By Jessica Easthope
Whether it’s for business or pleasure, for good news or bad, people fly.
They all hope for safe travel, but now there’s a place where they can pray for it.
“I leave something behind but also take something with me, especially in a place that doesn’t belong to anyone,” said Father Piasta, the chaplain at LaGuardia airport. “We all share it.”
Inside Delta’s state-of-the-art Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport is an interfaith chapel. Sandwiched between gates 61 and 62, the chapel is a sanctuary — a place where people of all faiths can bring their bags, but leave their baggage. It’s a space to block out the noise and stay grounded. Airport chaplain Father Chris Piasta says the terminal will be further enriched by the people of faith who use the chapel.
“Not only will we be praying and blessing the sacred space, but they will allow others to take the blessing with them,” he said.
The space was dedicated on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Representatives from the Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish faiths gave blessings and underscored the importance of a room like this.
The chapel, which seats about 35 people, has a standout feature architect Stephan Fried says brings some old New York to the new. The stained-glass windows were from three original chapels at JFK Airport. They sat in storage for nearly 30 years and are now experiencing a rebirth here at LaGuardia.
“It’s meaningful to have that bridge from that time until today,” Fried added.
Father Piasta’s efforts to make the chapel a reality started back in 2016, after the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey offered a meditation room instead in the newly renovated Terminal B. Desales Media’s Director of External Affairs, Vincent Levien, got involved. In early 2022, officials from Delta, Desales, the Port Authority, the chaplains, and the governor’s office met, and Delta pledged to include a chapel in the new Terminal C.
“We do a lot of work that people don’t see every day, and this is one of those small things that is going to impact thousands of people,” Levien said. “That legacy — I’m truly honored to be a part of that.”