View source for Mychal Judge

{{Short description|American Franciscan friar and chaplain who was the first official 9/11 victim}}
{{About|the Roman Catholic priest|the NY Waterways ferry|Mychal Judge (ship){{!}}''Mychal Judge'' (ship)|the snooker player|Michael Judge|the animator|Mike Judge}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
|type          = priest
|honorific-prefix=[[The Reverend]] Father
|name          = Mychal Judge
|honorific-suffix= [[Order of Friars Minor|OFM]]
|title         = 
|image         = Mychal Judge.jpg
|image_size    = 
|caption       = Mychal Judge
|term          = 
|predecessor   = 
|successor     = 
|ordination    = 1961
|birth_name    = Robert Emmett Judge
|birth_date    = {{Birth date|1933|05|11}}
|birth_place   = [[Brooklyn]], New York City, U.S.
|death_date    = {{Death date and age|2001|09|11|1933|05|11}}
|death_place   = [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]], [[Manhattan]], New York City, U.S.
|death_cause   = [[Collapse of the World Trade Center|Collapse]] of [[List of tenants in 2 World Trade Center|2 World Trade Center]] as part of [[September 11 attacks]]
|nationality   =
|religion      = [[Roman Catholic]]
|residence     = 
|parents       = 
|children      = 
|occupation    = [[Chaplain]] to the [[New York City Fire Department]]
|education     = [[St. Bonaventure University]], Holy Name College Seminary
|resting_place = 
|known_for     = 
|employer      = 
|years_active  =
|home_town     = 
|partner       = 
|relations     = 
|website       = <!---------- Sainthood ---------->
| feast_day        = September 11 (OCCA)
| venerated        = [[Orthodox-Catholic Church of America]]
| saint_title      = Saint Mychal Judge or Saint Mychal the Martyr
| canonized_date   = July 27, 2002
| canonized_place  = 
| canonized_by     = [[Orthodox-Catholic Church of America]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.orthodoxcatholicchurch.org/saints.html|title=Fr. Mychal Judge, O.F.M Was Declared a Saint of the Orthodox-Catholic Church of America on July 27, 2002|publisher=[[The Orthodox Catholic Church of America]]|access-date=November 13, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629155713/http://www.orthodoxcatholicchurch.org/saints.html|archive-date=June 29, 2010}}</ref>
| attributes       = Brown Robes
| patronage        = 
| shrine           = St. Mychal the Martyr Parish at 3564 Clays Mill Rd. [[Lexington, Kentucky]]
|notes             = 
}}
'''Mychal Fallon Judge''', [[Order of Friars Minor|OFM]] (born '''Robert Emmett Judge'''; May 11, 1933&nbsp;– September 11, 2001), was an American [[Franciscan]] [[friar]] and [[Priesthood (Catholic Church)|Catholic priest]] who served as a [[chaplain]] to the [[New York City Fire Department]]. While serving in that capacity, he was killed, becoming the first certified fatality of the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref name=npr-1st>{{cite web|last=Hagerty|first=Barbara Bradley|title=Memories Of Sept. 11's First Recorded Casualty Endure|url=https://www.npr.org/2011/09/05/140154885/memories-of-sept-11s-first-casualty-burn-bright|work=NPR|date=5 September 2011 |access-date=20 October 2013|archive-date=26 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140126153001/http://www.npr.org/2011/09/05/140154885/memories-of-sept-11s-first-casualty-burn-bright|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Early life==
Mychal Judge was born Robert Emmett Judge on May 11, 1933, in [[Brooklyn]], [[New York (state)|New York]], the son of immigrants from [[County Leitrim]], Ireland, and the firstborn of a pair of [[Twin#Fraternal (sororal/dizygotic) twins|fraternal twins]]. His twin sister Dympna was born two days later. Judge was baptized in St. Paul's Church in Brooklyn on June 4. The twins, and their older sister Erin, grew up during the [[Great Depression]].<ref>{{harvp|Ford|2002|p=44}}</ref>

From the ages of three to six, he watched his father suffer and die of [[mastoiditis]], a slow and painful illness of the skull and inner ear. To earn income following his father's death, Judge shined shoes at [[New York Penn Station]] and visited [[St. Francis of Assisi Church (Manhattan)|St. Francis of Assisi Church]], located across the street. Seeing the Franciscan friars there, he later said, "I realized that I didn't care for material things....I knew then that I wanted to be a friar."<ref>{{harvp|Daly|2008|pp=7–19}}</ref>

