It is hard to believe that it has been twenty years since the nightmare of September 11. As we remember and reflect on those events of that day, I want to bring to light a story that is seldom told, but I think is worth telling. I’m going to tell you about Father Mychal Judge, who has been referred to as the “Saint of 9-11.” That is him, slumped in the chair, in the photo above.
Father Mychal Judge was a Franciscan Friar, Catholic Priest and the Chaplain of the New York City Fire Department. In the latter capacity, he would respond to major events in the city and pray for the emergency responders. He would help them deal with the horrors they saw, pray for them to have the strength and courage to face their duties, and sometimes would be called upon to help the fallen pass.
It was not surprising that he was there on September 11th, doing those same things. When he arrived, he knelt and anointed the body of fallen firefighter, Daniel Suhr, of Engine Company 216. Suhr would later be credited with saving 13 fellow firefighters that morning before becoming fatally injured.
Father Judge then entered the lobby of the North Tower where the Incident Command Center (Field Com) had been set up. There, he continued to pray and see to his other priestly duties. He did this for quite some time and then the order came for all non-essential personnel to evacuate the North Tower. He refused to go and simply replied, "My work here is not finished."
At 9:59 am, the unthinkable happened and the South Tower collapsed, 56 minutes after being struck. As this happened, it blew tons of debris through the lobby of the adjacent North Tower, where Father Judge was Praying. Many were killed by the flying debris, including the priest. He had been chanting a prayer, “Jesus, please end this right now! God, please end this!”
As the air began to clear in the aftermath of the collapse of the adjacent tower, survivors in the lobby of the North Tower began to evacuate the building. It was then that a couple of survivors came across the dead body of Father Judge, laying on the floor. They felt that they just couldn’t leave him, so they picked him up and began to carry him. Soon a couple of others joined them. As they got outside, they found a chair, sat the priest in it, and continued to carry him.
The first objective was any ambulance where they could deposit him, and he could be transported away. Soon that destination changed, and they began heading to a nearby church. This is when the picture at the top was taken.
They entered the church and carried him up the center aisle. They lovingly placed his body at the base of the altar. They respectfully covered him with a sheet with his badge and prayer stole placed on his chest. They then returned to their respective duties.
As the day progressed, the story of the FDNY Chaplain in the church began to circulate. He was not the first to die that day, nor was he the first recovered or even identified. Yet, at some point, a decision was made to designate him as “Victim #0001.” At least that is the way it was made public. When I heard about it, I was told he was assigned “Toe Tag #0001 at the morgue.” The reason I was told was so that he could lead the dead to the Pearly Gates and on into Heaven. I recall weeping profusely at the story.
Four days later at his funeral, Father Michael Duffy had this to say about his friend…
“Mychal Judge’s body was the first one released from Ground Zero. His death certificate has the number one on the top. I meditated on that fact of the thousands of people that we are going to find out who perished in that terrible holocaust. Why was Mychal Judge number one? And I think I know the reason. Mychal’s goal and purpose in life at that time was to bring the firemen to the point of death, so they would be ready to meet their maker. There are between two and three hundred firemen buried there [the pile at Ground Zero], the commissioner told us last night.
“Mychal Judge could not have ministered to them all. It was physically impossible in this life but not in the next. And I think that if he were given his choice, he would prefer to have happened what actually happened. He passed through the other side of life, and now he can continue doing what he wanted to do with all his heart. And the next few weeks, we’re going to have names added, name after name of people, who are being brought out of that rubble. And Mychal Judge is going to be on the other side of death to greet them instead of sending them there. And he’s going to greet them with that big Irish smile. He’s going to take them by the arm and the hand and say, “Welcome, I want to take you to my Father.” And so, he can continue doing in death what he couldn’t do in life.”
A number of people in the Catholic Church have called for his canonization to sainthood. There have even been several miracles attributed to Father Mychal Judge. It is worth mentioning that Father Judge’s helmet would eventually be recovered beneath the debris of the North Tower, COMPLETELY INTACT! Most everything in that lobby was pulverized to dust. His helmet would later be presented to Pope John Paull II at the Vatican.
So, when you look back on the events of September 11th on this 20th anniversary, remember warmly Father Mychal Judge. |
| Pater Mychal Judge... Requiescat
in pace. Quinque - Quinque - Quinque - Quinque - Quinque |
