O'Brien worked for U.S. Customs at Idlewild Airport in New York. While vacationing in Boston, he noticed a new chapel at Logan Airport. That's what Idlewild needed, he decided. When he got home, O'Brien and three other customs agents asked a local pastor to celebrate Mass at the airport for employees. The priest agreed and an airport restaurant provided space for the liturgy.
Catholic employees at Idelwild liked having Mass at the airport, and formed the Catholic Guild to raise funds for a more permanent facility. The chapel opened in 1955.
When the airport needed to expand, the chapel lost its lease and began to hunt for a new location. The last Mass at the old chapel was held on Christmas Day 1988. On New Year's Day in 1989, the first Mass was offered in the interim chapel of the International Arrivals Building.
The current Our Lady of the Skies Chapel was dedicated August 14, 2002.
- Little Blue Book, Diocese of Saginaw