==Career==
After spending his [[Student#First year|freshman year]] at the [[St. Francis Preparatory School]] in Queens, where he studied under the [[Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn]], in 1948, at the age of 15, Judge began the formation process to enter the Order of Friars Minor. He transferred to [[St. Joseph's Seminary (Callicoon, New York)|St. Joseph's Seraphic Seminary]] in [[Callicoon, New York]], the [[minor seminary]] of the [[Holy Name of Jesus|Holy Name]] [[ecclesiastical province|province]] of the Order. After graduation, he enrolled at [[St. Bonaventure University]] in [[Olean (town), New York|Olean, New York]]. In 1954 he was admitted to the [[novitiate]] of the Province in [[Paterson, New Jersey]]. After completing that year of formation, he received the [[religious habit]] and professed his [[first vows]] as a member of the Order.<ref name=HNP>{{cite web|url=http://www.hnp.org/who/deceased_members_bio.cfm?e_id=794|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130911224642/http://www.hnp.org/who/deceased_members_bio.cfm?e_id=794|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-09-11|publisher=Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province|title=Deceased Friars: Mychal F. Judge, O.F.M.}}</ref> At that time, he was given the [[religious name]] of '''Fallon Michael'''. He later dropped 'Fallon' and changed 'Michael' to '''Mychal'''.<ref>{{harvp|Daly|2008|pp=30, 31, 46, 81}}</ref> According to ''Queer There and Everywhere'' by Sarah Prager, Mychal changed his name to "differentiate himself from all the other 'Father Michaels.'"<ref>{{Cite book|title=Queer there and Everywhere|last=Prager|first=Sarah|publisher=Harper Collins|year=2017|isbn=978-0-06-247431-5|location=New York City|pages=196–203}}</ref> He resumed his college studies at St. Bonaventure University, where he earned a [[bachelor's degree]] in 1957.<ref>{{cite web|work=St. Bonaventure University|title=St. Bonaventure honors victims of 9/11 at prayer service, Mass|url=http://www.sbu.edu/About_News.aspx?id=36014&terms=mychal%20judge|date=September 9, 2011|access-date=September 11, 2013}}{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He professed his [[solemn vows]] as a full member of the Order in 1958.<ref name=HNP/> Following this, he did his [[theology|theological]] studies at Holy Name College [[Seminary]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] Upon completing these studies in 1961, he was [[Holy Orders|ordained]] a priest.<ref>{{harvp|Daly|2008|pp=23–33}}</ref>

After his ordination, Judge was assigned to the [[Shrine of St. Anthony (Boston)|Shrine of St. Anthony]] in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]. Following his assignment there, he served in various parishes served by the Franciscans: St. Joseph Parish in [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]], Sacred Heart Parish in [[Rochelle Park, New Jersey]], [[Holy Cross Church (Bronx)|Holy Cross Parish]] in [[the Bronx]] and St. Joseph Parish in [[West Milford, New Jersey]]. For three years he served as assistant to the President of [[Siena College]], operated by the Franciscans in [[Loudonville, New York]]. In 1986 he was assigned to St. Francis of Assisi Church in [[Manhattan]], where he had first come to know the friars. He lived and worked there until his death.<ref>{{harvp|Daly|2008|pp=37–77}}</ref>

Around 1971, Judge developed [[alcoholism]], although he never showed obvious signs. In 1978, with the support of [[Alcoholics Anonymous]], he became sober and continued to share his personal story of alcoholism to help others facing addiction.<ref>{{harvp|Daly|2008|p=62}}</ref>

In 1992, Judge was appointed a chaplain to the New York City Fire Department. As chaplain, he offered encouragement and prayers at fires, rescues, and hospitals, and counseled firemen and their families, often working 16-hour days. "His whole ministry was about love. Mychal loved the fire department and they loved him."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thecitizen.com/2011/09/02/first-victim-911/|title=The first victim of 9/11|author=Epps, David|newspaper=The Citizen|date=September 2, 2011|accessdate=July 25, 2021|archivedate=July 25, 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725151933/https://thecitizen.com/2011/09/02/first-victim-911/}}</ref> Judge was a member of [[American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees|AFSCME]] Local 299 ([[District Council 37]]).<ref>{{Cite web|title=PEP, October 2018: Local 299 rewards top scholars|url=https://www.dc37.net/news/PEP/10_2018/L299_rewards|access-date=2020-07-25|website=District Council 37|language=en-US}}</ref>

