If your Maghrib or Asr falls while you are stuck between a delayed gate and a crowded security line at Boston Logan, you are not alone. Logan does not have a dedicated musallah with open floor space, a marked qibla and ablution stations. What it does have — and has had for more than 70 years — is Our Lady of the Airways, a Catholic chapel on the arrivals level between Terminals B and C that quietly keeps Muslim prayer rugs on the rear pews and a handwritten sign pointing toward Mecca.

Here is how to use it, and what to do when you cannot.

Where the chapel is

Our Lady of the Airways sits on the lower, baggage-claim / arrivals level on the Terminal C side of Logan, in the walkway between Terminals B and C. WBUR has described it as tucked near baggage claim between those terminals; the Archdiocese of Boston’s directory lists the chapel with a Terminal C Arrivals address. Give yourself a few extra minutes if you are walking from another terminal.

Important for connections: the chapel is pre-security. If you are already through TSA and staying airside for a layover, reaching it means leaving the secure area and clearing security again. Budget that time carefully, or plan to pray at your gate instead.

What you will find inside

The space still looks and functions like a Catholic church. Brick walls, pews, an altar and a statue of the Virgin Mary with airplanes circling a globe mark its history as the first U.S. airport chapel, opened in the early 1950s for airport workers under Cardinal Richard Cushing and expanded in 1965.

For Muslim travelers, the practical detail is at the back. WBUR’s November 2025 report and Brandeis University’s “Hidden Sacred Spaces” project both describe Muslim prayer rugs kept discreetly on or near the rear pews, with a small handwritten sign indicating the direction of Mecca. That does not turn the chapel into a purpose-built musallah — expect pews and a church interior, not open floor and a permanent qibla marker — but it does mean someone has thought about Muslim staff and passengers who need a quiet place to pray.

If a Mass is underway when you arrive, wait respectfully in the back or return after the service.

Hours, Mass and what is not documented

Older chapel directories list daily opening windows around 7:00 or 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Treat those as a starting point, not a guarantee — confirm on the door or by calling the Winthrop parish office listed in the Archdiocese directory (617-846-7400) before you plan around a late arrival.

As of November 2025, WBUR reported that only one Mass is celebrated at Our Lady of the Airways each week, on Sundays. The Archdiocese directory we checked lists Sunday Mass at 9:00 a.m. Older aviation-chapel directories that still show multiple weekend and weekday Masses appear outdated; do not rely on them for today’s schedule.

No Friday congregational Jummah at the airport is published. There is also no documented purpose-built wudu station. Plan on ordinary restroom sinks for ablution before you enter.

If you are connecting or the chapel is closed

For many layover passengers, the honest answer is gate prayer. Use a reliable qibla app, find a quiet corner away from boarding lines and food courts, and keep your bag where you can see it. Many travelers shorten or combine prayers on a journey under their school of thought’s travel rules — ask your own imam if you are unsure how those apply to an airport layover.

If you have time and want a full masjid, Al Huda Society in Chelsea is a short ride from Logan at 60 Willow Street. Its website lists the masjid open for the five daily prayers and Jummah, with a contact number of (617) 409-9328. Confirm today’s times on alhudasociety.org or by phone before you go. The Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center in Roxbury and other downtown options are further but reachable by taxi, rideshare or the Blue and Orange Lines once you leave the airport.

Before you leave home

Check your itinerary against prayer times for Boston. If Maghrib or Isha falls during a short connection, decide in advance whether you will exit for the chapel or pray at the gate. Pack a compact prayer rug if you prefer your own.

Logan’s chapel is not perfect Muslim travel infrastructure. It is an old workers’ chapel that has made room, quietly, for Muslim prayer mats. For many Massachusetts Muslims who fly through BOS, that still beats praying in a noisy corridor — as long as you know where it is, that it sits before security, and when to choose the gate instead.

Know a tip about praying at Logan or another Massachusetts airport that more travelers should hear? Write to us at masshalaldirectory@gmail.com.

Planning details

What: Quiet prayer at Our Lady of the Airways (Catholic chapel; Muslim rugs reported at the rear)
Where: Between Terminals B and C, arrivals / baggage-claim level, Logan International Airport (BOS), East Boston
Hours: Older directories list roughly 7:00–7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily — confirm on site or by phone
Security: Pre-security. Leaving the sterile area means re-clearing TSA.
Wudu: Not documented as a dedicated facility — use restroom sinks
Jummah at airport: None published
Nearby masjid: Al Huda Society, 60 Willow Street, Chelsea, MA 02150; (617) 409-9328; alhudasociety.org
Parish contact (Archdiocese directory): 617-846-7400
Cost: Free

Sources

WBUR / Associated Press, “Logan’s airport chapel stays on the radar…,” Nov. 25, 2025 (accessed Oct. 14, 2026): https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/11/25/logan-airport-chapel-religion-travel
WBUR Radio Boston, “Travelers Find Refuge In Our Lady Of The Airways,” Sept. 10, 2020 (accessed Oct. 14, 2026): https://www.wbur.org/radioboston/2020/09/10/boston-logan-airport-chapel-sacred-spaces
Brandeis / Hidden Sacred Spaces, “Our Lady Of The Airways” (accessed Oct. 14, 2026): https://www.hiddensacredspaces.org/our-lady-of-the-airways/
Archdiocese of Boston / The Boston Pilot Catholic Directory, Our Lady of the Airways Chapel (accessed Oct. 14, 2026): https://www.thebostonpilot.com/bcd/web_parish.asp?ektronid=4910
SkySail Travels, Airport Muslim prayer room finder — BOS entry, checked Oct. 3, 2026 (accessed Oct. 14, 2026): https://skysailtravels.us/airports/prayer-rooms/
Catholic Aviation Association, Airport Chapels Directory — Boston Logan (accessed Oct. 14, 2026; Mass schedule appears outdated vs. WBUR 2025): https://catholicaviation.org/airport-chapels
Al Huda Society home and contact pages (accessed Oct. 14, 2026): https://alhudasociety.org/ and https://alhudasociety.org/contact