{"id":2272,"date":"2011-03-10T14:25:42","date_gmt":"2011-03-10T19:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/deaconsbench\/?p=2272"},"modified":"2016-09-30T17:47:31","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T21:47:31","slug":"ministering-on-the-fly-meet-the-airport-chaplains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/2011\/03\/ministering-on-the-fly-meet-the-airport-chaplains\/","title":{"rendered":"Ministering "on the fly": meet the airport chaplains"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Yesterday was one of the busiest days of the year for priests everywhere \u2014 including at America\u2019s airports.<\/p>\n

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From the Wall Street Journal<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n

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For the Rev. Michael Zaniolo, Ash Wednesday is the busiest day of the year. He\u2019s the head chaplain at Chicago\u2019s O\u2019Hare International Airport, which had three Masses and 14 different ash ceremonies.<\/div>\n
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Here, services can\u2019t go longer than 30 minutes to fit into workers\u2019 breaks. He has his \u201cregulars\u201d at services\u2014airport workers and airline employees as well as travelers who have made going to church part of their layover routine at O\u2019Hare. He hears confession from many every day.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThey carry around a lot of spiritual burdens, and I\u2019m a convenient guy,\u201d he says. \u201cI can help people get things out of their system or see things in a different perspective, or see where God might be.\u201d<\/p>\n

At least 140 airports around the world have designated chapels, and more than 250 have airport chaplains, according to the International Association of Civil Aviation Chaplains, an ecumenical non-profit organization. While chaplains are among the first-responders in the event of a crash, day to day they spend their time offering solace to travelers, consoling the bereaved, hearing confession or offering blessings to passengers before they board airplanes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a ministry of presence,\u201d says the Rev. Chris Piasta, a Roman Catholic chaplain at New York\u2019s Kennedy International Airport. \u201cYears ago people enjoyed flying. Nowadays, no one talks about an enjoyable experience anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Airport chaplains counsel people through the stress of both flying and daily living. Some travelers are filled with anxiety because of circumstance\u2014they are on their way to funerals, medical treatment or family emergencies, for example. Many don\u2019t have the time to go to church, synagogue or a mosque. So the faith institutions have come to them. Chaplains roam through airport train and tram stations, control towers and gate areas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to be where people are at and move with people,\u201d says Rabbi Bennett Rackman, who works out of JFK and hosts lunchtime study programs for workers, leads prayer sessions for Jewish travelers and offers blessings for youth groups about to depart to Israel. He believes JFK\u2019s synagogue is the only airport synagogue in the western hemisphere.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s fascinating stuff. \u00a0Check out more<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday was one of the busiest days of the year for priests everywhere \u2014 including at America\u2019s airports. From the Wall Street Journal: For the Rev. Michael Zaniolo, Ash Wednesday is the busiest day of the year. He\u2019s the head chaplain at Chicago\u2019s O\u2019Hare International Airport, which had three Masses and 14 different ash ceremonies. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,49],"tags":[11205],"class_list":["post-2272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-priests","category-this-that","tag-chaplains"],"yoast_head":"\nMinistering "on the fly": meet the airport chaplains<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Yesterday was one of the busiest days of the year for priests everywhere -- including at America's airports. 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