Inspiration for the Prayer League:
Father Solanus Casey
Father Solanus is famous because God granted many miracles
through his intercession and the intercession of his prayer group, the Seraphic
Mass Association. He was a very simple, humble, and friendly man
whose primary job was to be the doorkeeper of a church. People would
come to him for prayer, and he would write their intentions in his notebook.
When God answered their prayers, he would record the miracles into the same
journal. God truly does hear the prayer of the righteous, "...for
the prayers of a righteous man are powerful ( James 5:16)"
This is how it all began:
In the fall of 1923, the Capuchin provincial requested
Father Solanus to keep a notebook with accounts of special cases and reported
cures related to his consultations with people. Solanus obeyed, and wrote
on the notebook’s first page, "Notes About Special Cases, November, 1923."
Then he added,
"November 8: Today visitation closed.
Father Provincial wishes notes to be made of special favors reported as through
the Seraphic Mass Association."
Before he entered any cures, he wrote the words, "Deo gratias, Thanks be
to God."
As the years went on, Solanus filled seven notebooks with
reported cures. The notes are a catalogue of human woe and human triumph.
The very first one, typical of thousands more, concerned a certain Marge
Quinn, "who enrolled her neighbor, Mr. Maughan, against drink and consequent
anger, on October 26, as also her sister, against severe inflammatory rheumatism,
and who reports wonderful improvement in the former and the reception of
a letter from her sister, who says, ‘Thank God and the good prayer society,
I am feeling fine,’"
In March, 1925, the auto industry slumped. By the following
Christmas, every plant in Detroit was shut down. As winter wore on, some
plants reopened one or two days a week. Chevrolet, a Detroit giant, had already
secret bankrupt proceedings. Fear and panic tore at workers’ hearts and homes.
John McKenna, a Chevrolet worker, visited Father Solanus. "I don’t know what
to do," he groaned. "I can’t support a wife and family with the hours I’ve
been working. I haven’t had a full day now in two weeks. Today, I had only
two hours." Suddenly, McKenna said to the priest, "Enroll the company. Enroll
Chevrolet."
"That’s new." Father Solanus replied. In a letter, he recorded his own inner
response to the request. "But if a single holy Mass." he thought, "can help
any legitimate cause, why should not five hundred daily Masses in connection
with the holy foreign missions help?"
"All right, John," he said; "I’ll enroll them."
McKenna responded, "I’ll off fifty cents for the enrollment"
(at that time, the ordinary stipend of the Seraphic Mass Association).
Two nights later McKenna returned, waving his arms: Father,
we had overtime yesterday and today, and we heard this afternoon that the
company has an order for forty-five thousand machines wanted in thirty days."
McKenna, Solanus concluded, had saved Chevrolet from bankruptcy
by enrolling the company in the Seraphic Mass Association.
