful weekend in Detroit (11/16-19), I have been asked many times to describe my experience. I have found this difficult. For the sake of those who have asked, and out of both a sense of gratitude and an awareness of my unworthiness, here are two ways in which the powerful love of Jesus has been newly manifest to me through the Beatification of Fr. Solanus.

First, I feel I have been stripped of doubts and can dwell more deeply in heavenly peace. These include self-doubts that have sometimes kept me from believing in the possibility of my own salvation.

I also feel as though I know Fr. Solanus on a deeper level than ever before. The depth of his devotion to Our Lord seems to have entered me in a new way. I think it's called inspiration.

I will be on the lookout for any more blessings that come my way through the newly Blessed Solanus Casey, OFM Cap. Feel free to share your own thoughts and blessings as you get to know the new "Blessed" among us. Feel free to email me at catholic.biblical.school@aohct.org.

Casey generations at Ford Field, Detroit 2017