Solanus Casey Center

804 Ninth Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98104
206-223-0907

OPEN HOURS: Monday-Thursday, 1:00pm-4:00pm


Who We Are
The Center was inspired by the example of Blessed Solanus Casey. Established in 2005, the Center is a joint ministry of St. James Cathedral and Catholic Community Services. It is staffed by volunteers and a paid director.

What We Do
We offer information about resources in the Seattle area that address the needs of the homeless and the poor in our neighborhood. At the same time, we offer a welcoming presence to all who enter here. We also offer modest financial assistance as funds allow. In particular, we help pay for ID cards and provide assistance with necessary background paperwork.

Who We Assist
People experiencing homelessness and those in need in our neighborhood.

Who Was Father Solanus Casey?
Bernard Francis Casey was born into a large Wisconsin family on December 18, 1870. In his younger days he was a logger, a hospital orderly, a streetcar operator, and even a prison guard. But the work that he would do for the rest of his life began after he joined the Capuchin order of Catholic priests in Detroit when he was twenty-one. At the time, he was given the name of Solanus, the name of a Spanish missionary who worked with the poor.

Solanus was ordained in 1904. He had never been a strong student, especially in theology, so his superiors asked him not to preach or hear confessions. Instead, he was given the simplest of duties including greeting people at the church door, and preparing the altar for services. Even so, as he worked in various New York City parishes over the next fourteen years, his holiness, wisdom and desire to serve had a powerful effect.

After his stay in New York, Father Solanus spent the next twenty years at a monastery in Detroit. In time, he began to hold services for the sick and before long nearly 200 people a day came to receive his blessing. Some later reported that they believed that he helped with their cures, and other blessings that came into their lives.

Surely, his experiences as a priest who was denied the opportunity fully to minister to people, plus the suffering of all those he touched over the years had an impact on the man. But instead of despair or bitterness, Solanus saw the hand of God in everything. He was often heard to say, “Blessed be God in all his designs.”

His impact was felt during and after his life. For example, he inspired the creation of a Depression-era soup kitchen in Detroit where the Capuchins are feeding the hungry to this day. At his death in 1957 over 20,000 people filed by his coffin to pay their respects to this man who touched so many lives.

Someone who knew Father Solanus well once said that his was a life of service and love. A life spent tending to the sick and the poor and the hungry. A life devoted to God—and to loving God by loving others.

Questions about your case or services? Email Adriana Henry, SCC Program Manager, or call 206-223-0907.