MANCHESTER – For the first time in many years, the historic Cathedral of the Air will be a gathering place for a special service this Sunday.
The service will be held at 1:30 p.m. on June 23, at 2494 S. Hope Chapel Road. It will mark the 92nd anniversary of the groundbreaking of this historic church on June 26, 1932.
The “Cathedral of the Air” is a memorial chapel located on the Lakehurst side of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. The chapel served our military and public for years.
The last service to be held at the chapel was in April 2012. The chapel was designed for regular worship for Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish military personnel. Now, it hosts only weddings, funerals, and baptisms.
The Navy Lakehurst Historical Society at one time held its meetings in the Norman-Gothic cathedral too. An annual service honoring chaplains who gave their lives to save others is another tradition.
The Cathedral of the Air’s structure was completed in the early 1930s. Stained glass windows were installed from its completion through the 1950s. The Cathedral of the Air was the concept of American Legionnaire Gill Robb Wilson, who was the Legion’s national chaplain.
The project was approved in 1929 and ground broke three years later. In 1933, the cathedral structure was completed and its first stained-glass window, Chancel Rose, was installed.
Over the next two decades, other stained-glass windows, 18 in all, were installed, depicting everything from Creation and Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to the Graf Zeppelin at Lakehurst in 1928.
Catholic symbols were hung throughout the cathedral – stations of the cross, a three-foot crucifix hanging over a wooden exit door, the Virgin Mary holding the Christ-child . The icons are covered during Protestant services.
Despite its proximity to the base and Hangar One, the Cathedral of the Air played no role in the aftermath of the Hindenburg disaster of May 6, 1937. The cathedral has often been first stop for those who take part in Navy Lakehurst Historical Society and Lakehurst Borough Historical Society tours. The tour also includes visits to the Hindenburg crash site, Navy Lakehurst Heritage Center, the Ready Room, the POW-MIA Room, and Hangar One among other historic locations in the borough.
In 1943, the Cathedral was updated to memorialize the memory of the four World War II chaplains and their historic and selfless acts on the SS Dorchester. Each chaplain has his own stained-glass window in the cathedral.
There are also memorials to the soldiers who lost their lives in the tragic crashes of the USS Akron and USS Shenandoah airships, two military dirigibles that had been based at Lakehurst Naval Air station.
In 2022, Manchester resident Bill Schmidt came before the mayor and council to share his concerns regarding the future of the historic chapel. Schmidt and his fellow members of the Toms River American Legion Post 129 called for an inquiry as to potential future plans for the property that lies near the entrance point of the Lakehurst Naval Base. He and others have heard rumors about a plan to sell the property which is currently owned by the federal government.
Congressman Chris Smith, (Representative-4th District) became involved in the matter and was assured by Joint Base officials “that there are no plans to sell the Cathedral of the Air, a treasured piece of Ocean County history that serves as a testament to the noble service and sacrifice of the brave men and women from our community who have stepped up to defend our great nation over the years.”
Joint Base Dix-McGuire-Lakehurst Deputy Director Captain James Howell who also serves as commander of the Naval Support Activity invited American Legion Post 129 to Sunday’s ceremony. AL Post 129 Commander Ralph Moranz and the Preserve the Cathedral of the Air Committee extended the invitation to the public.
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