CAC’S BRICKYARD CHAPLAIN
Fr. Glenn O’Connor, the “Priest in the Pits,” will once again be ministering at the Indianapolis 500

By Jim Penrice

When St. Paul used racing as an image of Christian discipleship, he could not have envisioned the power and high speed of modern day motor sports. After more than thirty years experience in pit crews at the Indianapolis 500, Fr. Glenn O’Connor can verify that auto racing is just as powerful an image of Christian life as Paul’s runners in the stadium. It is a life filled with excitement and risk, pressure and exhilaration, joy and sorrow. Fortunately for today’s Indy drivers, teams, and their families, God sends people like Fr. Glenn to minister to their unique needs. On May 25 he’ll once again be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway sharing his gifts.

The pastor of St. Ann and St. Joseph parishes in Indianapolis—and CAC speakers bureau member—has had a special love for racing and the people who participate since he received his first taste of working at the speedway while a seminarian in 1975. His boyhood friend and now brother-in-law, Joe Flynn, is a mechanic, and got him started when he needed help rebuilding a racecar after a crash. Ever since, Fr. Glenn has been a fixture at the speedway, and is a pit crew veteran for such luminaries as Al Unser Sr., Jimmy Kite, Johnny Parsons, Gordon Johncock, Roberto Guerrero and Scott Goodyear. His work has included preparing cars for racing, changing tires, and holding signboards for drivers.

But Fr. Glenn’s most crucial work has been his ministry to members of the racing community. He serves as a priest-chaplain for IRL Ministry, an organization founded in 1996 to serve the spiritual needs of the Indianapolis Racing League. Indy racers live in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment, participating in a sport that is exciting yet also dangerous. The “Priest in the Pits” has found that his presence in such a stressful environment has been a blessing for many.

“I have the chance to bring Christ to people when they need him the most,” he said. “During racing season the pressure is on, people can get easily down. When they find out I’m a priest they often seek me out. They want to talk about what is troubling them.”

Fr. Glenn has provided a caring shoulder to lean on for racers seeking help for everything from troubled marriages to alcohol issues to having to deal with the pressures and dangers of the racing circuit. “When there are injuries or a death, I’m able to help bring Christ’s healing” said Fr. Glenn. He has also baptized drivers or their children, administered the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and presided at weddings for members of the Indy racing community. He helps with Mass at the speedway, assisting Fr. Phil DeRea, who is the head Catholic chaplain with IRL Ministry. This is all in addition to his duties of pastoring two Indianapolis parishes and helping to oversee “Seeds of Hope,” a center for women recovering from chemical addiction.

Fr. Glenn has had some dramatic opportunities to bring Christ’s healing to the racing world. When driver Johnny Parsons suffered severe foot and leg injuries in a crash in 1987, Fr. Glenn took him into his rectory for four months while he convalesced. In 1994 Fr. Glenn led 18,000 stunned racing fans at the Hoosier Dome in the Lord’s Prayer after an accident killed a mechanic and injured eight pit crewmembers. He was part of Pancho Carter’s team when Gordon Smiley died in a crash in 1982, and lent his prayerful presence to those affected.

Fr. Glenn is also active in fundraising for the Benevolent Fund of Motorsports, which provides financial support to participants in the Indy Car Series and Indy Pro series that have needs arising from death, injury or illness.

Regarding his avocation, Fr. Glenn told the Indianapolis News in 1986: “It is a change of pace for me. I like the excitement of it and I have the chance to erase the myths about priests and religion and let people see the human side of both. They see me demonstrating the life-side of a priest and many times the conversation turns to church. It has happened several times. I think a lot of people come in contact with me and I have a chance to be a good servant to God.”

Through his life and ministry Fr. Glenn seems to personify these words from the Letter to the Hebrews: “Let us persevere and run the race that lies before us, let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12: 1) We’re proud to have him on the CAC crew!