Judge was also well known in the city for ministering to the [[Homelessness|homeless]], the hungry, recovering alcoholics, people with [[AIDS]], the sick, injured, and grieving, [[immigrant]]s, [[gay]]s and [[lesbian]]s, and those alienated by society.<ref>{{harvp|Ford|2002|pp=107–139}}</ref> Judge once gave the winter coat off his back to a homeless woman in the street, later saying, "She needed it more than me." When he anointed a man who was dying of AIDS, the man asked him, "Do you think God hates me?" Judge picked him up, kissed him, and silently rocked him in his arms.<ref>Holsten, Glenn (Director). ''Saint of 9/11'' (2006), Virgil Films & Entertainment.</ref> Judge worked with St. Clare's Hospital, which opened the city's first AIDS ward, in order to start an active AIDS ministry. He visited hospitals and AIDS patients and their families, presided over many funerals, and counseled other Catholics such as Brendan Fay and John McNeill. Judge continued to be an advocate for gay rights throughout the rest of his life, marching in pride parades and attending other gay events.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lgbtran.org/Profile.aspx?ID=303|title=Profile: Mychal Judge: Profile|website=LGBT Religious Archives Network (LGBT-RAN)|date=October 2011|access-date=April 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423034138/https://www.lgbtran.org/Profile.aspx?ID=303|archive-date=April 23, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Even before his death, many considered Judge to be a living [[saint]] for his extraordinary works of [[charity (practice)|charity]] and his deep spirituality. While praying, he would sometimes "become so lost in God, as if lost in a trance, that he'd be shocked to find several hours had passed."<ref>{{harvp|Daly|2008|p=320}}</ref> Judge's [[spiritual director]], the late [[Jesuit]] [[John J. McNeill]], observed that Judge achieved an "extraordinary degree of union with the divine. We knew we were dealing with someone directly in line with God."<ref>{{harvp|Ford|2002|pp=114–115}}</ref>

==September 11 attacks==
[[File:Fr. Mychal Judge NYFD memorial - inscription.JPG|thumbnail|Judge's memorial inscription:{{pb}}"FR. MYCHAL JUDGE{{pb}}MAY 11, 1933 – SEPTEMBER 11, 2001{{pb}}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.]]
On September 11, 2001, upon learning that the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] had been hit by the first of two jetliners, Judge rushed to the site. He was met by [[Rudolph Giuliani]], the [[Mayor of New York City]], who asked him to pray for the city and its victims. Judge prayed over bodies lying on the streets, then entered the lobby of the [[1 World Trade Center (1971–2001)|North Tower]], where an emergency [[Command post#Command and Control Centers|command post]] had been organized. There he continued offering aid and prayers for the rescuers, the injured, and the dead.

[[File:Y20-Wtc-september-5.jpg|thumbnail|Judge died when debris from the [[2 World Trade Center (1971–2001)|South Tower]] was ejected into the lobby of the North Tower during the [[collapse of the World Trade Center]]. This image of the South Tower was photographed nine days before Judge's death.]]
When the neighboring [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|South Tower]] collapsed at 9:59{{nbsp}}a.m., debris went flying through the North Tower lobby, killing many inside. Judge died at this moment, too, struck and killed by the debris. According to a later interview with 1st Battalion Chief [[Joseph W. Pfeifer|Joseph Pfeifer]], it was initially believed that he had suffered a heart attack.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chief Joseph Pfeifer of Battalion 1 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/05/nyregion/nyregionspecial/chief-joseph-pfeifer-of-battalion-1.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=2002-07-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325184130/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/05/nyregion/nyregionspecial/chief-joseph-pfeifer-of-battalion-1.html |archive-date=2022-03-25 |url-status=live |access-date=2023-01-29 }}</ref> In the moment before his death, Judge was repeatedly praying aloud, "Jesus, please end this right now! God, please end this!", according to Judge's biographer and ''[[New York Daily News]]'' columnist Michael Daly.<ref>[http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2002/09/11/2002-09-11_they_made_america__the_beaut.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124040845/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2002/09/11/2002-09-11_they_made_america__the_beaut.html|date=2010-11-24}}. ''[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]'' (New York). February 11, 2002. "Judge stood alone at a [[plate glass]] window overlooking the carnage and devastation. A fire department photographer heard him praying aloud, ''Jesus, please end this right now! God, please end this!''</ref><ref>{{harvp|Daly|2008|p=336}}</ref>

