Category: News

* 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.

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It was with great sadness we received the news of the passing of Henri Dammane in Nice. Henri has been a long time member of IACAC and attended many conferences  where he and Denise formed life long frirndships with chaplains from around the world. He served as President from 2007 to 2009 and hosted the 2008  annual conference in Nice. Henri was a devout christian and was laid to rest following a Requiem Mass at Saint-Joseph church in Saint-Laurent-du-Var on Monday March 27. Flowers were laid in the name of ICHTUS and IACAC. Our prayers and sympathy were extend to his daughter, Dominique and her family. May Henri rest in peace and rise in glory.

Condolences

Our prayers and sympathy are also extended to  the Rev Romeo Dabee from JFK, New York, who sadly lost his mother over Easter. Her funeral service was held on the 15^th April and our prayers were  with Romeo at that time. May she rest in peace and rise in glory.

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USA: Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport

Ruth Agrusa from wrote to say.  “I want to let you know that we are celebrating the 5th anniversary of the MKE Airport Meditation Room at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee Wisconsin in the USA.  Time has really flown by quickly. We are hosting an open house event on November 15, 2022 in the room from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm.  There will be refreshments and gifts for those who attend.  Wish you could come and join us.

The room continues to be a place for reflection and prayer.  We still hope to have chaplaincy there some time in the future. That is not possible now but we still hope.    The guests that come, have left many wonderful comments that they appreciate having the room and had a good experience there.  We are so happy that we can provide the space for them”.

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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.

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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.”