On Fr. Mychal Judge’s 75th Birthday
by Danny Fisher
Fr. Mychal Judge, the gay Franciscan priest and much-beloved New York City Fire Department chaplain who became the first officially recorded victim of the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, would have turned seventy-five last week if he were still alive.
Fr. Judge refused New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s request to leave “Ground Zero” with him, opting instead to remain with firefighters and those being evacuated from the towers. His selfless act was immortalized when Reuters photographer Shannon Stapleton’s shot of an anguished group of firefighters carrying Fr. Judge’s body away from the wreckage of the towers (just above, at left) was widely published in the days following September 11th. (Today, the picture is called “American Pietà” because of its striking resemblance to Michelangelo’s Pietà, a sculpture that depicts the lifeless body of Jesus held by his mother Mary.)
Before his death, Fr. Judge had distinguished himself in his service to alcoholics and addicts, the homeless, AIDS patients, students, and the gay Catholic community DignityUSA.
A prayer he wrote, made famous after his death, goes like this:
- Lord, take me where You want me to go,
let me meet who You want me to meet,
tell me what You want me to say,
and keep me out of Your way.
I’ve previously blogged about Fr. Judge in this post, this post, and this post. His life, work, and thought have had a big impact on my own. He’s definitely someone I look to as a role model in my own work as a chaplain.
If you’d like to know more about Fr. Judge, I can’t recommend Glenn Holsten’s 2006 documentary Saint of 9/11 enough. The official trailer is below–take a look to see photos, video, and audio of Fr. Judge himself.
Danny, thank you for repeating tribute to Father Mike.
In a world starved for spiritual authenticity, public interest in Mychal Judge continues to grow, not decline, as the years pass.
Even prior to his heroic death on 9/11, Father Mychal was widely seen as a living saint for his deep spirituality and his extraordinary work not only with firefighters — but also with the homeless, recovering alcoholics, people with AIDS, immigrants, gays and lesbians, and many others.
He has been compared to Mother Teresa, and there are at least three medically documented miraculous healings through his intercession.
I truly believe that God granted Mychal Judge a glorious death so that the whole world would be inspired by his lifetime of holy and heroic sacrifice for others in imitation of Christ.
As editor of the largest website dedicated to Fr. Mychal,
http://SaintMychalJudge.blogspot.com
I receive requests from all over the world for prayers, prayer cards, relics, memorabilia, and information about this 21st century American saint. People know genuine holiness when they see it.
Like Jesus, Mychal Judge didn’t just talk the talk of love — he walked the walk of love, even unto death. Saint Mychal, pray for us.
John M. Kelley,
http://SaintMychalJudge.blogspot.com