Heavens above: How Dublin Airport’s chaplain helps grieving families and fearful flyers
Fr Justin Obijuru at the Church of Our Lady Queen of Heaven in Dublin Airport where he is the new chaplain. Picture: Moya Nolan
While Dublin Airport often plays host to joyous reunions or marks the start of a young person's quest for life and adventure overseas, it has also witnessed some heartbreaking scenes such as parents awaiting the arrival of their son or daughter's coffin.
It’s a painful reality facing grieving families at airports the world over as they await for what will be their child's final journey. In this most difficult of times, words of comfort and support can be a godsend — and are often delivered by the airport's chaplain.
Carrying on a tradition spanning almost 80 years, Fr Justin Obijuru was appointed at Christmas as Dublin Airport’s chaplain. Through the sea of joyful reunions and excited holidaymakers, he is quick to those who need his help. Just like his predecessor, Fr Des Doyle, passengers and families often reach out to him for support and comfort.
Despite being new to the position, the Nigerian native has already served as a comfort to many, including bereaved families waiting on a loved one’s repatriation. Just recently he supported a family after a loved one’s tragic death in Canada.
“I got the opportunity to pray with a family,” Fr Obijuru said.
“Their son was 33 years old. They had to fly him from Canada to welcome the coffin. It was then brought to the church at Dublin Airport, Our Lady Queen of Heaven. I brought the family members into the church to pray with them and offer them consolation.”
Situations like this often leave their mark on Fr Obijuru.
“All the emotions come to mind. I just had to be with them.
"All I did was create light in that moment and give them a sense of hope that he didn’t die in vain. Our Christian faith shows us that we are going to a better place.
"When Fr Des was here he would have experienced that on such occasions. People will approach you at the airport and you just have to pray for them and the difficulties they face.”
Travellers also confide in Fr Obijuru for more minor issues including flying phobias. While some frequent the airport bar to deal with nerves, others seek solace in the airport chaplain.
“When people hear the priest blessed a plane it often makes them feel a lot better,” he explained. “For many with a phobia of flying or travelling this fear is very real. They support the idea of blessing the plane to guarantee a successful flight.
"The blessing every year is really important and goes a long way to help people with a fear of flying. A couple of times I have seen people coming to the church with their luggage to pray for a safe flight. We see elderly and young people.
"There are some who have had bad experiences in the past or have seen something on the news and need someone to give them that confidence.”
Meanwhile, despite settling into his new parish in Malahide, former airport chaplain Fr Des Doyle continues the age old tradition of naming airplanes in the Aer Lingus fleet after Irish saints. The honour is just one of the perks of an airport chaplain’s role.
“Among the ones I most recently named was St Mobhi of Glasnevin,” Fr Doyle told the .
"I couldn’t believe it when a few weeks later a guy from India came to my church and presented me with a stack of bibles. He told me that his name was Elvis. I asked him where he got his name and he told me that his mother had named him after an Irish monk.
"I immediately wanted to shake his hand because he was probably the only person in Ireland who knew there was an Irish monk named Elvis.”
So while there are undoubtedly lighter moments to be had, Fr Doyle said the airport chaplain does have to deal with some of life's darker sides. Mental health issues among some travellers at Dublin Airport have become particularly prevalent in recent years.
“It used to make me very sad,” Fr Doyle told the . “It struck me the numbers of people who were suffering in this way. I used to have some people in the church with severe mental health issues who had flown to Ireland.
"I remember this one man who was talking to the wall. He was very distressed and obviously had mental health issues. I was able to talk to him for a while but then he just walked out the door.
"I kept asking myself where he was going to go and who was going to look after him. He had no English and was speaking in a language I didn’t recognise.
"The cases involving mental health issues aren’t something I remember happening too much in my first 10 years at the airport. However, in recent years they increased with regularity. Of course there are always the people who fall through the cracks and that’s very sad.”
He also recalls meeting with terminal dwellers who slept in the airport after finding themselves with no place to go.
“You also got the people who would sleep in the church. If I knew someone was stuck for the night, or even just stuck indefinitely I would pick up the phone and call the Morning star Hostel which is run by the Legion of Mary.
"They were great. They were always my go-to because I could pick up the phone there and organise a bed for the night. I have seen them help rebuild lives. People have gotten a bit of stability in their lives, an address and a job thanks to the Legion of Mary which is wonderful to see.
"Seeing these people come back, serving dinners and helping others in this situation would leave you with a lot of hope.”
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