A newly renovated museum honoring Solanus Casey is open on Detroit’s east side

I recently visited the renovated museum in the Solanus Casey Center. It is the first complete overhaul since the center opened back in 2002. While this is a Catholic space, the Capuchins priests and brothers welcome people of all backgrounds.

The museum has more photos and information than the previous layout. I appreciate how more open the space feels without having too much going on from all of the informative displays.

Born in 1870, Blessed Solanus is on the path to being canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church, but his life was not a story of celebrity. He was not a military leader, martyr, famous author, or a public intellectual.

Solanus’ life was seemingly ordinary. He grew up on a farm, had a chronic illness as a child, faced heartbreak from the woman he wanted to marry, was rejected from a seminary, and was made a “simplex priest” without full responsibilities.

Solanus’ road to religious life was riddled with obstacles. His example of humility and turning to God in gratitude for everything in life is a radical model for how to maintain trust and confidence in one’s calling or vocation. He passed in 1957.

You can find the Solanus Casey Center at 1780 Mt. Elliott in Detroit.