Helpless urgency welled up in the voice of the Gate Agent on the other end of the phone: “Chaplain, I have a passenger who is sobbing uncontrollably, we need your help.”
Last month, “Tom” was on his final connecting flight home. His layover at CVG was only 50 minutes and he simply came unglued. Gasping through his tears Tom said: “Twenty five years ago, my father died at this Airport in the Air Canada disaster. He was a Dad I hardly knew and now grief is paralyzing me.”
The son of a famous musician who spent over 250 days a year on the road, Tom was suddenly confronting repressed grief and he needed spiritual care. He needed to tell his story and be well heard. He needed prayer and consolation.
A few dozen passengers at CVG need such care every day.
Soldiers returning from battle fields who are suffering post traumatic stress disorder, business men who have just lost their jobs, travelers destined for funerals of beloved ones, and patients on the way to cancer centers are just a few encounters our Airport Chaplain ministers to every day.
As our Chaplain drew near, Tom realized his deeper grief was focused on the 4-year-old granddaughter his father would never know “and never get to write a song for.”
Words of compassion and prayers of consolation were shared and a few days later, a memorial service was held and a photo of a lovely 4-year-old girl was committed in honor of Tom’s deceased Father.
The Interfaith Chapel Ministry of CVG is on call and open 24-7 with amazing opportunities for offering spiritual care.
[Editor's Note: On 2 June, 1983 Air Canda flight 797 made an emergency landing at CVG when an in-flight fire behind the washroom spread between the outer skin and the inner decor panels, filling the plane with noxious, toxic smoke. There were 23 fatalities and 16 others injured. This incident led directly to the FAA requiring all planes to have smoke detectors in lavatories.]
