The chapel was founded in 1955 by World War II veteran Bob O’Brien, who promised the Virgin Mary the creation of a shrine if he could safely return home.
The current chapel was rebuilt at a cost of $1 million and contains a 16-foot statue of the Virgin Mary in addition to a white marble altar and stained windows.
The rebuilt chapel is estimated to service thousands of people daily and is a popular wedding destination.
[2] Our Lady of the Skies Chapel at John F. Kennedy International Airport is incorporated into the second floor of Terminal 4, near the flight arrivals board.
[5][6] During the case of Hawley v. the City of Cleveland, the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals referenced the precedent set by Brashich v. Port Authority of New York when they ruled that a chapel located in a Cleveland airport was not in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.