Father Lawrence “Larry” Kutz, beloved priest of the Opus Dei Prelature, died at his home in Reston Oct. 23, age 84.
Father Kutz was known for his devotion to providing spiritual direction and long hours in the confessional, even while suffering from cancer and chronic lung disease. He served as a chaplain for Opus Dei study centers in Milwaukee, San Francisco, Washington, and for 20 years in Reston, where he carried out an active apostolate in cities throughout Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
“He was a tireless worker in the Lord’s vineyard,” said Daryl Glick, a director of the Reston Study Center. “He saved marriages, brought people back to the faith. He had a great gift for reading souls and was very loyal to the people who sought him out for spiritual direction.”
Born in Milwaukee, Wis., Oct. 30, 1939, Father Kutz attended elementary school in a one-room schoolhouse and eventually made his way to the University of Wisconsin, where he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. He joined Opus Dei in college and went on to study theology in Rome in 1963, where he lived alongside St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei.
Father Kutz was ordained a priest Aug. 8, 1965, in Segovia, Spain, and earned a doctorate in moral theology at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome in 1966.
He traveled far and wide to give spiritual direction, hear confessions and guide evenings of recollection. Front Royal was one of many locations where he made a lasting impact.
“His holiness, faithfulness, warm personality, and the wisdom of his spiritual direction he provided to countless people in Front Royal — not to mention his witness — given the challenges of his health for the last five to seven years, was extraordinary,” said Rob MacDougall, a parishioner of St. John the Baptist Church in Front Royal. “You couldn’t meet Father Larry and not come away impacted. The natural way he practiced his priesthood and the strength of his spiritual direction helped countless men become better husbands and fathers, and many others found their vocations.”
“People would drive hours to get spiritual direction from him,” said Glick. “He was a priest who changed lives.”
A Mass of Christian Burial was offered by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge at St. Mary of Sorrows Church, in Fairfax, Oct.29.
