Father Mychal was the seventeenth official victim of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

Father Mychal F. Judge, OFM (May 11, 1933 – September 11, 2001) was a Roman Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, Chaplain of the Fire Department of New York and first official recorded victim of the September 11, 2001 attacks. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The Order of Friars Minor and other Franciscan movements are disciples of Saint Francis of Assisi. ... Franciscans is the common name used to designate a variety of mendicant religious orders of men or women tracing their origin to Francis of Assisi and following the Rule of St. ... The Fire Department, City of New York (FDNY) has the responsibility of protecting the New York Citys five boroughs from fires and fire hazards, as well as preventing disasters like The Station nightclub fire in nearby Rhode Island, and the trampling deaths at an overcrowded building in Chicago. ... The towers burn shortly after United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower on the right. ...

Early years

Born Robert Emmett Judge in Brooklyn, he was the son of Irish immigrants from County Leitrim. At the age of six, he watched his father die of a slow and painful illness. To compensate for his father's inability to work, Father Mychal shined shoes at New York Penn Station. As he got older, Father Mychal became an alcoholic. It wasn't until 1978, with the support of Alcoholics Anonymous, that he was able to become sober. He continued to share his personal story of alcoholism to help others facing addiction. For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ... Irish population density in the United States, 1872. ... Statistics Province: Connacht County Town: Carrick-on-Shannon Code: LM Area: 1,588 km² Population (2002) 25,799 Website: www. ... For the Pennsylvania Station in Newark, New Jersey or Baltimore, Maryland, see Pennsylvania Station (Newark) or Pennsylvania Station (Baltimore). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Franciscan Order of Friars Minor

At the age of 15, Fr. Mychal Judge began the formation process to enter the Franciscan community. Upon entering the Order of Friars Minor, he took the religious name of Michael. (He later changed the spelling to Mychal.) In 1957, he graduated from St. Bonaventure's College, the Franciscan university near Olean, New York. In 1961, he was ordained a priest and assigned to service at St. Joseph's RC Church in East Rutherford and Sacred Heart in Rochelle Park, both in New Jersey. He then served as assistant to the president at Siena College in Loudonville, New York. Fr. Judge was later named pastor of St. Joseph's Church in West Milford, New Jersey before being appointed Chaplain of the Fire Department of New York in 1992. 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... St. ... Olean is a city located in Cattaraugus County, New York. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Siena College is a nationally recognized Catholic liberal arts college situated in the suburban community of Loudonville, New York, two miles north of Albany. ... West Milford Township is a township located in Passaic County, New Jersey. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

World Trade Center, September 11, 2001

Upon hearing the news that the World Trade Center had been hit by hijacked jetliners, Father Mychal rushed to the site where he was met by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani who asked Judge to pray for the city and its victims. Judge then rushed to those lying on the streets to administer last rites. It was while giving the holy sacrament to firefighter Daniel Suhr that Father Mychal removed his helmet and was struck by falling debris. He continued administering last rites even while injured. Father Mychal then entered the lobby of the World Trade Center north tower where an emergency services command post was organized. The south tower collapsed and debris filled the north tower lobby killing many inside, including Father Mychal. WTC redirects here. ... Rudolph William Louis Rudy Giuliani III, KBE (born May 28, 1944) served as the Mayor of New York City from January 1, 1994 through December 31, 2001. ... The Anointing of the Sick is one of the sacraments of the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and some Protestant churches. ...

The body of Father Mychal being carried out of the rubble by a policeman and four firefighters. This image was dubbed the "American Pietà" in reference to the Pietà by Michelangelo.

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American Pietà

Five individuals took Judge outside in their arms. Upon entering the outside courtyard, they propped his body in a chair they found to carry him down the outside steps. It was then that Reuters photographer Shannon Stapleton snapped one of the most famous images of the attack, of a police officer, two firefighters and an OEM responder carrying out their fallen spiritual leader. Reuters Group plc (LSE: RTR and NASDAQ: RTRSY); pron. ... Originally formed in 1996 as part of the Mayors Office under Rudy Giuliani, the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) became an independent agency, headed by a Commissioner who reports to the Mayor, by a vote of City residents in 2001. ...

