Rev. Philip “Phil” DeVolder, of Huntington, and formerly the beloved priest serving Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Warsaw, passed away at 12:15 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at his residence in Huntington at the age of 70. With over 40 years of faithful ministry, he is now at his eternal home in Heaven with his Lord and Savior.
He was born on Feb. 19, 1953, in Mishawaka, one of three children born to Mary Elizabeth Geurs DeVolder and Adolph Basil DeVolder. He is survived by his two brothers, James DeVolder, Port Charlotte, Fla.; Ralph DeVolder, South Bend; and his nephew, Bryon DeVolder, Mishawaka.
Father Phil found his calling serving the Lord and leading others to Christ through his ministry and love of God. He attended Indiana University South Bend with the intention of becoming a Spanish teacher. The school was not far from his home in Mishawaka, where he grew up and his home parish, St. Bavo Catholic Church. He realized that the path to become a Spanish teacher was not for him, so after a year in college he went to work in a factory. It was during this time he received the call in his heart to go into the priesthood and with that he attended St. Gregory Seminary in Cincinnati in 1973 and completed his formation at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. In 1980, he received his degree and the sacrament of holy orders.
His first assignment brought him to St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Decatur. Three years later, he was assigned to St. Joseph Parish, Fort Wayne, then to St. Stanislaus Kostka in New Carlisle. In 1988, he moved into the central area of the diocese and ministered at Sacred Heart Parish in Warsaw, before returning to St. Mary of the Assumption in 1995. His next assignment, almost 11 years later, took him to St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Elkhart; he went on to an assignment at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, which took him back to Warsaw. In 2010, he began to serve at Sacred Heart once more. He moved to residency at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Fort Wayne nine years later. The same year, Father DeVolder was appointed parochial vicar of SS. Peter and Paul Parish, Huntington. He served wherever he was appointed, and after a battle with cancer was declared in remission and was assigned to a new chaplaincy at Saint Anne Communities at Victory Noll in Huntington. Since this last move, he enjoyed the ability to actively minister to the Saint Anne community.
Father Phil always greeted everyone with a smile and even in ill health always had empathy and compassion for others. He dearly enjoyed celebrating masses and preaching the gospel which embodied his genuine love of God, and he is now “present with the Lord.”
Rev. Phil DeVolder’s funeral mass will be celebrated by Very Rev. Father Matthew Coonan at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 125 N. Harrison St., Warsaw. Friends and family may visit prior to the service from 9 to 10 a.m. at the church. He will be laid to rest at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, 357 W. Jefferson Blvd., Mishawaka, with a graveside service at 2 p.m.
Memorial donations may be directed to Priests for Life, P.O. Box 236695, Cocoa, FL 32923.
Online condolences may be sent through the funeral home’s website at www.redpathfruthfuneralhome.com.