St. Francis of Assisi on West 31st Street may be the most sacred space in New York City. Long revered for its Franciscan ministry to the poor, the daily breadline for the homeless and, especially, for one extraordinary friar, Father Mychal Judge.
Father Mychal was the FDNY chaplain who, on September 11, 2001, left the friary on 31st Street and rushed to the World Trade Center to become Victim 0001 of that terrible day. In the North Tower, he ran alongside firefighters, dodging falling debris and falling bodies; when urged to seek safety, he answered simply, “I’m not finished here.” He stayed to anoint the dying and the dead until debris from the collapsing South Tower struck him, killing him in an instant. Five firefighters carried his body to nearby St. Peter’s Church and placed him on the altar. The haunting image of the men cradling their dead chaplain has been called “The American Pieta.” He was 68 years old.
Yet Father Mychal should never be remembered only as the first victim of 9/11. Long before that day, he was a familiar figure in New York, walking through its mean streets in his Franciscan robes and sandals giving blessings, coffee and hope. His service was to the addicts, homeless, mentally ill, migrants and all those lost in the city’s margins.
Born in Brooklyn to parents from Ireland, Father Mychal was the Irish priest from central casting, using his Celtic wit in stories and his baritone in Irish songs. He entered the Franciscans at the age of 15, vowing to serve the poor and he kept that vow throughout his life. Over time, his charisma and reputation earned him invitations to the White House, Gracie Mansion and the homes of business leaders. Truly, Father Mychal was a man of many layers, a recovering alcoholic familiar at AA meeting and a gay man who remained celibate but was a fierce advocated for AIDS patients, founding the St. Francis AIDS Ministry at the Friary.
Here’s a prayer he wrote:
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. Amen!
One 9/11 fireman said it was fitting Father Mychal would be Victim 0001, “It was as if he took the lead, bringing all those angels right through heaven’s gates.” He leads people to his church too, on West 31 St. between 6th and 7th now renamed Father Mychal Judge Street.
But the home that sheltered his ministry, the sacred space of St. Francis of Assisi, needs repair. A lot or repair. For that reason, Pastor Father Brian Jordan has established the Father Mychal Judge, OFM Building Fund, a call to save not only the building but serve as a living legacy of Father Mychal’s compassion, courage and sacrifice.
You can donate by mailing a check to The Father Mychal Judge, OFM Building Fund c/o The Church of St. Francis of Assisi, 135 West 31 St. New York, NY 10001, or go to this link: stfrancisnyc.org/fathermychaljudgeofmbuildingfund
Contact: Father Brian Jordan, OFM; bjordan@friars.us; (212) 736-8500 x232
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