Some individuals have heralded the photograph as an American Pietà, in reference to the marble sculpture by Michelangelo of the Blessed Virgin Mary cradling the lifeless body of Jesus. Pietà Pietà by Michelangelo, 1499 Marble, height 174 cm, width at the base 195 cm Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican Pietà by Michelangelo, Museo dellOpera del Duomo, Florence Pietà by Rogier van der Weyden, Museo del Prado, Madrid A still from Mel Gibsons 2004 film, The Passion of... The Pietà (1498–99) by Michelangelo is a marble sculpture in St. ... Chalk portrait of Michelangelo by Daniele da Volterra Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (March 6, 1475 – February 18, 1564), commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, Renaissance architect and poet. ... Blessed Virgin Mary A traditional Catholic picture sometimes displayed in homes. ... Jesus (8–2 BC/BCE — 29–36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity. ...

Mourning and honors

St. Francis of Assisi Church could not accommodate all mourners so thousands stood outside for Father Mychal's funeral mass.

Father Judge's body bag was labeled "Victim 0001," recognized as the first official victim of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Former President of the United States Bill Clinton was among the 3,000 people who attended his funeral, held on September 15 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Manhattan. It was presided by Archbishop Edward Egan. President Clinton said his death was "a special loss. We should live his life as an example of what has to prevail." Father Mychal was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Totowa, New Jersey. He was survived by two sisters, Erin McTernan and Dympna Jessich. This work is copyrighted. ... This work is copyrighted. ... The presidential seal was used by President Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). ... Edward Michael Egan, later Edward Cardinal Egan (born April 2, 1932) is the twelfth bishop (ninth archbishop) of the Roman Catholic diocese of New York. ...

A controversial campaign was begun by several American Catholics for the elevation of Father Mychal to sainthood. ^[1] His helmet was presented to Pope John Paul II. France awarded him the Légion d'honneur. The U.S. Congress nominated him for a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Coat of Arms of Pope John Paul II. The Letter M is for Mary, the mother of Jesus, to whom he held strong devotion Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), born Karol Józef WojtyÅ‚a [1] (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005) reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from... Chiang Kai-sheks Légion dhonneur. ... Congress in Joint Session. ... The Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States, considered the equivalent of the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. ...

Following his death many of his friends and associates revealed that Father Judge was gay - as a matter of orientation rather than practice, as he was a celibate priest. According to fire commissioner Thomas Von Essen: "I actually knew about his homosexuality when I was in the Uniformed Firefighters Association. I kept the secret, but then he told me when I became commissioner five years ago. He and I often laughed about it, because we knew how difficult it would have been for the other firefighters to accept it as easily as I had. I just thought he was a phenomenal, warm, sincere man, and the fact that he was gay just had nothing to do with anything." ^[2] Celibacy may refer either to being unmarried or to sexual abstinence. ... Thomas Von Essen was appointed 30th Fire Commissioner of the City of New York by Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani on April 15, 1996 and served in that position until the end of the Giuliani Administration on December 31, 2001. ...

See also

Judge's firefighter helmet was presented to Pope John Paul II in memory of the chaplain's death.

• Saint of 9/11 - the documentary film about Father Mychal.

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References

1. ^ www.saintmychal.com
2. ^ Senior, Jennifer (November 12, 2001). "The Firemen's Friar". New York Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.

• Michael Ford, Father Mychal Judge: An Authentic American Hero, Paulist Press, 2002.

November 12 is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 49 days remaining. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (258th in leap years). ...

External links

• A September 11th Hijacking
• DignityUSA Statement - September 14, 2001
• Saint Mychal, A Movement for Canonization
• A Love Supreme, The Village Voice, October 10, 2001
• Fire Chaplain Becomes Larger Than Life, The New York Times, September 27, 2002
• Saint of 9/11 at the Internet Movie Database