By James Nye and Ashley Collman PUBLISHED: 16:04 EST, 20 September 2013 | UPDATED: 07:57 EST, 21 September 2013 The Illinois woman who almost died when a drunk driver hit her head-on in early August thanks the priest who prayed with her at the scene for her survival. At first, 19-year-old Katie Lentz didn't know the identity of the caring priest, since none of the pictures taken at the scene that day pictured him. That mystery sparked a search to identify the holy man, and eventually Father Patrick Dowling of Columbus, Missouri came forward. Scroll Down for Video Special meeting: Katie Lentz, left, will reunite today with Father Patrick Dowling, right, the Catholic priest who prayed by her side after she was struck head-on by a drunk driver last August
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Illinois student Katie Lentz, 19, will reunite with the priest who prayed by her side the morning she was hit by a drunk driver
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Today marks Lentz's twentieth birthday and it will be the first time she has seen the priest since he briefly visited her in the hospital a week after the crash
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At first, Father Patrick Dowling's identity was a mystery since he wasn't captured in any of the pictures taken on the scene that day
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But after Katie's story was picked up by several news outlets, Father Dowling came forward
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