Ministry in motion

By Donis Tracy

Pilot Correspondent

To Catholics around the world, the Church is the place to turn to in times of rejoicing and in times of mourning, the place for quiet contemplation and the place for joyful praise. Whether in Boston or Beijing, Italy or Indiana, parishes stand as a reminder that God is present, ready to comfort, to bless, to minister to all people.

But what about those whose lives are spent in transit — the circus clowns? The migrant workers? The race car drivers? Where can they turn when seeking God’s presence?

Father Gerry Hogan of North Andover blesses a camel as part of his work as national circus chaplain. Father Hogan is featured in the documentary “High, Fast and Wonderful.” Photo courtesy MG Productions

A new film by Dr. Maryanne Galvin, filmmaker and forensic psychologist, entitled “High, Fast and Wonderful,” explores the Church’s mission to these “People on the Move” — a term used by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to describe itinerant professions. This eclectic film — Galvin’s third documentary — focuses on the lives of three priests who minister to three unusual sets of parishioners: National Circus Chaplain Father Gerry Hogan of Andover, Father Richard Wilson of the Office for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees, who ministers to migrant workers on Nantucket and in Fall River, and Father Phil DeRea of the Championship Auto Racing Team (CART) Ministries, based in Washington D.C. Galvin spent a year travelling with each of these priests, capturing their ministry on film. Each priest spoke eloquently of the importance his mission has had not only on the lives of those he serves, but on his own life as well.

“Helping immigrants grow in their faith,” Father Wilson said, “has helped me grow in my faith.”

Father Hogan indicated that much of his ministry is devoted to listening to the circus performers, being a “sounding board” for them, “sitting down on an elephant toe and talking to a man who has been there for 15 years and asking him his story.”

“This is a very diverse community, a very interesting community,” he said. Because of the multi-ethnicity of the circus, Father Hogan said he often refers to them as “a walking United Nations.”

Galvin also filmed interviews with several people whose lives are touched by these priests. All revealed that these ministries have helped create a sense of community in their otherwise itinerant lives, whether it be blessing the drivers at the official drivers’ meeting before a car race, comforting the bereaved after the death of a circus animal, helping to coordinate daycare for new immigrants, or presiding at a wedding or a funeral.

“As a group — the drivers — he [Father DeRea] looks after us,” Champion CART driver Dario Franchitti told the audience. “He’s very serious about his faith, but he presents it in such a way that makes it fun.”

Intertwined in the narrative of the film is Galvin’s own personal crisis of faith as she seeks to answer deep, existential questions about the very meaning of life and death. Finding herself out of work, recovering from two cancer surgeries within six months and mourning the sudden loss of her good friend, former Boston City Counselor Brian Honan in whose memory the film is dedicated, Galvin returned to her childhood faith for solace.

“This project came at exactly a time when I was in a dark place,” she told The Pilot in a recent interview. “It re-ignited a desire for me to have a relationship with a higher being and with others.”

Referring to herself as a “lapsed” Catholic, Galvin admits,  “I loved my faith, but, like many people, I struggled with my faith.”

For Galvin, the filming of the documentary was “very difficult because it was very personal.” However, once she began, she admits she “couldn’t get enough of it.”

“This film really forced me to stretch myself out,” she said.

 “Faith is part of the fabric of these ‘People on the Move.’ To them, it’s like ‘This is our faith…. This is what it does to buffer our lives. That’s it. It’s so simple,’” Galvin stated. “Where this film takes us is that spirituality and faith exist in our normal everyday lives.”

The film will premiere on June 23 at Jimmy Tingle’s Off-Broadway Theater in Somerville. As a tribute to Honan, a lifelong supporter of the Boys and Girls Clubs, the premiere will serve as a fundraiser for the West End Boys and Girls Club of Allston.

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