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MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

On Wednesdays, Father Solanus conducted special devotions for the sick. A woman, skeptical of his reported cures, wrote: "I went thirteen weeks to these devotions, not believing that Father Solanus could heal others. One Wednesday, I saw a rabbi with his cap, long beard and heavy cane. He used to come every week, too. Now the rabbi had faith and I was full of doubts. But, when I saw the rabbi walk away without the use of his cane, then I believed."

Father Solanus maintained his hectic schedule at the Detroit friary for eighteen years. In September 1942, during his seventy-second year, chronic eczema on his legs generated such high fever that his superior ordered him into the hospital. Authorities strictly regulated the flow of visitors, providing him with much needed rest and the opportunity to pray. "To me it seemed about ten days of the really best penance that ht poor sinner Solanus had ever gone through," he wrote. "Therefore, since by God's grace he persevered and lived through it all without a complaint, we have a reason to thank heaven for the wonderful experience."

When doctors allowed him to say Mass, he wrote: "The old foot is still stiff but, by keeping it raised and rested, it causes very little pain. I'm resting it on the bed now, and it gets tiresome sitting in one position. Anyone over sixty need not be told how the ‘rear fenders’ cry for better padding."

Early in his career, Solanus became fascinated by a purported biography of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the work of Spanish mystic Mary of Agreda (1602-65). She claimed that the Blessed Mother had directly provided the information for her four-volume work. Solanus found the biography a deep source of comfort and consolation, and frequently recommended it to his clients.

 

Devotees of Mary of Agreda met each weekend at St. Paul's Maltese Church where Solanus assisted in ministry. Although the pastor, Father Cefai, deeply respected and loved Solanus, he had little enthusiasm for the Agreda group. Their piety, in his opinion, bordered on the bizarre. They brought petals of flowers for Father Solanus to bless and afterwards insisted they saw images of Christ on the petals. When Solanus went to the hospital, Father Cefai refused the group hospitality. they then met in a private home.

 

Father Theodosius Foley, the Capuchin provincial, took a dim view of the group and ordered Solanus to avoid further meetings. Father Solanus, even the defender of the underdog, asked him to reconsider the ban, saying his judgment against these good people was too harsh. The Detroit chancery weakened Father Solanus's appeal when it complained officially to his provincial that he was out of order in promoting sales of Mary Agreda's expensive, four-volume alleged biography. Even though Solanus never received a penny from sales, the chancery ordered him to desist.

St Francis de Sales Oratory