Shortly after his death, Judge's body was found and carried out of the North Tower by five people (Firefighters Christian Waugh and Zachary Vause, [[New York City Police Department|NYPD]] Lt. William Cosgrove, civilian John Maguire and [[FDNY]] [[Emergency medical technician|EMT]] Kevin Allen) shortly before it collapsed at 10:28{{nbsp}}a.m. This act was photographed by [[Reuters]] photographer Shannon Stapleton, and became one of the most famous photographs taken during the attacks. This event was captured in the documentary film ''[[9/11 (2002 film)|9/11]]'', shot by [[Jules and Gedeon Naudet]]. The ''[[Philadelphia Weekly]]'' reported that the photograph is "considered an American ''[[Pietà]]''."<ref>Prigge, Matt (May 3, 2006). [https://archive.today/20120906165836/http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=12107 "Upward Christian Soldier"]. ''[[Philadelphia Weekly]]''.</ref> Judge's body was placed before the altar of St. Peter's Catholic Church before being taken by ambulance and fire department colleagues to Engine 1/Ladder 24, the fire station opposite the Franciscan Friary on W 31st Street in Manhattan.<ref>{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=Dean E.|author-link=|date=August 27, 2002|title=September 11: An Oral History|location=|publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]]|page=174-177|isbn=978-0385507684}}</ref> He was later taken from the fire station to the medical examiner.<ref>{{harvp|Daly|2008|p=343}}</ref>

Judge was designated as "Victim 0001" and thereby recognized as the first named victim of the attacks. Although thousands of others had been killed before him, with [[Daniel Lewin]] largely believed to have been the first chronological fatality of the attacks, Judge was the first certified fatality because his body was the first to be recovered and taken to the medical examiner.<ref name="Daly_347">{{harvp|Daly|2008|p=347}}</ref>

Judge's body was formally identified by [[New York City Police Department|NYPD]] Detective [[Steven McDonald]], a long-time friend. The New York Medical Examiner found that Judge died of "[[Blunt trauma|blunt force trauma]] to the head".<ref name="Daly_347"/>

==Personal life==
Following his death, a few of Judge's friends and associates revealed that Judge was [[gay]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.tampabaycoalition.com/files/1003FatherMikeBW.htm | title=Tributes keep flowing for NYC Fire Dept. chaplain Mychal Judge, one of those who died in the World Trade Center attacks | publisher=Bay Windows | date=2001-09-27 | last=Cassels | first=Peter | access-date=2004-04-16 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040426124201/http://www.tampabaycoalition.com/files/1003FatherMikeBW.htm | archive-date=2004-04-26 }}</ref> According to Fire Department 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 firemen 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."<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|title=The Firemen's Friar|url=http://newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/sept11/features/5372/index2.html|date=November 12, 2001|last=Senior|first=Jennifer|access-date=2006-09-14|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060326222030/http://newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/sept11/features/5372/index2.html|archive-date=March 26, 2006}}</ref>

Judge developed a romantic relationship with a Filipino nurse named Al Alvarado in the last year of his life, which Judge documented in his diaries. The two often did not see each other for months because of Judge's work as a firefighter.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/nyregion/10about.html|title=Missions of Hate and Love, With 9/11 at the Center|last=Dwyer|first=Jim|date=2008-09-09|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-04-22|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=2018-04-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423033640/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/nyregion/10about.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The revelations about his [[sexual orientation]] were not without controversy. Dennis Lynch, a lawyer, wrote an article about Judge that appeared on the website catholic.org. Lynch said that Judge was not gay and that any attempt to define him as gay was due to "homosexual activists" who wanted to "attack the Catholic Church" and turn the priest into a "[[gay icon|homosexual icon]]".<ref>Lynch, Dennis (June 26, 2002). [http://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=19 "A September 11th Hijacking"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050505121819/http://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=19 |date=2005-05-05 }}. Catholic Online.</ref> Others refuted Lynch with evidence that Judge did in fact identify himself as gay, both to others and in his personal journals.<ref>{{harvp|Daly|2008|pp=86, 301–302}}</ref>

Judge was a long-term member of [[DignityUSA|Dignity]], a Catholic [[LGBT]] activist organization that advocates for change in the Catholic Church's teaching on homosexuality.<ref name="Newman"/><ref>[http://www.dignityusa.org/faq.html#1 "What is Dignity?"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070404151759/http://www.dignityusa.org/faq.html |date=2007-04-04 }} [[DignityUSA]].</ref> On October 1, 1986, the [[Roman Catholic Church|Vatican's]] [[Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith]] issued an [[encyclical]], ''On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons'',<ref>[http://www.dignityusa.org/1986doctrine/ratzinger.html "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061007150141/http://dignityusa.org/1986doctrine/ratzinger.html |date=2006-10-07 }}. DignityUSA.</ref> which declared homosexuality to be a "strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil". In response, many bishops, including [[John O'Connor (cardinal)|Cardinal John O'Connor]], banned Dignity from diocesan churches under their control. Judge then welcomed Dignity's AIDS ministry to the [[St. Francis of Assisi Church (Manhattan)|Church of St. Francis of Assisi]], which is under the control of the Franciscan friars, thereby partially circumventing the cardinal's ban of Dignity.<ref>{{harvp|Ford|2002|pp=119–120}}</ref>

