Healed woman linked to Solanus Casey to visit Grosse Pointe Park church

Ann Zaniewski | Detroit Free Press

A woman who was healed from a painful skin disease after praying at the tomb of Solanus Casey will speak next week at a local church.

The miracle made Paula Medina Zarate a bit of a celebrity — and moved Casey, a beloved Capuchin friar from Detroit, closer to sainthood.

Zarate will speak and take questions following a 7 p.m. mass and blessing of the sick Tuesday at St. Ambrose Catholic Church, 15020 Hampton in Grosse Pointe Park. The event is free and open to the public.

The Rev. Timothy Pelc, the church's pastor, said the event offers a unique opportunity for people to learn about the power of miracles.

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"We all need to depend on the mercy of God at some point, whether it’s to ask for a miracle or just for strength. That’s a take-away," he said. "When you get close to someone like Paula, you begin to see that no matter what your plans are, God's got better ones."

Miraculous healing?

In September 2012, Zarate, a retired teacher from the Central American country of Panama, visited St. Bonaventure Monastery in Detroit and stopped to pray at Casey's tomb. She asked God to hear her prayers for the sick and troubled people she visited during her volunteer work back home.

Then, she heard a voice:

“And the voice said, ‘What do you need for you?'

“I got back down on my knees and I placed myself on the tomb,” Zarate told the Free Press last year. “I asked for mercy for myself, for the condition for my legs and my arms.”

Zarate had suffered since birth from ichthyosis. The genetic condition causes skin to become thickened, scaly and cracked.

Later that day and overnight, Zarate's body began shedding sheets of the diseased skin, a process witnessed by some staffers at the monastery.

Archdiocese of Detroit officials launched an investigation that included medical and church experts. A report was delivered to the Vatican. In May 2017, Pope Francis declared that Casey would be beatified and given the title of "blessed," putting him one step away from becoming a saint.

About 60,000 people attended Casey's beatification ceremony in November at Ford Field. Casey is only the third American-born person to be beatified in the United States.

For him to become a saint, an additional miracle linked to his intercession needs to occur.

Feast day celebration

Zarate's visit to St. Ambrose comes just ahead of the first-ever celebration of Casey's July 30 feast day.

To mark the occasion, the Capuchin friars at St. Bonaventure Monastery are holding a nine-day Novena beginning Sunday along with other special events, including a July 29 mass celebrated by Archbishop of Detroit Allen Vigneron. Zarate is expected to participate in some of the activities.

Zarate became connected to St. Ambrose when she was in the area last fall for the beatification. She developed a friendship with a Panamanian family that belongs to the church.

This past spring, Zarate appeared by video conference to talk to schoolchildren at St. Ambrose about her experience.

"(She) promised if she would ever be in town, she would visit in person," Pelc said.

Pelc said he's struck by Zarate's humility and strong faith.

"Miracles are real," he said. "It's as simple as that."

Contact staff writer Ann Zaniewski at 313-222-6594 or azaniewski@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @AnnZaniewski.