Fr. Glenn O’Connor was ordained a priest in 1980.  He is currently the pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church and St. Ann Parish (both in Indianapolis).  Fr. Glenn is also the chaplain for the Indianapolis International Airport.

For more than 30 years (since 1975, when a junior in college), the “priest in the pits” has worked for race teams at the Indianapolis 500.  Fr. Glenn admits he enjoys working for teams that are “underdogs.”  Some of the drivers that Fr. Glenn has assisted as a crew member include Al Unser Sr., Jimmy Kite, Johnny Parson, Gordon Johncock, Roberto Guerrero and Scott Goodyear.  In the 2006 running of the Indianapolis 500, Fr. Glenn was on the crew for PDM Racing and driver Thiago Mederios. His involvement includes preparing cars for racing (e.g. rebuilding crashed cars), changing tires, holding signboards for drivers while they are on the track, etc.

In addition to his racing duties, Fr. Glenn is also a priest-chaplain for the Indianapolis Racing League which includes celebrating Mass at the track.  Fr. Glenn stated in an Indianapolis Star newspaper article (May 28, 2005):  “I do Mass every race day at the track.  Sometimes I talk to people at the track for pastoral counseling. They’ll tell me about marriage problems, problems with alcohol or other problems in their lives.  I make the time to talk to them.  I’ve also done baptisms, weddings and funerals for different racing people.”  Father Glenn continued that “We’ve had our share of tragedies out here.”  For example, Fr. Glenn was the priest-chaplain on duty in March of 2006 when Paul Dana suffered fatal injuries at the Homestead Miami Speedway. 

Regarding his avocation, Fr. Glenn stated, “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.” (Quote from The Spirit of a Champion)

Back To Photos & Bios