Felix Friary was lost to the Catholic Church in 1978 when the Capuchins closed it and sold it to the Church of the Brethren. We owe the Church of the Brethren a great deal of gratitude for keeping it in such excellent condition. This treasure was re-discovered only a short time ago when, in 2010, Mr. John Tippmann purchased the 83 bedroom Friary and its 30+ acres of land. Over the past 12 months J
ohn’s team has been working around the clock to restore this 85 year old antique to its pristine condition. Felix Catholic Center is no ordinary Capuchin Friary. It was built in 1928 and it gave home to quite a number of famous friars. Many of you are familiar with the popular preacher Fr. Benedict made his entrance into Franciscan life through the days of St. He is just one of the hundreds of Friars who first learned the ways of St. Francis at St. One of the most noteworthy friars that hallowed the halls of St. Felix for 10 years, was the Venerable Solanus Casey. Solanus was sent to Huntington, in order to rest and get away from the throngs of people that would come to see him. Because of the power of his prayers, his union with God and his notoriety for working an extremely numerous amount of miracles, the crowds just kept coming and following Fr. Solanus from Detroit to Huntington. In the very halls of St. Felix Friary, particularly in the visiting parlor, Fr. Solanus worked a multitude of miracles. Also, at the foot of the Sanctuary, in the Church, he prayed long hours of the night before Our Lord in the Tabernacle. Besides being a place where a saint of our time walked, worked and prayed, St. Felix Catholic Center offers a true retreat from our modern culture. Its simple rooms, monastic style chapel, and other Capuchin treasures allows a person an immediate experience of peace, serenity and sense of the presence of God. The very structure of the building helps focus your soul on the more sublime things of God. Its ancient style gives a rest from the hectic modern rat race we call “ordinary life”. The grounds that surround the building provides a perfect place of prayer. Walks in the fields, the woods or a trip to the small Capuchin grave yard gives the opportunity to contemplate heaven, the glory of God, the beauty of nature and God’s amazing love for us humans. The Back woods trails connect to the Victory Noll Sister’s nature reserve property which opens up for even more natural beauty. Felix Catholic Center is a gift that has finally returned to the Catholic Church. It is a place where heaven and earth meet and a place where you and God can truly enter into a deeper relationship.
