This is the story of Father Mychal Judge, Franciscan priest and chaplain to the New York City Fire Department. Before he passed away on September 11, 2001, Fr. Mychal was a an open-minded priest who pushed down walls that the Catholic church preferred to build up. He was an alcoholic and a gay man, and helped those from different walks of life. He catered to homosexuals with AIDS, and held masses for gays and bisexuals, a lifestyle not traditionally accepted by the Catholic church. He was known as “the listening priest”, and said, “[in the Catholic church], we were always trying to manage people’s lives. ‘Do this, don’t do that, go to mass, don’t eat meat on Friday’… I had to remind myself, ‘Mike, let people be.’”
Rating: ***
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The world first heard of Mychal Judge following his heroic death on 9/11, yet many New Yorkers already considered him to be a living saint due to his extraordinary life of compassion. He often drove the church hierarchy crazy because he took his orders from a Higher Authority.
The “Saint of 9/11″ film is powerfully inspiring — more about his life than his death. Here is also a website about him:
http://SaintMychalJudge.blogspot.com
This was definitely an inspiring film; Fr. Mychal was completely selfless, and helped thousands of those in need. What impressed me was how realistic and down to earth he was, helping those with AIDS and opening his arms and his support to the gay community.