A day in the life of... an airport chaplain
Journey not going according to plan? Need a sympathetic ear amidst the hustle and bustle of the airport? Fortunately, you can count on the Airport Chaplaincy. Gerard Timmermans is one of three airport chaplains at Schiphol and here he gives us a glimpse into his work.
Airport chaplain Gerard Timmermans (left) with travellers at Schiphol (the travellers pictured do not appear in the article below)
Extra attention
‘I’m a roman catholic priest and was asked by the diocese to do this work’, says Gerard ‘I have been at Schiphol for almost 16 years now.’ Travellers are often sent to him by colleagues in the terminal. ‘But we also walk around. We can often spot the people that could do with some extra attention straight away. Then we approach them, and it’s often enough to just listen.’
The smoothest possible journey
The airport chaplain is also there when additional assistance is needed. ‘I was recently at Schiphol at 05:00 to assist a mother and son on their way to Spain. The adult son had spent some time in a psychiatric centre and was unable to travel alone. His mother came to pick him up, but had barely any travel experience herself. Not the best combination. By accompanying them from the taxi to the plane, they were able to travel in a relatively relaxed way.’ And that’s one of the Airport Chaplaincy’s most important tasks. ‘Assisting people who, for whatever reason, have a hard time when travelling. And making sure that they have the smoothest possible journey.’
Thankful
‘Right after that it was time to conduct a service,’ continues Gerard. Every Sunday at 11:00 there’s a church service at Schiphol. Everyone can attend, regardless of their religious beliefs, and it’s greatly appreciated. ‘People on their travels are thankful that they don’t have to skip their prayer duty.’
Emergency landing
Gerard had just arrived at home after his shift when he got called out again. ‘I received a phone call. A flight from Spain to Norway needed to make an emergency landing at Schiphol due to an urgent medical situation. The 170 passengers had to disembark the plane. This led to some unrest among the passengers and the crew. One of the stewardesses was so upset that she couldn’t finish her shift. I was able to assist her and the other passengers until they were fortunately able to continue their journey a short while later. The stewardess ended up flying as a passenger.’
Helping travellers
‘Time and time again, we see how people come together during these kinds of emergencies. Everyone is on the same page: travellers need to be helped. And that applies to all companies at Schiphol. When there’s an emergency, we always look at what we can do to help.’
More information
Gerard is one of many colleagues with great stories to tell about their work at the airport. Keep an eye on our social media channels for more blogs about a day in the life of different employees at Schiphol
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