Among the many pearls of spiritual wisdom the Church received from Blessed Solanus Casey, this one stands out: “We should thank God frequently for, not only the blessings of the past and present, but thank Him ahead of time for whatever He foresees is pleasing to Him that we suffer.” This wisdom is easy to say, but living in this manner is the lesson of a lifetime. As manifested by his life story, Solanus had more than ample occasion to give God thanks according to this rubric. And as made clear by his virtue and holiness, he did so exceedingly well. The Wisconsin native struggled throughout early adulthood to find God’s place for him in the world. Time and again, it seemed he had discerned where God wanted him, only to have it be otherwise. But as is so often the case for those with great faith, God opens doors even better than those first imagined. When Solanus proposed marriage to a young woman, her mother quickly sent her daughter to boarding school. Solanus then spent several years bouncing around from one odd job to another. Eventually, as a streetcar operator, he witnessed a murder. The life-changing experience moved him to pursue priesthood, only to be dismissed within a few years due to poor academic performance. He joined the Capuchin Franciscans, only to be told his poor grades would mean he would not receive permission to preach or hear confessions. But in the most remarkable of ways – almost poetically, in the face of worldly rejection – God worked wonders through this humble Franciscan friar. In the monastery, Solanus was given the position of porter, or doorkeeper, in New York and Michigan. Though a lowly ministry, this position figuratively and literally opened doors to opportunities for Solanus to exercise his vocation in extraordinary ways. As a porter, Solanus was put in touch with the real problems and situations of ordinary people who flocked to his door for help of every kind. With his characteristic gentleness and compassion, he became well-known for accompanying others with his prayerful intercession or even his assistance in their healing. Many miracles came through his prayers and blessings, giving him renown as a wonderworker. None of this would have been possible without both an exceptional friendship with God and his inferior standing in the world. Superiors intended to relieve Solanus from his own fame by moving him to New York in 1945. However, the needs of the people knew no distance, and he continued to be bombarded with requests for healing and advice. So, in 1946, he was sent to the rural setting of the Capuchin novitiate – what is now St. Felix Catholic Center – in Huntington. Solanus spent a decade in this small city in what was then the Diocese of Fort Wayne, and while he was there, young friars came to experience the intensity of his prayer life and the supernatural occurrences that so often were a part of his ministry. Calm and relaxed around the monastery apiary, Solanus was enlisted to care for the bees and would soothe them with his harmonica. Once, he protected their orchard from destruction by frost with his blessing, and he likewise brought healing to a beekeeping friar who received life-threatening stings. Solanus recognized the great spiritual opportunity available to those who suffer. He knew and showed by his life that God cares for each of us in our physical and spiritual difficulties. “Do not pray for easy lives,” Solanus often told his spiritual children, “pray to be stronger.” Solanus Casey died on July 31, 1957, just about a year after leaving Huntington for Detroit. His last years were spent with a debilitating skin condition on his legs, the cause of much suffering. He was beatified in 2017 in Detroit. Bishop Rhoades subsequently received permission from the Holy See to inscribe his liturgical memorial in our diocesan calendar, which is celebrated on July 30. A first-class relic and statue of Solanus are available for veneration of the faithful at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne and at St. Felix Catholic Center in Huntington. Michael R. Heinlein is author of “Glorifying Christ: The Life of Cardinal Francis E. George, O.M.I.” and a promised member of the Association of Pauline Cooperators. The post Blessed Solanus Casey: A Model of Fortitude appeared first on Today's Catholic.