A Monday memory....

Have you heard this amazing story?  About a "mysterious priest" who showed up at an accident site?  It gave me chills.  Here is the story that appeared on Fox News website:

"Authorities in Missouri say they will file charges in a car crash last weekend that left a 19-year-old woman critically injured, and the world wondering about the identity of the "angel" priest who prayed with her until rescuers could free her from the mangled wreck -- and then disappeared.

Officials are still scratching their heads over the cleric, who appeared out of nowhere. Perhaps more mysteriously, the local fire chief said he does not appear in any of 80 photos from the accident scene.

Ralls County Prosecuting Attorney Rodney Rodenbaugh said he anticipates charges will be filed against Aaron Smith, 26, who crashed his car at 9 a.m. Sunday morning into an oncoming car driven by 19-year-old Katie Lentz of Quincy, Mo., KHQA reports.

Lentz remains at Blessing Hospital, where she was treated for multiple fractures and serious internal injuries.

The crash went global after reports of the mysterious priest who stepped forward when Lentz asked someone to pray with her while firefighters struggled to free her from the wreckage.

“The fire chief, Raymond Reed, had stepped back and came up to me and said he was concerned because he was out of options. His tools weren’t working and by that time, it was almost an hour and said I don’t know how we’re going to get her out,” Ralls County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Adair told KHQA.

Then the priest appeared – although the highway was blocked for two to three miles and emergency responders were not letting anyone past the roadblocks.

“He came and he asked to anoint the girl in the car,” Adair said. “My first thought was that it would possibly send the wrong message to Katie that maybe we had called a priest and thought she wasn’t going to make it. So I went back and talked to the priest and told him we were worried she would think we’d given up hope. He said, ‘I just want to anoint her’and so we just let him come up to the scene.”

Witnesses said he anointed Katie and her rescuers with oil, prayed with them and asked them to remain calm.

At that point the Hannibal fire department pulled up with fresh equipment and was able to free Katie. After getting her in the Air Evac helicopter, rescue workers said the priest was nowhere to be found.

Fire Chief Reed said the department took 80 photos of the scene and the priest did not appear in any of them.

The Diocese of Jefferson City says it has not located the priest involved. “Out of respect for the privacy of any priest who may have been involved and does not wish to come forward, the Diocese does not plan to further investigate this incident. The Diocese is grateful that a priest was able to exercise his ministry in this manner and requests prayers for healing of the victim, as well as prayers of thanks.” said Deacon Dan Joyce."

Wow, huh?  I found this quote on the Catholic News Agency website:

“All along the way, her foremost request is for people to pray and to pray out loud,” Luntz' mother told KHQA. “We would like nothing more than to carry that message forward for her.”

I think it's a wonderful message to spread.

Many years ago, I had my own "angel" experience of sorts.  I had taken my then three young daughters to see the Ice Capades Show.  The seats turned out to be way up, literally in the top rafters of the building - something none of us were prepared for.  As we climbed the steep steps it quickly became clear the seats were far too high for us to enjoy the show.  Telling the girls we would need to go back down to the ticket office, I suddenly became aware that one of them was gripped with fear due to the steep height of the area.  I too have great difficulty with heights, but at that moment my fear was not of the heights, but that I wouldn't be able to help my daughter move from the spot she was now attached to.  I managed to convince her to slide down the steps on her bottom and the four of us slowly inched our way towards the back wall.  

Looking around for the nearest exist, I spotted a tall older gentleman coming towards us.  He reached out his hand to me and asked, "Could you use some assistance?"  Boy, could I! I wanted to hug him!  He instructed us to follow him, that there was an elevator ahead.  He gently guided us along the wall, assisting each of the girls and then stayed with us until the elevator doors opened.  He told me what floor to get off, what ticket window to look for and said, "You'll be alright now."

And we were.  In following his directions ,we were able to exchange our tickets, and with a bit more money, found ourselves sitting on floor seats quite close to the ice.  It turned out to be a wonderful show.

Did I mention that the elevator operator looked quizzically at the gentleman when he told her how to assist us, as if she didn't know where he had come from?  I didn't care where he had come from. Whoever he was, he truly was a rescuing angel for me and I will forever be grateful that he "appeared" that day.