It is with much sorrow and sadness that we have to tell you that on Friday 15th March Fr Glenn O’Connor from Indianapolis Airport, passed into eternal glory. Fr Glenn has been a long time member of IACAC and hosted the 2001 Annual conference in Indianapolis. He was also the priest in charge of St Susanna’s Parish near the airport. Please pray for his congregation, the chaplaincy team at Indianapolis Airport and his family. Fr Glenn has been unwell for some time and now God has called him home.
A Tribute to Fr. Glenn | by Michael Banfield
Roman Catholic priest and Indianapolis Airport Chaplain Fr Glenn O’Connor was a larger than life character. A man with a big heart, a hearty laugh, and an equal dedication to his parish and to the Airport which he served for so long as Chaplain, ably assisted by a small Chaplaincy Team. My own memories of Fr Glenn centre upon the 2001 IACAC Conference, although I met him on many other occasions. That Conference nearly wasn’t held at all, as three weeks earlier the USA had been stunned by the 9/11 attacks, and much of civil aviation was only just recovering. But we arrived for the Conference, and Fr Glenn plus the IACAC Board of that time ensured that we had a very memorable Conference. Chaplains world-wide shared experiences of 9/11 as it affected their Chaplaincies, and Fr Glenn ensured we visited the Speedway, had a turn on some go-karts, visited the Fedex freight depot on the Airport in the middle of the night, and I recall that he even arranged a session of karaoke – at which, somehow, he got Linda and I to sing “Puff, the magic dragon” – something we had never done previously, nor have since. Little of the main sessions input remains with me but what Fr Glenn achieved at that Conference does.
Meeting him on later occasions, notably at an IACAC Board Meeting in Indianapolis, Fr Glenn was the same: generous of spirit, cheerful, dedicated, and humorous. I thank God for every remembrance of him.
Michael Banfield
The Funeral Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Charles Thompson on Saturday, March 23rd, 11:00am at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, 1347 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis 46202.
It will be live-streamed at www.archindy.org/streaming and will be available to watch in an archived format after the event is over.