JMJ

Charles Untz, A Young Man that Set His Heart on Christ and Mary

By Mara Poole

Many holy and saintly people live and have lived in Rome. And yes, we ought to and should be inspired by these great men and women of faith. Yet even in our era, even in our midst, even in the Twin Cities, we can discover greatness and heroic virtue.

Just three years ago, on March 20^th, people in Coon Rapids, throughout the Twin Cities, and on the East Coast honored the life of one extraordinary young man. Three years ago, the earthly life of this virtuous young man, Charles Anthony Francis Untz, just eighteen years old with his heart set on Christ, was ended and a new life begun. All people who knew Charles saw such potential in him and such great hope for the Church. So many said "too young, too young", and wondered why such a holy young man, and a future priest, would be taken from this world. Yet these same people (and more) gather now each year for Mass, very near to where he lived, worked, and spent his final hours. To many it is holy ground, and to all that come it is a refuge with deep silence and a surrounding peace. So it is after three years that people will gather again, this March 20^th, not merely in remembrance of a remarkable young man, but also in petition.

What is so special you might ask? Charles was a man of prayer and contemplation. Charles loved the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass! He knew very clearly that he was receiving the true body and blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Perfect examples of this are found in the Youth 2000 retreats that he worked (even as young as eleven years old). Charles would stay up all night in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, and be seen at dawn with the radiant light of Christ shining from his very being. He fostered this love of the Eucharist through daily Mass, adoration, and study. Charles prayed the Liturgy of the Hours attentively every day since he was eleven years old! Charles loved Our Blessed Lady! He loved her in such a personal way that he even made a Mother’s Day card for her, which was discovered after his death. To Charles, Mary was the way, she was the Immaculate One, and very truly his Mother. Charles faithfully prayed the rosary daily and even designed his own scapular on his Mother’s embroidery machine. On one side was written the name of Mary surrounded by twelve stars, and on the other it reads, My Lady.

Charles belonged to God. He knew that what his heart was seeking would only be found in God Himself and that he could compromise nothing. From a young age Charles knew his priorities: first in his life was God, and second, his family. Nothing mattered except what God wanted him to do. His mother said, "Charles could always see through my challenges and gave me such good advice. It was so easy for him to see the will of God". There are other great examples of this in the writing that Charles has left us. In one e-mail to a young friend, he tried to encourage her to pray the Divine Office at least once a day and insisted that she must not let the world consume her in a way that would take her away from time spent with God. Speaking about usual teenage issues and events that seem to tire and drain one spiritually, he states, "Don’t let yourself get caught up in that never ending cycle. Keep in mind that Heaven is the ultimate goal of life, all other goals and things should be directed in attaining it". Charles loved life, but he understood his goal! He once said, "I’d rather be in heaven than spend one more day on this earth".

Charles was a man of purity and deep respect. One priest says of Charles, "I believe that Charles made me a better priest, because he took the priesthood so seriously. When you looked into his eyes when he was talking with you, you saw such devotion and respect that it made you want to be better than what you were so you could be worthy of that. And every priest who met him said the same thing, he just made you want to be even better". Another priest who knew him well proclaims, "I have worked with thousands of souls, and Charles’ was the purest". In fact, the priests who heard his frequent confessions are convinced that he preserved his baptismal innocence.

Charles is an example of a spotless lamb, a willing offering to the Father. He was always ready. He once wrote to a friend: "Don’t take God’s mercy for granted because death will come when you least expect it, so make sure you are as blameless as possible when that time comes". Though his life was simple, short, and secluded on this earth, it seems he may be quite busy in Heaven. There have been many events that have been recorded since his death, which support a cause for this young man. Such activity includes: healings, finding of lost people and things, appearances in dreams and even waking, safety on roads, jobs found, vocations made visible, returns to the Church and to the family, assistance to priests, aid at the hour of death, protection of new life, and more…

Now, can we believe, in difficult times such as this, that God raises up exemplary souls in His service, extraordinary men and women of faith, to be signposts on the highways of this world? If not, could it be that our faith is too small, or that we have become so cynical as not to believe that God would still inspire our young people to greatness and that they would heed the call?

Charles wrote on his Ambition and Life Purpose Statement for attaining the rank of Eagle Scout, "My life purpose is to do the will of God. My ambition in life is to become a saint. There is nothing harder to achieve than this, but I will continue to strive for it". As the faithful, who knew Charles, petition and honor him on March 20^th in Andover, I too will do the same in the Holy City, though I never knew him while he lived. For it is extraordinary people such as Charles that inspire me to persevere in prayer and give me hope that even now God indeed is revealing men and women of faith and heroic virtue to the world.

For information regarding the anniversary Mass, prayer cards, or any other information please see www.MyLadysKnight.org