Judge disagreed with official [[Catholic Church and homosexuality|Catholic teaching regarding homosexuality]].<ref>{{harvp|Ford|2002|p=182}}</ref> Judge often asked, "Is there so much love in the world that we can afford to discriminate against any kind of love?"<ref>{{harvp|Ford|2002|p=124}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Fr. Mychal Judge FDNY memorial.jpg|thumbnail|The FDNY Memorial to Judge at Engine 1, Ladder 24 in Manhattan]]
[[File:12.6.11MychalJudgePanelS-18ByLuigiNovi4.jpg|thumb|Judge's name is located on Panel S-18 of the [[National September 11 Memorial]]'s South Pool, along with those of other first responders.]]
On September 15, 2001, 3,000 people attended Judge's funeral Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Church, which was presided over by [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]] [[Edward Egan]], the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York|Archbishop of New York]]. Former President [[Bill Clinton]] and Senator [[Hillary Clinton|Hillary Rodham Clinton]] also attended. President Clinton said that Judge's death was a "special loss. We should lift his life up as an example of what has to prevail. We have to be more like Father Mike than the people who killed him."<ref>Glenn Holsten (director). ''Saint of 9/11''.  Equality Forum. 2006.</ref>

Judge was buried in the friars' plot at [[Holy Sepulchre Cemetery (Totowa, New Jersey)|Holy Sepulchre Cemetery]] in [[Totowa, New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.hnp.org/publications/hnp_today_view.cfm?iid=86&aid=1607| publisher=Holy Name Province of the Franciscan Friars|title=Newspaper Looks at Mychal Judge's Final Resting Place|date=2007-11-07|access-date=2008-04-14|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109135649/http://www.hnp.org/publications/hnp_today_view.cfm?iid=86&aid=1607| archive-date=2007-11-09}}</ref> On October 11, 2001, Brendan Fay organized a "Month's Mind Memorial" in Good Shepherd Chapel, [[General Theological Seminary]], New York. It was an evening of prayer, stories, traditional Irish music, and personal testimonials about Judge.

Some Catholics called for the [[canonization]] of Judge.<ref>Shane, Larry (December 25, 2002). [https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20021225/saint250/sainthood-call-for-fire-chaplain-rises-from-sept-11-ashes "Sainthood call for chaplain rises from Sept.11 ashes"] . ''[[The Seattle Times]]''.</ref><ref name="Newman">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/25/nyregion/25judge.html | title=Admirers of Fallen 9/11 Hero Disdain the Vatican's Likely Plan to Bar Gays as Priests | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date=2005-09-25 | last=Newman | first=Andy | access-date=2008-04-17 | archive-date=2008-09-11 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080911212211/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/25/nyregion/25judge.html | url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Orthodox-Catholic Church of America]] declared him a saint.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.orthodoxcatholicchurch.org/saints.html|title=Fr. Mychal Judge, O.F.M Was Declared a Saint of the Orthodox-Catholic Church of America on July 27, 2002|publisher=[[The Orthodox Catholic Church of America]]|access-date=November 13, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629155713/http://www.orthodoxcatholicchurch.org/saints.html|archive-date=June 29, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Parish-Judge">{{cite web| url = http://stmychalthemartyr.org/stmmj.html| title = St. Mychal Judge| access-date = 2006-09-22| publisher = St. Mychal the Martyr Parish| url-status=dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060810192722/http://stmychalthemartyr.org/stmmj.html| archive-date = 2006-08-10}}</ref> Two people have said they experienced miraculous healings through prayers to Judge.<ref>Charisse, Jones (June 19, 2003). [http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-02-19-mychal-cover_x.htm "The Making of Saint Mychal"]. ''[[USA Today]]''.</ref>

