Friar used to visit northern Lapeer County to collect food for soup kitchen; lifelong parishioners recall stories of healings, miracles

NORTH BRANCH — During his life, Blessed Solanus Casey greeted countless souls as they entered churches in New York and Detroit. 

Today, 62 years after his death, a statue of the beloved “doorkeeper” stands in the new gathering space at SS. Peter and Paul Parish in North Branch, welcoming everyone to the parish and calling to mind countless stories of the friar's impact on northern Lapeer County.

“Last year, I started contemplating which saint would be most appropriate to welcome visitors into our new gathering space,” said Fr. Richard Treml, 17-year pastor of SS. Peter and Paul, as well as nearby St. Mary Burnside, St. Patrick Chapel in Clifford and Sacred Heart in Brown City. “One of the first individuals to come to mind was Blessed Solanus Casey.” 

In 2017, more than 100 people from northern Lapeer County took buses down to Ford Field for Blessed Solanus' beatification, Fr. Treml said. It was around then that he learned of the special ties area families have with Detroit's beloved saint.

Throughout her life, Rosellen Loye-Bucy, a parishioner at Sacred Heart in Imlay City, has felt a close connection to Blessed Solanus.

“One of Father’s sisters married one of my ancestors, so we’re distant cousins,” Loye-Bucy explained. “When I was a child, my father was ill. Fr. Solanus often visited our house to pray with him. At that time, children were not encouraged to interact with adults, so I would hang out in an alcove, watching as he zoomed up the stairs.

“During one of his visits, Fr. Solanus happened to notice me,” Loye-Bucy said. “He placed his hand on my head to bless me … Then, from the pocket of his brown robe, he pulled out a sterling silver disc. He showed it to me and said it contained relics of the true cross and the 12 apostles. The relic resurfaced around the time of his beatification several years later.”

Loye-Bucy also worked at St. John Hospital in Detroit, where Blessed Solanus spent the last days of his life. She recalled “an air of reverence around his room; it was quiet and peaceful.” Following his death, she prayed for Blessed Solanus to heal her sister, Mary Jo, when she was diagnosed with a lump in her breast. The day of Mary Jo’s surgery, the doctor did an X-ray and discovered that the lump had disappeared — and it never returned.

Given so many local stories, Fr. Treml contacted Leann Cooper and Patrick Flynn, siblings and co-owners of Michigan Church Supply in Mount Morris, to inquire about a statue. They worked closely with Fr. Treml to create mockups, and commissioned artisans from a family-owned business in Ortisei (situated in the Alps of northern Italy) to create a 5-foot-tall, hand-carved, hand-painted statue made of lindenwood.

“Blessed Solanus is special to us,” Cooper said. “We sell Blessed Solanus Casey candles in our store, and we frequently make trips to the Solanus Casey Center in Detroit to supply them with small resin statues.”

Auxiliary Bishop Arturo Cepeda formally blessed the new statue at SS. Peter and Paul at the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Nov. 24, the feast of Christ the King.

Vicky Rogers, director of RCIA at SS. Peter and Paul, remembers her mother visiting Blessed Solanus during World War II to request Masses for her three brothers. One was stationed in Guadalcanal, another in Italy, and the third drove tanks in Berlin. All three returned home from the war.

“After my mother passed, we found their Mass cards in her prayer book,” Rogers said. “They had been signed by Fr. Solanus Casey. She was always grateful to him for their safe return.”

During the Depression, Phil and Mary Doherty donated potatoes and beans from their farm in Burnside to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit. Today, two of their grandchildren — cousins Larry and Delbert — recall stories of how Blessed Solanus healed Delbert’s older brother, Bruce, of diabetes.

“When my brother was 3 years old, my parents took him to meet Fr. Casey,” Delbert said. “He had been placed on a strict diet and was receiving treatment for diabetes. After they explained his story to Father, he reached into a drawer and pulled out a piece of candy. He handed it to Bruce and said, ‘He doesn’t have sugar, and he never will.’

“Later, the doctors confirmed Bruce’s diabetes was gone. My family strongly believes that Fr. Solanus performed a miracle that day.”

Delbert and Bruce have continued their family’s tradition of giving. Each year, they purchase 2,000 pounds of beans from a farm in Reese, then split it between a soup kitchen in Flint and the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit. They believe Blessed Solanus continues to look out for their family.

Denise Schlaud, a lifetime member of SS. Peter and Paul, remembers hearing stories from her mother-in-law, Ellen, about the day Fr. Solanus visited her home.

“When Ellen was a little girl, her parents planted a large garden off Burnside Road,” Schlaud said. “Out of the blue, Fr. Casey stopped to ask about the garden. He ended up taking potatoes, carrots, onions and rutabagas back to the soup kitchen with him.”

Marjorie Dhooghe remembers her in-laws, Anna and Baldwin, donating truckloads of potatoes to the soup kitchen.

“I felt honored we were able to help,” said Marjorie, who attends SS. Peter and Paul. “I always loved his visits, and it’s still hard to believe he ate dinner in the farmhouse where I live. He was a loving man and always had time to listen. You couldn’t help but feel warm and inspired by the Lord when you were around him.”

Dhooghe’s daughter, Jane Swoish, also remembers Blessed Solanus’ visits.

“It’s kind of fun that Fr. Solanus actually walked around our family farm,” Swoish said. “At Christmas, he hosted a dinner at the soup kitchen to show his appreciation. My grandparents and parents attended this lovely dinner … They truly loved helping contribute and often commented that Father was a caring and giving man of God.”

Swoish’s mother-in-law, Blanche, came face to face with Blessed Solanus twice. The family planted their first vegetable garden in the spring of 1952. Later that fall, Fr. Solanus came to the farm with two other men to pick up excess squash and cabbage for the soup kitchen. He later invited the entire parish of St. Mary Burnside to the soup kitchen to show gratitude for their generosity.

“He made sure to visit every table,” Swoish recalled. “And he had the most mild, gentle voice you’d ever want to hear. If only I’d known then that one day he’d become a saint.”