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by Paul Ciarcia

For many parishioners on a Sunday morning, once the closing hymn hits the second refrain, the race is on to get out the door and out the parking lot before a log jam of cars blocks the exits. For Father Phil DeRea’s flock, the close of Mass bring a whole other type of race entirely: one that accelerates up to 200 miles per hour.

Father DeRea, MSC, is the Catholic chaplain of the Indianapolis Racing League Ministry, a group he has been involved with for over 40 years.

He travels the circuit of races providing spiritual guidance to members of the racing community and offering Mass to those far from their home parishes on race day. The IRL circuit includes 17 different venues, with one race located in Japan, one in Brazil, two in Canada and the rest in the United States – including the Indy 500, one of the most celebrated races in sports with nearly 100 years of history behind it. Father DeRea will travel to them all.

A priest on the move, his ministry is a far cry from the quiet parish life, but nevertheless he enjoys his work and considers it “an uplifting ministry.” 

It was Father DeRea’s childhood friendship with members of the Andretti family that first led him to his racing ministry. The Andrettis are a well known racing dynasty that has produced three generations of champions in Indy racing: Mario, considered one of racing’s all time greatests; his son Michael and now grandson Marco – all Catholics. Mario and Father DeRea grew up together in an Italian community in Nazareth, Pa.

“I went on to the seminary, Mario went on to win the Indianapolis 500,” said Father DeRea.

Father DeRea would visit the Andrettis at the race track as often as he could and would celebrate Mass for the family when they were away on the IRL circuit. As time went on, they eventually suggested he say Mass for others at the race track. His involvement with IRL Ministry is now run as part of the Pontifical Council for People on the Move.

The chance to be involved in people’s lives, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, is the most important element for Father DeRea, and his ministry is appreciated by the competitors and their families -- especially considering how well represented Catholics are in the racing community.

“Helio Castroneves, for example, a Brazilian, never misses Mass,” said Father DeRea. Castroneves was the 2009 Indy 500 Champion, marking his third victory in the event. “We have so many drivers from Latin America, and particularly Brazil that are Catholic, so there is a great need.”  

Michael Andretti is now a team owner. Most of his racers happen to be Catholic, including his son Marco and Danica Patrick. Patrick, who comes to Mass often, has gained attention for being one of the only women to successfully compete in traditionally male-dominated racing.   

Father DeRea’s duties include the full gamut of a traditional parish.

“We literally do weddings, baptisms, all the typical activities of a parish. I’ve had many first communions at a race track,” he said. “Many (drivers) are not Catholic, but they consider you their pastor like it or not. I’ve had many ask me to do their wedding.”

He finds many non-Catholics in turn consider joining the Catholic faith.

Father DeRea also offers an opening prayer before the start of races. Racing has its share of tragedies and sadness, he admitted, but overall it is a joyful ministry and has been made much safer over the years.

He explained that Indy racing is different from NASCAR, as cars racing in the latter league are built to be more conducive to bumping and pushing. Crashes, then, occur more frequently. In the IRL, however, the cars’ open tire design means much less contact between drivers.

Answering The Call 

Even before his friendship with the Andrettis brought Father DeRea to the IRL, he remembers his desire to be a priest from the time he was 13 years old.

There was “always a great desire in my heart to be a priest and to serve people,” he said.

He was blessed to live with a grandmother who had a very deep and sincere faith, but the strongest influence came from his experience with sisters of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart who ran his grade school.

“They were always vocal in promoting vocations both to the sisterhood and the priesthood,” he explained. “There was a seed planted in my head that I wanted to go.”

In seventh grade, he applied to the seminary without even telling his mother.

With his mother’s eventual blessing, he travelled to Illinois to attend a high school seminary run by the same order that captured his heart in elementary school. He would finish his formation at Sacred Heart Seminary in Shelby, Ohio and become a priest in the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

The Knights of Columbus, he recalled, were a great source of encouragement and support in his decision to join the priesthood, offering him financial aid while he was in seminary. He is now a Fourth Degree Knight in Council 736 in Aurora, Ill.

Aurora was Father’s DeRea’s first assignment as a priest and remains his home base today when he’s not on the road with the IRL. In addition to his racing ministry, he has also been involved in his order’s development and fundraising efforts over his entire 41 years as a priest.

A change of pace occurred in 1979, when he was assigned to a parish in Colombia run by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart – “a very eye-opening experience,” Father DeRea said, and a valuable, first opportunity to experience missionary life.

“We had 43,000 people in 10 blocks,” he said. “It was a wonderful experience. The faith among the people there strengthens your ministry.”

The Year For Priests

Beyond his ministry to the fast paced world of auto racing and his missionary experiences around the world (he’s also served in Papua New Guinea), Father DeRea has a strong sense of what keeps a religious community together and what challenges currently face the priesthood.

“We’re still very human,” he said. “We try our best to make sure we can truly give witness.”

He clearly still carries with him the missionary enthusiasm of his order.

“For the church today, our ministry must be evangelization,” he stressed. “That is why the Year for Priests is so significant. The priest must be out there ministering, even though it is not easy now.”

Times have changed, Father DeRea said, as has the culture’s attitude toward priests – “you don’t have the support in the priesthood you had before.”

In his younger days as a priest, he remembers a keener sense of fraternity among his brother priests, who would often pray and even vacation together.

“I believe it’s coming back, but ... it has been missing over the years,” he said.  

“The lifestyle has changed considerably,” he said. “We got rid of many of the devotions, such as the 40 hours (of Eucharistic adoration), the Our Lady of Perpetual Help novena and the regular benediction every week. A lot of those devotional practices kept us together.” 

“We used to have weekly confession,” he continued. “The weekly confession kept you focused on God, and reminded us that we are subject to human frailty.” 

He sees the change as the byproduct of a more modern theological outlook.

“To some extent the priests have become more secular than they were before,” he said, pointing to cases of priests not wearing their clerical collar. “People like to see the collar. In the clerical garb, people respect you, and come up to you and ask you for your prayers.”

Father DeRea does believe the situation is starting to change.

“We are trying to get back to it,” he said.

For now, though, Father DeRea’s focus is on the Indianapolis Racing League. The circuit begins with an event scheduled for March 14 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and just around the corner, the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500 in May. You can count on him being there.