Judge's fire helmet was presented to [[Pope John Paul II]]. France awarded him the [[Légion d'honneur]]. Some members of the [[United States Congress]] nominated him for the [[Congressional Gold Medal]],<ref>Thomas, Jocelyn (September 15, 2010). [http://www.hnp.org/publications/hnp_today_view.cfm?iid=158&aid=3313 "''HNP Today'' newsletter"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101219025906/http://hnp.org/publications/hnp_today_view.cfm?iid=158&aid=3313 |date=2010-12-19 }}. Vol. 44, No. 19. [[Franciscan Friars]]: Holy Name Province.</ref> as well as the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]]. In 2002, the City of New York renamed the portion of West 31st Street on which the friary where he lived is located as "Father Mychal F. Judge Street", and christened a commuter ferry the ''[[Father Mychal Judge (ship)|Father Mychal Judge]]'' in his honor in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |last=McQuillan |first=Alice |date=February 21, 2002 |title=Ferry Named For FDNY Priest |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2002/02/21/ferry-named-for-fdny-priest/ |access-date=2025-04-23 |work=[[New York Daily News]]}}</ref>

In 2002, the United States Congress passed ''The Mychal Judge Police and Fire Chaplains Public Safety Officers Benefit Act'' into law.<ref>Bumiller, Elisabeth (June 27, 2002). [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/27/us/washington-memo-the-most-unusual-story-behind-a-gay-rights-victory.html "Washington Memo; The Most Unusual Story Behind a Gay Rights Victory"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> The law extended federal death benefits to chaplains of police and fire departments, and also marked the first time<ref>''Same-sex Marriage in the United States: Focus on the Facts'' {{ISBN|978-0-739-10882-6}} p. 107</ref> the federal government extended equal benefits for same-sex couples by allowing the [[domestic partner]]s of public safety officers killed in the line of duty to collect a federal death benefit. This act was signed into law on June 24, 2002, but would be retroactive only to September 11, 2001.

The [[New York Press Club]] instituted The Rev. Mychal Judge Heart of New York Award, which is presented annually for the news story or series that is most complimentary of New York City.<ref>[http://www.nypressclub.org/awards.php "The New York Press Club Journalism Awards"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906032641/http://www.nypressclub.org/awards.php |date=2011-09-06 }}. [[New York Press Club]]. Retrieved November 29, 2013.</ref>

A campaign has been started in [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]], to have a statue of Judge erected in its Memorial Park.<ref>{{cite news | title=Sculpted from memories: Statue may be final Judge-ment | first=Jeff | last=Fucci | publisher=Leader (New Jersey) | url=http://leadernewspapers.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=6652 | date=2008-03-28 | access-date=2008-04-14 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

[[Alvernia University]], a private independent college in the Franciscan tradition in [[Reading, Pennsylvania]], named a new residence hall in honor of Judge.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alvernia.edu/admissions/studentlife/housing.htm | title=Alvernia College: Undergraduate Housing | access-date=2008-04-30 |quote=Judge Hall, our newest residence hall built in 2005, is named in honor of the late Fr. Mychal Judge, a Franciscan priest who died while ministering to injured firefighters at the World Trade Center site on September 11, 2001. |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080329093909/http://www.alvernia.edu/admissions/studentlife/housing.htm |archive-date = March 29, 2008}}</ref>

The Father Mychal Judge Memorial in the village of [[Keshcarrigan]], County Leitrim, Ireland, was dedicated in 2005, on donated land which had belonged to Judge's ancestors. People from the village and surrounding area celebrate his life every year on the 9/11 anniversary.<ref>TeVogt, Jim. (April 19, 2007). [http://geograph.ie/photo/1888550 "H0307: Fr. Mychal Judge Memorial Near Keshcarrigan"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008033000/http://www.geograph.ie/photo/1888550 |date=2011-10-08 }}. [[Geograph Britain and Ireland]]. Retrieved November 29, 2013.</ref><ref>[http://leitrimobserver.ie/news/local/keshcarrigan_peace_garden_to_honour_memory_of_9_11_priest_1_2019803 "Keshcarrigan Peace Garden to honour memory of 9/11 priest"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929153824/http://www.leitrimobserver.ie/news/local/keshcarrigan_peace_garden_to_honour_memory_of_9_11_priest_1_2019803 |date=2011-09-29 }}. ''[[Leitrim Observer]]''. August 31, 2005.</ref>

In 2006, a documentary film, ''Saint of 9/11'', directed by Glenn Holsten, co-produced by Brendan Fay and narrated by Sir [[Ian McKellen]], was released.

