Terry Nelson's Abbey Roads is one of the most edifying and interesting blogs to be found. He very kindly granted us permission to
repost the following. It is a powerful reminder that great saints still walk among us.
Charles Untz once wrote to one of his friends, "Don't take God's mercy for granted because death will come you when you least expect it, so make sure you are as blameless as possible when that time comes."*
The Scapular kid.
Charles Anthony Francis Untz, killed by a driver who did not see
him, right in front of his family's home, as Charles set out on his
short walk to work. Charles died that day, March 20, 2000 at the age of
eighteen.
On
his college application, Charles wrote, "I go to Eucharistic Adoration
and Mass almost every morning before school. I think that this sets a
better mood for the day. "
Charles
enjoyed country living, the horses and other animals, and his job
across the street at the turkey farm. He especially enjoyed his
scouting experiences. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout on July 8,
1998. For his Eagle project he wrote an altar server handbook for
Epiphany Catholic Church, Coon Rapids, MN, and directed the training of
the new servers.
Before
moving west, he and his family mowed the lawn, and shoveled and plowed
the walks and parking lot of St. John Bosco Church, Stamford, VT.
Charles also mowed the lawn at St. Francis of Assisi Church, North
Adams, MA. Both projects were done as a volunteer.
Charles became an altar server when he was eight. He was the only
server at the small parish of St. John Bosco, where he served for 5
years. His family transferred to St. Francis of Assisi where he served
for two years. In 1996, the family moved to Andover, Minnesota; and he
served at Epiphany Church until his birth into eternal life in 2000. He
had that "presence" about him when he was serving that can’t be taught.
One could see that he truly believed that Jesus was present.
Charles
began praying the Liturgy of the Hours regularly when he was eleven.
At the same time, he started serving as a Youth 2000 New England
volunteer. He designed the web page, maintained the mailing list, and
designed flyers and nametags. During the retreats he was an altar
server and sacristan, and the general gopher for whatever was needed.
For Youth 2000 Minnesota, he maintained the mailing list, designed the
nametags, served at the altar, and was available to help behind the
scenes whenever needed.
Charles
had a great devotion to Mary. He designed and made his own brown
scapular on his Mom’s embroidery machine. On one side was "My Lady" and
the other side was "Mary" with twelve stars around it. In 1999, he
also made a Mother’s Day card for Mary (this was discovered after his
death).
On
his "Ambition and Life Purpose" sheet for attaining the rank of Eagle
Scout, Charles Anthony Francis Untz wrote, "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. " -
Source
Pray for us Charles, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.