The following incident involves an American Capuchin friar, Fr. Solanus Casey, whose long life spanned the historic eras of 1870 to 1957. Throughout his lifetime, Fr. Solanus visited and even lived in various states across the country; from rural Wisconsin to bustling New York. To those who knew him, or knew of him, he was well renowned for his holiness and prayer. Many people came to him for help with their troubles and prayer requests. He strongly encouraged his visitors to pray with confidence - so much confidence as to even "Thank God ahead of time".

One piece of advice that Fr. Solanus would often give to those seeking help, was to join the Seraphic Mass Association (SMA). (The SMA had been founded at the turn of the century to help support the Franciscan foreign missions. Those who enrolled would offer a small donation and in return, as members, would benefit from all the Masses and prayers of the Capuchins throughout the world.) It soon became known that Fr. Solanus’ enrollments into the SMA were resulting in many happy, even miraculous, answers to numerous prayer requests.

During the Great Depression of the 1920s, Fr. Solanus was stationed at the Franciscan friary in Detroit, Michigan. He had many friends among the people there and was keenly aware of the financial problems plaguing businesses of all kinds. Even though Detroit was the home of the budding new automobile company - Chevrolet - the automobile industry reached such a decline that most of the employees of large car manufacturing companies were given fewer work hours. The companies couldn’t afford to pay them as much because there was hardly any business. Fr. Solanus knew many people who lived in Detroit, and they worried about how they would support their families.

During March of 1925, John McKenna, an employee of the Chevrolet company, spoke to Fr. Solanus. John had a wife and children to support, and only a few work hours per day. Before Fr. Solanus could say much, John was struck with an inspiration. What if the entire Chevrolet company was enrolled in the Seraphic Mass Association?

Fr. Solanus had never received such a request before. Individuals and families had joined the association, but never corporate businesses. Yet the unusual enrollment did not bother the good priest in the slightest. Why not enroll the whole company?

With a good-natured wink, Fr. Solanus took his pen and enrolled Chevrolet into the association, so that everyone in the company would benefit by its prayers.

John McKenna soon discovered that on the very day of Chevrolet’s enrollment, the company received a very large order for cars. Not long after, another large order, for 45,000 cars, was received. Sure enough, all Chevrolet employees were back to work - now working even longer than before the economic crisis! With the sudden influx of business, the company needed the extra work and could certainly afford to pay the employees.

John rushed right to Fr. Solanus to share the incredible news. Once again, God had shown His loving mercy to those who asked His help. And the faith of two good Catholics had quietly saved, perhaps from extinction, one of the first automobile companies in the world!