The unique name of the Franciscan friar from Detroit was inspired by a Spanish saint who died in the 17th century.
Born Bernard Francis Casey in Oak Grove, Wisconsin, "Barney" joined the Franciscans when he was 27 years old and took a unique religious name.
Franciscan novices are given a religious name, or sometimes a choice of names, often those of famous Franciscans or other saints thought to be an inspiration to the novice.
Barney chose the religious name "Solanus," after St. Francis Solanus, a 17th-century Franciscan saint.
St. Francis Solanus
Most Catholics aren't likely to be familiar with St. Francis Solanus, as he does not have the recognition or popularity of some Franciscan saints. There was a California mission named for him, now part of a park in Sonoma, California. But he is a rather obscure saint these days.
For Barney, however, St. Francis Solanus was the perfect choice.
St. Francis Solanus was born in Spain in the 16th century and was received into the Franciscan Order when he was 20 years old. He was eventually ordained and then sent to a friary to be the master of novices.
In 1589 he was sent to South America to preach the good news of the Gospel to the Indigenous population.
The Catholic Encyclopedia explains how St. Francis Solanus was a very successful missionary in South America:
His missionary labors in South America extended over a period of 20 years, during which time he spared no fatigue, shrank from no sacrifice however great, and feared no danger that stood in the way of evangelizing the vast...regions of Tucuman and Paraguay...Notwithstanding the number and difficulty of the dialects spoken by the Indians, he learned them all in a very short time, and it is said that he often addressed tribes of different tongues in one language and was understood by them all.
While all of this is certainly impressive, what caught Barney's attention was that St. Francis Solanus played the violin for the people he served.
For this reason, St. Francis Solanus is often depicted in art and holy cards playing a violin.
Barney loved the violin, and (though he wasn't especially gifted) played it joyfully in the friary during recreation, or even in the chapel alone in front of the tabernacle.
With this shared passion, Barney knew that taking the name Solanus would be a perfect fit.
