A special gathering took place March 20 on property owned by Steve and Ellen Untz of St. Patrick in Oak Grove. A priest from the Diocese of Kansas City joined several priests from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, plus Archbishop Bernard Hebda, to celebrate Mass.
The occasion was the 25th anniversary of the death of Charles Untz, son of Steve and Ellen, who died in a car accident at the age of 18. Though his life was cut short, he left a powerful impression on those around him. His strong faith touched many, and continues to inspire those who knew him, plus a growing number of people who have come to know about him through the annual Mass.
Steve and Ellen Untz talked about their son and his legacy with Rachael McCallum, producer of the “Practicing Catholic” show, which is set to air at 9 p.m. April 11 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. They listed many examples of Charles’ devotion, stretching all the way back to his childhood in Vermont.
Although Charles was a quiet person, his faith spoke clearly, his parents said. An early experience paved the way for a path that brought the young boy closer to God and the Catholic Church. The family’s next-door neighbors in Vermont prayed a weekly rosary and invited the Untz family to join them.
“We saw, in that type of environment, Charles would just blossom,” Steve recalled. “You could see that it was really good for him.”
From there, Charles met men and women religious in the Franciscan community who knew the Untz family’s neighbors and got to know them. At the age of 10, Charles began praying the Liturgy of the Hours daily.
After his first Communion, he began altar serving. That became his passion, his parents said.
“He really loved being on the altar, serving,” Steve said. “You could see in his face the devotion he had, and the reverence that he had.”
Later on, he began helping at Youth 2000 Retreats, which he continued after his parents moved the family to Minnesota when he was 14. One priest told Steve and Ellen he once came into an adoration chapel early in the morning and found Charles there sleeping with a Bible in his hand. It appeared to him that Charles had been there all night.
“He gave his all to the Lord when he was working” on the retreats, Steve said. Such is the legacy that is now being passed on to people who come to the annual Mass and or learn about Charles’ life through other means.
To hear more about Charles and the impact he has had in the community, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. April 12 and 2 p.m. April 13.
Also on the program Joe Ruff, editor-in-chief of The Catholic Spirit, talks about his pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Portugal and Spain.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
