IACAC Media Officer – IACAC | International Association of Civil Aviation Chaplains

15/02/202514/02/2025

Save the date(s)! – conferences

The 2025 IACAC conference will be held online. It will be over 2 days – the 21 & 22 October. It will be around 2.5 hours each day and the current timing is likely to be from 1900 UTC to maximise opportunity from members around the world to join. If you would like to help with the organisation please let one of the Board know.

The 2026 IACAC conference will be held at Manchester, UK. This will be in the week of Monday 12th October 2026 – the exact length and much more detail to come in due course.

14/02/2025

President’s Message, February 2025

Dear Friends

I write this as we have entered the second month of a New Year and recently saw the start of the Lunar New Year celebrated in many parts of the world.

I don’t know about you but last year seemed so crazy. People seem to be acting out of a state of entitlement and unrealistic expectations. Our airport is so worried about people’s behaviour that they are erecting signs reminding passengers and visitors to show respect. I though this is one of the basic human courtesies.

I had to do a refresher training for Emergency Psychosocial response last week and the trainer as she was speaking told a story of how she now is so aware of people invading her personal space that when she does her shopping she wants to walk with her elbows spread so people don’t get too close.

23/08/202326/06/2024

President’s Letter August 2023

Dear Friends and Colleagues

I firstly want to acknowledge the work of our colleagues in St Louis as they prepare for our conference in October. Now is the time to book as we gather to learn and share together.

We have also had the Board meet with our colleagues in Frankfurt and plans are well advanced for the conference in 2024. As yet we don’t have an offer for 2025 so if you are interested in hosting please let us know. We are open as costs increase to consider an online conference in 2025 and then a face to face in 2026. Please let us know your thoughts.

29/05/202326/06/2024

News from our chaplaincies

* Brothers and sisters:

It is with great sadness I inform you that Deacon Ben Wenning of St Gabriel Parish in Charlotte recently passed away.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Deacon Ben was married to the love of his life, Dorothy (Dot) Wenning, for 66 years. He was a faithful servant of the Lord and his people.

He served in the US Navy and belonged to the volunteer fire departments when living in New Jersey and Virginia. He and Dot moved to Charlotte and Deacon Ben was second in charge of air traffic controllers at Charlotte Douglas Airport. He was ordained as a permanent deacon in the diocese in 1988 and was the first deacon assigned to Airport Chaplaincy at the Charlotte Airport. He also served as Director of Deacons for the diocese. At St Gabriel Parish he taught RCIA, worked in Marriage Encounter and served many other ministries over the years – truly a “deacon’s deacon.” A mentor and kind friend to many. Deacon Ben loved his family dearly and leaves behind many children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Please keep Dot and all the family in your prayers for consolation and peace.

29/05/202326/06/2024

President’s letter May 2023

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I wanted to get this newsletter out to you as some have been asking about information for this year’s conference. We hope to start taking registrations early in June and information is included in this newsletter. This year we will using Eventbrite to register and take payments at the same time. I want to thank the team at St Louis for their hard work and I can assure you we will be in for a great time.

I do want to remind you all that as part of the application process you will need to acknowledge that you have taken out appropriate travel insurance. We will also ask people to acknowledge that they will take care of their own health and not attend sessions if they feel unwell.