IACAC Media Officer – Page 3 – IACAC | International Association of Civil Aviation Chaplains

06/11/202226/06/2024

News from our chaplaincies

Melbourne Airport Chaplaincy team were extremely saddened by the sudden passing of one of their team, Chaplain Graeme McClimont. He will be remembered for his weekly visits to the ramp, bag rooms, engineers, cleaners and anyone else he could find to have a chat with airside.

Our deepest condolences are extended to his wife, Chaplain Helen, and the extended family.

We honour and are grateful for his more than eleven years of service to the airport. Rest In Peace

To all those in our chaplaincy teams who celebrated Diwali on the 24^th October. We hope it was a joyous time with your families and communities.Diwali, meaning ‘a row or cluster of lights’, is celebrated by cultures and religions around the globe, with lamps, fireworks and bonfires illuminating the sacred holiday.

06/11/202226/06/2024

President’s Letter October 2022

Dear Friends and Colleagues

I have pleasure in putting pen to paper (so to speak) as your new President.

What a great time we had in London, which was for many, our first full face to face conference in nearly three years. I do want to take the time to thank the team at Heathrow led so well by Steve and supported so well by Judi. We had a great time of learning, networking and enjoying fellowship with each other. It was also great to see a number of colleagues join the conference online.

I also want to thank the outgoing Board led by Pierre for your contribution to the life of the Association and especially your encouragement and communication through one of the toughest times in aviation history.

There are a few chaplains that are also either finishing or retiring and I especially want to mention the Reverend Canon Jonathon Baldwin from Gatwick who will retire at the end of the year after more than twenty years as an Airport Chaplain with four of those years as President of the IACAC Board. We wish you well in retirement but hope that you stay connected to the Association.

06/11/2022

Fr. James Devine

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of former IACAC President 1993-1999) Fr. James Devine (88), a longtime JFK Chaplain at Our Lady of the Skies and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Fr. Devine was born on May 13, 1934, ordained to the priesthood on May 28, 1960, and died on November 1, 2022. He was appointed the full-time Chaplain to Our Lady of the Skies Chapel at John F. Kennedy International Airport in October of 1988. Father Devine loved to work with his fellow Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim chaplains.

Father Devine was at the airport when Pan Am Flight 103 crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland, and was immediately sent to console the families of the victims waiting in the Pan Am lounge. He was also at the Travel Lodge Hotel to help family members of victims on TWA Flight 800.

In 1995, Father Devine was appointed one of the first Port Authority Police Chaplains. He encountered yet another episode of tragedy during the September 11 attacks of 2001.

“We lost at least eight policemen from JFK and many more from the Port Authority,” Fr. Devine said. “I did many of the funerals for those lost during the attacks because I personally knew them.”

22/09/2022

IACAC Conference 2023

We the St. Louis Airport Interfaith Chaplaincy (STAIC) wish to invite the International Association of Civil Aviation Chaplains IACAC to St. Louis, for the 2023 Annual Conference on October 22, 2023, to October 27, 2023.

Our theme will be, “Embracing God in Airport Chaplaincy.”

Our conference speakers will be Rabbi Mark Shook, Professor Shima Rostami, Fr. Thomas McDermott OP, and Fr. Adrian.
We anticipate the cost to be $1000. We are excited and looking forward to serving the IACAC in 2023.

Deacon Jim Martin, President Emeritus
Rev Rodrick Burton, President

05/09/202205/09/2022

President’s Letter | September 2022

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

What a tremendous 3 years we’ve got through!
Yes, these 3 years as President of the IACAC (and 4 before that as Vice-President including to as Host chaplain) will remain in my heart as a very memorable time and the honor of my life!

Just a few weeks after I took office, after the Melbourne Conference in October 2019, the COVID19 pandemic started and soon became a global crisis. Lockdowns were enforced on the population of most countries; air traffic collapsed, which forced the aviation industry to shut down most of its activities and airports, closed most of their terminals. Many of us were confined in our homes for several weeks and sometimes months. During all that time my question was “what can I do for our members and fellow airport chaplains?” With the Board as well as the involvement of several members from different parts of the world we organized various online sessions to share our experiences, hope and fears as well as, for the first time, an online conference. Through these means we kept in touch and even got closer to one another and develop our network reaching to some of you who don’t usually have the opportunity to attend our annual conferences. I also tried to give to this monthly letter a reflective and pastoral tone, which, I hope, has brought some support to those who needed it.