[[Larry Kirwan]], leader of the Irish-American band [[Black 47 (band)|Black 47]], wrote a tribute song entitled "Mychal" in honor of Judge that appeared in the band's 2004 album ''New York Town''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kirwan|first1=Larry|title=Black 47 Album Stories|url=http://www.thereelbook.com/groups/Black47/albums/Black47Albums.aspx|website=The Reel Book|access-date=9 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710204155/http://www.thereelbook.com/groups/Black47/albums/Black47Albums.aspx|archive-date=10 July 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Father Mychal Judge Walk of Remembrance takes place every year in New York on the Sunday before the 9/11 anniversary. It begins with a Mass at St. Francis Church on West 31st Street, then proceeds to the site of [[World Trade Center site|Ground Zero]], retracing Judge's final journey and praying along the way.<ref>Johnson, Nicole (September 11, 2006). [http://www.ny1.com/Default.aspx?SecID=1000&ArID=62477 "FDNY Chaplain Honored At Annual Remembrance Walk"]{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. [[NY1]].</ref> Every September 11, there is a Mass in memory of Judge in Boston, attended by many who lost family members on 9/11.<ref>McGonegal, Joe (September 16, 2008). [http://www.wickedlocal.com/west-roxbury/news/lifestyle/x1780976790/Seven-years-of-healing "Seven years of healing"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301015350/http://www.wickedlocal.com/west-roxbury/news/lifestyle/x1780976790/Seven-years-of-healing |date=2009-03-01 }}. [[Wicked Local]].</ref>

At the [[National September 11 Memorial]], Judge is memorialized at the South Pool, on Panel S-18, where other first responders are located.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://names.911memorial.org/#lang=en_US&page=person&id=4631|title=South Pool: Panel N-6 - Mychal F. Judge|publisher=[[National September 11 Memorial & Museum]]|access-date=October 29, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727095710/http://names.911memorial.org/#lang=en_US&page=person&id=4631|archive-date=July 27, 2013}}</ref>

In 2014, Judge was inducted into the [[Legacy Walk]], an outdoor public display which celebrates [[LGBT]] history and people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-gay-plaque-wrigleyville-20141012-story.html|title=Legacy Walk honors LGBT 'guardian angels'|date=11 October 2014|work=chicagotribune.com|access-date=13 October 2014|archive-date=29 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529001821/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-gay-plaque-wrigleyville-20141012-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.advocate.com/pride/2014/10/11/photos-7-lgbt-heroes-honored-plaques-chicagos-legacy-walk?page=full|title=PHOTOS: 7 LGBT Heroes Honored With Plaques in Chicago's Legacy Walk|work=Advocate.com|date=11 October 2014|access-date=13 October 2014|archive-date=6 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706030243/http://www.advocate.com/pride/2014/10/11/photos-7-lgbt-heroes-honored-plaques-chicagos-legacy-walk?page=full|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2015, a statue was dedicated to Judge at St. Joseph's Park in East Rutherford, New Jersey, across the street from St. Joseph's Parish where he served for several years.

In recognition of his heroic actions and his commitment to the dignity of LGBTQ people, Judge was posthumously awarded the Dooley Award by GALA-ND/SMC, an alumni organization of the [[University of Notre Dame]], a prominent American Catholic university.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.galandsmc.org/dooley-award-recipients/ |title=Dooley Award Recipients &#124; GALA-ND/SMC |access-date=2016-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161126222257/http://www.galandsmc.org/dooley-award-recipients/ |archive-date=2016-11-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In September 2021, Judge was nominated for [[sainthood]] in the Catholic Church.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=9/11's first casualty Mychal Judge is a legend — can he be a saint?|author=Kelly, Mike|url=https://www.northjersey.com/in-depth/news/columnists/mike-kelly/2021/09/10/father-mychal-judge-911-attacks-fdny-catholic-saint/4939813001/|publisher=[[NorthJersey.com]]|language=en|date=September 10, 2021|access-date=September 13, 2021|archivedate=September 10, 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910113552/https://www.northjersey.com/in-depth/news/columnists/mike-kelly/2021/09/10/father-mychal-judge-911-attacks-fdny-catholic-saint/4939813001/}}</ref>

A documentary film directed by Brendan Fay that focuses on Judge, ''Remembering Mychal'', premiered on October 26, 2021, in New York City. Featured voices in the film include [[Malachy McCourt]] and [[Pete Hamill]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/entertainment/documentary-911-hero-remembering-mychal|title=Documentary on 9/11 hero 'Remembering Mychal' premieres in New York|publisher=IrishCentral|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=November 12, 2021|access-date=July 27, 2022|archivedate=July 13, 2022|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713200854/https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/entertainment/documentary-911-hero-remembering-mychal}}</ref>

