By Stacey Doud | DFW Newsflash | December 2019
Irving — The DFW Interfaith Chaplains presented their annual Ministry of Presence Awards in the Hyatt Regency DFW Airport on Friday, Dec. 13. These awards recognize the men and women who have gone above and beyond to keep the Chaplaincy open and available to DFW Airport travelers.
“We wanted to recognize those who have blessed us and continue to bless others,” said Father Greg McBrayer, who serves as a senior chaplain.
In its 42nd year, the Chaplaincy is made up of 19 volunteer chaplains representing different faiths, as well as two intern chaplains. These clergy members provide spiritual services 24 hours a day, seven days a week in chapels located in all of the DFW terminals.
Congresswoman Kay Granger received an Honorary Lifetime Advisory Board Member position for her assistance in keeping the Chaplaincy program alive.
“We are recognizing our past, present and future,” McBrayer said. “We honored the past recognizing Congresswoman Kay Granger, the present with Liz Wahlquist and Cedric Rockamore, and the future with Sean Donahue, who underwrote the spaces we needed at the airport.
The Chaplaincy regularly prays for and works with the Department of Public Safety officers as well as the DFW Police Department.
“Because of what Sean Donohue continues to do, we can be a blessing to the DPS,” McBrayer said. “This allows us to serve many purposes, with one being ‘spiritual first responders.’ If Terminal F gets built, we will have a chapel there due to Sean’s support.
“The potential growth [for the airport] is enormous. DFW Airport strengthens and supports the area, and we try to support the supporters.”
Ministry of Presence Awards gave attendees an overview of recent accomplishments of the DFW Interfaith Chaplains. The volunteer Chaplains logged more than 3,500 hours, connecting with more than 12,000 airport employees, more than 5,000 travelers and over 800 members of the armed services.
They were actively involved at various DPS events, and many participated in the DFW Airport Emergency Response training exercise in 2018.
