DETROIT – On Nov. 18, Capuchin Father Solanus Casey will be beatified in Detroit at Ford Field before a crowd of 60,000 people. This is the final step before sainthood. Earlier this year, Pope Francis announced that the longtime friar would be elevated to the status of “Blessed.”
A member of the Capuchin Franciscan Order of St. Joseph in Detroit and one of the co-founders of the city’s Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Father Casey was born November 25, 1870 and died July 31, 1957. He will be the second American-born male to be beatified. The first is Father Stanley Rother, a North American priest who died in 1981 and was beatified on Sept. 23.
WDIV-Local 4 will air the ceremony live from 4 to 6 p.m. on its digital sub-channel MeTV which is channel 4.3 (over-the-air) and on ClickOnDetroit.
“With more than 1.3 million Catholics in Metro Detroit, we felt it was important to provide this historic moment to our viewers,” said Marla Drutz, Vice-President and General Manager. “We know there are people in our community who are unable to attend this event, and this is our way to make sure they will still get to experience the Mass.”
Father Casey served the poor and sick at St. Bonaventure Monastery in Detroit. Local 4 News will have reports leading up to and after the beatification.
For a complete list of MeTV by location and cable providers, go to http://www.metv.com/wheretowatch/affiliate/505.