Cathedral of the Air
This chapel, The Cathedral of the Air, in Manchester Township, NJ was erected in 1932 by the American Legions of New Jersey to serve as a worship site for nearby Lakehurst Naval Station (today, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst).
Today the chapel is used for weddings and baptisms but hosts no regular services.
Its future is in question.
Inside the chapel are more than a dozen stained glass windows documenting strides made in aviation:
The windows, installed between 1933 and 1957, cover real and allegorical notions of flight, from the magic carpets of the Arabian Nights, to jet airplanes at Edwards Air Force Base. Also depicted are Icarus, Roman carrier pigeons, the first parachute, 18th century French balloons, the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, the first transatlantic air journey, the first airmail flights, and more airships. Looking up at the window showing the airships that once flew by outside this very window, one sees, instead, their depiction in the colored glass, like an overlay, or projection into the sky. - The Center for Land Use Interpretation
In the foyer are two plaques: one memorializing the fourteen naval airmen who died in the Shenandoah tragedy when the airship rushing in Ohio in 1925 and another honoring the thirty-one crew members who died onboard the dirigible USS Akron in 1933.
The American Legions of New Jersey are negotiating with the federal government and Navy Lakehurst Historical Society to purchase and preserve the chapel. Jersey Online reported:
MANCHESTER – The Cathedral of the Air is known as a historic chapel used by those who serve at Fort Dix, McGuire Air Force Base and the Lakehurst Naval Base throughout the decades even before the three bases came under the banner of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
During a recent Manchester Township Council meeting, Whiting resident Bill Schmidt brought up concerns he had that were shared by his fellow members of the Toms River American Legion Post 129 that regard the chapel’s future.
Schmidt read a statement before the mayor and council of Manchester calling 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.
The Manchester Times reached out to the Joint Base for clarification concerning the current status of the chapel. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Ariel Owings who serves as Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs representative said she reached out to Cathedral of the Air staff.
“The only change they may have is that of ownership. Currently, the Air Force run this particular chapel and the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society co-owns it. If they did decide to change ownership, it would simply mean the NLHS would receive full ownership. This discussion is still in the very early stages so a conclusion is not expected to be made any time soon. The chapel is still in use at this moment,” Owings added.
