CHARLOTTE — The holiday travel season marks the busiest time of the year for chaplains at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, and this Christmas, a record-breaking number of people are expected to fly into, out of or through the Queen City, including more than 3,000 soldiers headed home from Fort Jackson, S.C.
More than 1.8 million people used the Charlotte airport last December, and passenger traffic topped 44 million overall last year. Every day, Catholic chaplains are on hand to comfort travelers in need. Part of an 18-member team of chaplains from five faiths, they all have one goal: to comfort and aid any traveler or airport employee who needs their help. They all volunteer at least four hours a week to staff the airport for at least 10 hours a day, seven days a week. They logged a total of 3,700 volunteer hours last year.
Pictured: Deacon George Szalony, director of the airport chaplaincy ministry, spends time talking to a passenger at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, in this file photo. (Kimberly Bender | Catholic News Herald)
For Father Conrad Hoover, six deacons and three assistants from the Diocese of Charlotte, their work is about putting the Gospel into action – going out into the world, serving as the hands and feet of Christ to all they meet.
"We assist a lot of people who we would term 'infrequent travelers'," explains Deacon George Szalony, director of the non-profit chaplaincy. The chaplains spend a lot of time looking for people who are confused and need help getting to the right gate, or getting in the right line so they don't waste valuable time or get lost.
"This work we do is never seen by anyone. We respect people's privacy and we respect their dignity," Deacon Szalony notes. "Our goal is to stabilize the traveler so they can continue their journey...We respect who they are and what they believe, whether they believe in God or not."
The Catholic deacons and Father Hoover wear a clerical collar so they are easily identifiable, but they are careful not to proselytize.
"It's our hope and our prayer that if they are willing to seek out somebody wearing a collar in that moment, perhaps when they really need someone, they'll seek out their (faith leader) or a priest if they need one," Deacon Szalony explains.
Deacon Kevin Williams and his wife Theresa serve at the airport besides their responsibilities at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte. He has served as an airport chaplain for nine years.
"After I get off of work, I spend two to three hours mostly walking the concourse and being a presence there. Once a month, I go help with the two Masses offered on Sundays," he says.
He looks for travelers who look like they could use help, those who walk around with a "glazed look" on their faces. "You get to recognize that look pretty quickly," he says. "It's mostly a ministry of presence, being visible. If someone wants to talk, if they need a listening ear, we're there for them."
Theresa Williams has been serving at the airport for almost six years. "I most enjoy the opportunity to pray with someone who is going through a difficult time. There is also a lot of satisfaction in sharing their joys, such as meeting newlyweds.
"I feel good when I can make a difference to someone, even if it's just picking up something I see that someone has dropped and giving it to them," she notes. "It's the smile of gratefulness for pointing someone where they need to go for a bathroom, an airport services desk or where a concourse or gate is, answering questions, etc."
Deacon Patrick Devine, a retired TSA security guard, and his wife Michele also serve at the airport. He originally joined the TSA after retiring from a career in chemical manufacturing. He traveled a lot over his career, he says, and he appreciated the TSA's work protecting travelers. "I said when I retired I was going to work with those guys and pay them back some service. So I took a part-time position with TSA as a security officer for four years."
Now Deacon Devine has been serving at the airport for the past three years in the airport chaplaincy, and says working in the chaplaincy is an opportunity to continue helping people.
"You never know when you're going to see someone who needs a little assistance," he says. "It's always different and I like it because it's a ministry of service. We spread the Good News of Jesus just by our presence."
"It's a ministry of the moment," adds Deacon David Reiser. "You never know what will come at you – from an employee coming up to you, to a lost passenger, to a passenger with a lost bag."
Deacon Reiser has even been asked to minister to a family whose loved one passed away on a flight. He took the child traveling with the family to get a cookie and get away from the commotion as emergency workers tended to the deceased and to other family members.
"We're there. We're there for the people. It's always interesting," he notes. He says it's a joy to see people smile and feel happy after he has helped them. "You get the joy of the people. It's a gift."
Besides providing a calm presence and a guiding hand for passengers who are a bit lost or confused inside the sprawling airport, the deacons and the whole chaplaincy team offer a listening ear and a sympathetic shoulder for the 18,000-plus airport employees.
"We minister to the employees as much as anyone else," says Deacon Williams. "You get to know them, especially when they come out to Sunday Mass every week."
Thanks to a $1,000 gift last year to the airport chaplaincy, there is even a confidential, modest loan program available for airport employees who need a little help making ends meet.
—SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
How you can help
The Charlotte Douglas International Airport chaplaincy program runs independently on donations, thanks to the generosity of people in the community. The airport chapel is funded by donations and offers travelers a quiet place to pray, as well as an interdenominational service and two Catholic Masses every Sunday.
For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation to the airport chaplaincy, go to www.charlottediocese.net/ministries/airport-ministryor contact Deacon Szalony at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Mail donations to: Airport Chaplaincy, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, 5501 Josh Birmingham Pkwy., Charlotte, NC 28208.