===Canonization debate===
Several organizations have proposed to the Vatican a possible [[canonization]], to which the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York|Archdiocese of New York]] and the [[Third Order of Saint Francis|Franciscan Third Order]] have not given clear answers. However, Christian denominations that are not in communion with Rome have canonized him, recognizing him as a saint and a martyr<ref>{{Cite web |title=St. Mychal Judge |url=http://www.reformedcatholic.org/st-mychal-judge |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=The Reformed Catholic Church |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-06-29 |title=Saints of the Orthodox-Catholic Church of America |url=http://www.orthodoxcatholicchurch.org/saints.html |access-date=2022-08-12 |archive-date=2010-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629155713/http://www.orthodoxcatholicchurch.org/saints.html |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> while his tomb, in the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery of Totowa, has been becoming a kind of "informal sanctuary".<ref name=":0" /> 

While there is an active campaign to open his cause of beatification (the first step to canonization), there remains a controversy over his illicit sexual activity (despite his vow of chastity) and his disobedience towards Church hierarchy regarding certain circumstances which has represented a serious obstacle to his being named a saint.

The fact that Judge had a homosexual orientation is likely to be an impediment to beatification. Postulators have argued that there are precedents of saints and openly LGBT martyrs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Ruth |date=2017-09-11 |title=Father Mychal Judge Was a 9/11 Hero. Could He Also Become the First Gay Saint? |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/09/father-mychal-judge-was-a-9-11-hero-could-he-also-become-the-first-gay-saint.html |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=Slate Magazine |language=en}}</ref> In 2021, 20 years after his death, an official cause was initiated, but without the official support of the Archdiocese of New York, but from an independent postulator, the Rv. Luis Fernando Escalante, directly in charge of the cause in Rome.<ref>{{Cite web |title=It's Time to Canonize Fr. Mychal Judge |url=https://www.newwaysministry.org/advocate/time-canonize-fr-mychal-judge/ |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=New Ways Ministry |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812122357/https://www.newwaysministry.org/advocate/time-canonize-fr-mychal-judge/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==References==
===General references===
*{{cite book |last=Ford |first=Michael |title=Father Mychal Judge: an Authentic American Hero |year=2002 |publisher=[[Paulist Fathers|Paulist Press]] |isbn=0-8091-0552-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/fathermychaljudg0000ford }}
*{{cite book |last=Daly |first=Michael |year=2008 |title=The Book of Mychal: The Surprising Life and Heroic Death of Father Mychal Judge |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-0-312-30150-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/bookofmychalsurp00daly_0 }}

===Inline citations===
{{reflist|24em}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |isbn= 978-0-8091-6740-1| first=Kelly Ann|last=Lynch|title=He Said Yes: The Story of Father Mychal Judge|publisher=Paulist Press (illustrated children's book)|year=2007}}
*{{cite book |isbn= 978-0-615-47331-4| first=Salvatore|last=Sapienza|title=Mychal's Prayer: Praying with Father Mychal Judge|publisher=Tregatti Press|year=2011}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01E1DE1F39F934A1575AC0A9649C8B63 Fire Chaplain Becomes Larger than Life]
* [http://www.beliefnet.com/story/198/story_19889_1.html The Happiest Man on Earth: Eulogy of Fr. Mychal Judge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080902202226/http://www.beliefnet.com/story/198/story_19889_1.html |date=2008-09-02 }}
* [http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/radio-documentary-fr-mychal-judge-9-11.html An RTE Radio 1 documentary 'Victim No. 0001', September 3, 2011, describes his life and work] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009033016/http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/radio-documentary-fr-mychal-judge-9-11.html |date=October 9, 2011 }}
* [https://www.npr.org/2011/09/09/140293993/slain-priest-bury-his-heart-but-not-his-love An NPR Radio clip "Slain Priest: 'Bury His Heart, But Not His Love{{'"}}] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213035759/https://www.npr.org/2011/09/09/140293993/slain-priest-bury-his-heart-but-not-his-love |date=2021-02-13 }}
*{{IMDb title|0795458|Saint of 9/11}}

{{Subject bar |portal1= Biography |portal2= Catholicism |portal3= New York (state)|commons=y}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Judge, Mychal F.}}
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:2001 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American Roman Catholic priests]]
[[Category:American Friars Minor]]
[[Category:American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Burials at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery (Totowa, New Jersey)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:LGBTQ people from New York (state)]]
[[Category:LGBTQ Roman Catholic priests]]
[[Category:New York City Fire Department]]
[[Category:Religious leaders from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:People from Rochelle Park, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People murdered in New York City]]
[[Category:St. Bonaventure University alumni]]
[[Category:Terrorism deaths in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Emergency workers killed in the September 11 attacks]]
[[Category:Firefighters killed in the line of duty]]
[[Category:Catholics from New York (state)]]
[[Category:21st-century American Roman Catholic priests]]
[[Category:20th-century American LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:American gay men]]