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Priest Brings Spirituality, Passion for Football to the Gridiron
By John Shaughnessy
Source: Catholic News Service
Published: Saturday, October 31, 2009
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Father John Hollowell coaches Eddie Cmehil, wide receiver and defensive back for Cardinal Ritter Junior/Senior High School.
INDIANAPOLIS (CNS)—Michael Timko couldn't believe it at first.

Then a huge smile spread across the face of the varsity football player for Cardinal Ritter Junior/Senior High School in Indianapolis.

Looking into the offensive backfield, Michael focused on the unlikely uniform of the person who was lined up at the running back position for the practice drill.

The running back wore black running shoes, black pants, a black shirt and the white collar of a priest. Father John Hollowell also had his black baseball cap turned backwards—"for aerodynamics," he said later.

As Father Hollowell took the handoff, the 30-year-old teacher, chaplain and assistant football coach at Cardinal Ritter sprinted downfield as the varsity defensive players swarmed toward him, working on their angles of pursuit.

Fifty yards later, he finally came to a stop. With the defensive players in their red jerseys still watching him and shaking their heads in amused wonder, Father Hollowell spiked the ball.

"I couldn't believe how fast he was," laughed Michael, a 16-year-old junior. "No one was sure if you could put a good hit on a priest. Everyone cleared out of his way. He split the Red Sea."

Father Hollowell, who played football in high school and college, enjoyed the moment, too—even if it left him nearly breathless.

"Early in the season, as a coaching staff, we try to show them the discipline of the game and the need for developing good habits," said Father Hollowell, who also serves as a sacramental minister at St. Malachy Parish in Brownsburg. "Now, it's our challenge to get them to play with passion and, at the same time, enjoy it."

Discipline, passion, challenge and joy—all four words describe the priesthood of Father Hollowell, who was ordained June 6. There's also an element of "surprise," at least in the way he has used his priesthood to connect with people in the hope of bringing them closer to God.

Consider the first meeting that Father£Hollowell had with Ty Hunt, head coach of the Ritter Raiders' varsity football team. Hunt thought that Father£Hollowell would be the team chaplain and would pray with them and celebrate Mass for them before every game.

When Father Hollowell told Hunt that he also wanted to coach, the head coach had doubts.

"I wasn't exactly prepared for him wanting to take an active role as a coach," Hunt recalled in an interview with The Criterion, newspaper of the Indianapolis Archdiocese.

"Then he and I talked about wide receiver and defensive back techniques, and I knew he had the knowledge. It has worked out great," he said. "The kids see the passion in him —not only for football but for a Christian life. He shows them that if you want something, you have to go for it wholeheartedly."

Father Hollowell embraces his role of bringing young people closer to God as a teacher, coach and chaplain.

On football game Fridays, Father£Hollowell not only teaches students in the classroom and coaches them on the field, but also celebrates a pre-game Mass with the team.

"I try to make the bridge between football and their life," said the priest, who coached football for two years at Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis before entering the seminary. "I think, in general, sports teach them about life."

If he didn't believe that, he said, he wouldn't be out there and Indianapolis Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein wouldn't let him.

Father Hollowell describes football as "a very Catholic game."

"It's oriented around discipline and family," said the priest, the oldest of 11 children—a football team in itself. "If you don't like the guys you are playing with—no matter how good you are—you're not going to win. You're not going to find success."

One of Father Hollowell's favorite times on a football field has always been that moment just before the game begins—when all the hard work and preparation of a week of practice leads to the anticipation and excitement of the opening kickoff.

"There's a fatherly instinct that kicks in when the game is close to starting now," he said. "You see these young men getting ready to perform on a stage in front of a lot of people. There's always a deep concern for them to do their best. I want them to be able to do as well as they can for themselves and each other."

He also hopes that when the young athletes look at his life they will look beyond his intensity for football and see his passion for his faith—and the priesthood.

"There's such a need for priests," he says. "If we just had more holy guys who were willing to help, it would make such a difference. I want to encourage other guys to be part of our team. If someone became a priest because of me, that would be the ultimate compliment."

"For me, being a priest is truly a gift," he added. "For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm doing what I truly should be doing."

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