All Are Welcome To Worship At JFK

It may come as a surprise to many passengers at John F. Kennedy International Airport, but it is possible to spend that downtime in between flights visiting the chapel of their choice for prayer, meditation, and worship services.
Inside JFK’s Terminal 4, there is a space designated for people of all faiths, including separate chapels for Jews, Protestants, Catholics and a multi-faith chapel open to people of any other religion. The chapels stand on the fourth floor of Terminal 4, and each house close to 50 people. There are worship services and religious studies held regularly in each chapel.
Our Lady of the Skies Chapel, a Catholic church, was the first chapel to be founded in JFK airport in 1955. Father James Devine, its current Chaplain, noted that hundreds of visitors attend the chapel in a given week.
“Many travelers and employees who work at the airport come for prayer and meditation,” said Fr. Devine. “Passengers come in before they fly to say a prayer.” Catholic mass is held at Our Lady of the Skies on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:30 a.m.
However, at the International Synagogue, sermons are not given on Fridays and Saturdays, which is traditional in the Jewish faith.
“It’s rare that a Jew would be traveling on the Sabbath,” said Rabbi Bennett Rackman, Chaplain of the synagogue. The Rabbi schedules the services around the arriving flights of Israeli airline, El Al, which is conveniently located at Terminal 4. Services at the synagogue, organized in 1958 and built in 1962, can take place anytime depending on the gathering of Jewish people at the airport and the arrivals or departures of El Al flights.
Shortly after the founding of the International Synagogue, the Protestant chapel, Christ for the World Chapel, was founded in 1964. Reverend Patricia Evans, Chaplain of Christ for the World, said that there has always been co-operation amongst the people of different faiths. “We welcome people from all different faiths and we respect one another by holding worship services during different times,” said Rev. Evans.
In May 2001, space was reserved at Terminal 4 for all of the chapels, which put followers of all three faiths under the same roof. Also opened was a multi-faith chapel, which is available to people of all faiths, including Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism.
The four chapels stand side-by-side in the airport, giving people of all religious persuasions the opportunity to worship or meditate as they wish — together, yet apart.
They also all offer grief counseling, which unfortunately was needed after the crash of SwissAir Flight 111 in September 1998.
“There is a very high regard for cooperation and respect here,” said Rev. Evans. “People can stop in the chapels to pray and give thanks to the Lord, no matter what avenue they travel.”
Subhanah Wahhaj is a freelance writer.