Service day part of the inaugural Founders Day, which seeks to honor soup kitchen's history ahead of centennial celebration
DETROIT — In the days leading up to Blessed Solanus Casey’s feast day, July 30, members of the late Capuchin friar’s family gathered at the Meldrum Soup Kitchen alongside descendants of Fr. Herman Buss, OFM Cap., and members of the St. Bonaventure Fraternity of the Secular Franciscans to celebrate the soup kitchen's inaugural Founders Day.
Organized by Bro. Gary Wegner, OFM Cap., executive director of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, the gathering honored the founding of the soup kitchen, which began serving Detroit's hungry during the Great Depression in 1929. Guests who arrived at the Meldrum location for lunch on Tuesday, July 28, were served by direct descendants of the holy men and women who first founded the soup kitchen.
Blessed Solanus Casey and Fr. Buss are credited with founding the soup kitchen, along with layman Ray McDonough. All three men, along with other Capuchin brothers and volunteers, were instrumental in the still-thriving ministry of feeding thousands each day, Bro. Wegner explained.
While many descendants of the three had visited the soup kitchen over the years, Bro. Wegner said it would be fitting to honor the history by giving them the opportunity to follow in the family members' footsteps and serve the people of Detroit.
“All the reports I got back from Blessed Solanus’ family and our staff are that they really loved Founders Day, and they really liked doing what their direct ancestors had done,” Bro. Wegner said. “They really felt like a part of the legacy of what Solanus and Herman did, and the seculars felt the same.”
As the soup kitchen approaches its centennial, Bro. Wegner intends to make the celebration of Founders Day a regular part of the traditions leading up to Blessed Solanus’ feast day, alongside the novena.
“I have been trying to emphasize the Capuchin Franciscan origin of the soup kitchen and recognize that we owe a huge debt to the people that came before because we wouldn’t exist without them,” Bro. Wegner added.
“History matters to me — I am a big believer that one ought to know one's history and celebrate it when one can.”
