Call for Entries Opens for 2026-2027 Blessed Solanus Casey Essay Prizes

DETROIT - The Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph is now accepting entries for the 2026-2027 Blessed Solanus Casey Essay Prizes, a national competition recognizing graduate-level scholarship that deepens understanding of Blessed Solanus Casey's life, ministry and sanctity. Now in its third year, the competition offers cash awards of $2,500 for first place, $1,000 for second place, and $500 for third place.

The prizes are open to any graduate student, in any discipline, enrolled at an accredited college or university in the United States. Submissions are due June 1, 2027, and winners will be announced by July 1, 2027.

"Devotion to Solanus keeps growing, and we want the scholarship to grow with it," said Fr. Larry Webber, OFM Cap., vice-postulator of the Cause for Canonization of Blessed Solanus Casey. "Last year's winners found new things to say about a holy man many assumed was already fully understood. We invite graduate students from every discipline to take up that work."

What the jury is looking for

Essays should be between 2,000 and 6,000 words, including footnotes, and accompanied by a 100-150 word abstract. Only previously unpublished work is eligible. Entries are judged on three criteria:

• Innovative: The essay breaks new ground rather than repeating established information.
• Grounded in the sources: The essay draws on Solanus's own writings and is conversant with the secondary literature. All of his writings, an extensive index to them, and a working bibliography are available at solanuscasey.org, along with the 2025 and 2026 winning essays.
• Relevant today: The essay shows the contemporary significance of one or more aspects of Solanus Casey for U.S. society and/or Christianity in the United States.

Essays must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document, with a curriculum vitae or resume in a separate document. Authors retain copyright to their work but, by submitting, give permission for the essay to be posted on or linked from solanuscasey.org. The winning essays may also be considered for publication as chapters in a book on Solanus Casey.

Submissions are reviewed by a jury of clergy, religious, and lay scholars steeped in the spirituality and legacy of Blessed Solanus Casey.

The 2025-2026 prizes went to Kaile Kilner and Barry Mark Okeyo of Catholic Theological Union and Dr. césar a. cruz of Pacific School of Religion. The inaugural 2024-2025 prize went to Br. Gregory Armstrong, OFM Cap., of Oblate School of Theology.

Blessed Solanus Casey (1870-1957), a Capuchin friar and priest of the Province of St. Joseph, is remembered for his profound trust in God, his compassionate ministry to the sick and poor, and his unwavering devotion to Jesus and the Blessed Mother. Father Solanus was declared venerable by St. John Paul II in 1995 and beatified by Pope Francis in 2017. The Solanus Casey Center in Detroit, a major pilgrimage site and the location of his tomb, welcomes about 120,000 visitors every year. For more information, visit www.solanuscasey.org.

For complete guidelines and to submit an entry, visit https://www.solanuscasey.org/essay

About the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph The mission of the friars of the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph is one of transforming the world through reverence. Established at Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin in 1857, the Midwest Capuchins are part of an international community of friars following the rule of St. Francis of Assisi. The brothers of the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph, headquartered in Detroit, serve in various ministries, including social service, schools, chaplaincy, a retreat house and parishes in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Montana. More information is available at www.thecapuchins.org.