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International Association of Civil Aviation Chaplains (IACAC) prays for people of Poland as they lost their president and many prominent people in April 10 plane crash near Smolensk, Russia. Rev. Fr. Jonathan Baldwin, the President of IACAC has issued a letter to all chaplains and airport workers in Poland. You can read the letter HERE>>

Our Lady of the Skies Chapel at JFK International Airport is a member of IACAC.

Our Chapel has extended its condolences and reassurance about prayer for the victims of disaster, their surviving families, friends and the people of Poland by sending a letter to the JFK office of LOT Polish Airlines and Polish Consulate in New York:

May God Give You His Peace,

On behalf of the Catholic Chaplaincy and the Catholic Guild at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, I am extending our condolences after the tragedy, which took place on April 10 near Smolensk, Russia killing President Lech Kaczynski and many other prominent people from politics and  social life in Poland. By sending this note, we would like to express our solidarity with all, who were touched by this tragedy. We are united with your suffering and we pray to God of life for living and deceased. May the Resurrected Lord fulfill your hearts and hearts of your loved ones with new hope which streams directly from His freshly opened grave.

God bless you,

Fr. Chris Piasta, OFM Chaplain/Administrator

The original text in Polish is available HERE>>

Since I became the Catholic chaplain for John F. Kennedy International Airport, I have had the opportunity to watch and serve many travelers, employees and visitors who were ending up in our corner of the Terminal 4. Some people were nicely surprised that there is a chapel at JFK at all. Some others, who came back to JFK after quite a few years, have been asking about the former Chapel built right outside our terminal, where can you see parking lot in these days. Not everybody knows how unique it is to have not one but four chapels for various religious groups and denominations. At most airports all you can see is one multi-religious room with all sorts of artifacts. Yet, once in a while I come across somebody who is searching for something “in between” our chapels, such as an universal meditation room or a chapel for a specific religious group.

I have noticed, that Our Lady of the Skies Chapel unofficially has become a chapel for our Orthodox brothers and sisters. I am very happy about it and I welcome all of them. I can’t give you exact number of such people, employees, travelers and other visitors, who are crossing the threshold of our Chapel in order to pray and worship the One who defeated death, however I believe it is enough for us to welcome them in our Chapel more appropriately. That is why I decided to purchase two icons: the Resurrection and famous Trinity by Andrei Rublev. If more will be needed or appropriate (particularly during special feasts and seasons), we will do our best to equip our Chapel with these divine windows. We will soon mail Orthodox churches in our area informing their communities about this initiative in order to meet their needs as they are travelling or visiting JFK.

I hope that even in this Easter season I will be extending to many Orthodox brothers and sisters our best greetings by saying Christos Anesti - Alithos Anesti! (Greek: Christ is risen - He is truly risen!) at our Chapel.