Mychal Judge was a Roman Catholic chaplain in the New York City Fire Department who often worked within the local LGBTQ community and other marginalized folks living with HIV.
On September 11, 2001, the 68-year-old priest was the first to be recorded dead in the terror attacks that would ultimately claim nearly 3,000 lives.
In the chaos of the initial attack on the World Trade center in lower Manhattan, Judge went to the Twin Towers to pray for the scores of victims and first responders. As he entered the lobby of the north tower, he was killed by falling debris.
20 years after the attack, New Ways Ministry, a Catholic organization that works to advance LGBTQ rights, wants the Catholic Church to make him a saint.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
News Ways Ministry Executive Director Francis DeBernardo wrote in a blog post on Saturday that, “The time has come for the Catholic Church to officially recognize Fr. Mychal Judge as a saint by canonizing him.”
If granted, Judge would become the first, known gay saint in the Catholic Church’s history.
New Ways announced in a press release that it was contacted by a Vatican official seeking people to testify about Judge. In order for the process to continue, an association of supporters is needed to speak to the church on his behalf.
“The work of such an association would require many hands,” DeBernardo wrote, “and would most appropriately be done by a coalition of the varied and diverse people and groups whose lives Father Judge touched.”
James Martin, a Jesuit priest who also works to advance LGBTQ inclusion in the Catholic Church, told the Associated Press, “Mychal Judge shows us that you can be gay and holy.”
“Father Judge’s selflessness is a reminder of the sanctity that the church often overlooks in LGBTQ people,” he said. “Heaven is filled with LGBTQ people. All the church has to do is start to recognize this.”
A Brooklyn native and the son of Irish immigrants, Judge joined the priesthood in 1961. His work led him to helping marginalized communities after he recovered from alcoholism in Alcoholics Anonymous. He founded a Catholic HIV ministry, one of the first of its kind, that regularly visited hospitals to assist patients and their families. In 1992, he joined the New York City Fire Department.
Judge was not publicly out; only a few of his friends were aware of his sexuality. They say he observed the vow of celibacy. After his death, more people learned he was gay.
Sal Sapienza, a Protestant minister in Michigan who knew Judge, told the AP that Judge, “met people exactly where they were. The macho group of fire department guys, they kind of claimed him for their own. The Catholic gay community also claimed him, thinking ‘Father Mychal is our guy,’ because he was really able to connect with everybody.”
“I think that would be very powerful for gay people of faith, gay Catholics especially, to be able to say, ‘The church is canonizing this person that I can relate to,’” he added.
As “Father Mike” himself once said, “Is there so much love in the world that we can afford to discriminate against any kind of love?”
ptn2719
For that to happen, the Catholic Church would have to admit there’s nothing wrong with being gay. So, it’s probably not going to happen, no matter how well deserved.
Jim
Has anyone started a Change.org Petition?
JAW
LOL
Sorry, but the Catholic Church does not canonize people by way of a change.org petition.
There is a long process that goes forward with it. And the Vatican is already asked new ways ministry to see if they started the process.
It could happen but it won’t be for another 15 or 20 years perhaps. Even mother Teresa took a while and she had all kinds of people who believed in her around the world. Only we Americans indeed mostly gay Americans know about Father Judge
I think he may become the first gay saint
Lindoro Almaviva
Father Michael is already a saint. the Orthodox Church canonized him years ago.
Kangol2
Appeals for Catholic canonization and sainthood should go directly to Pope Francis, no? Fr. Judge, a true, Christian hero, sounds like the kind of devout, selfless Catholic the current pope might champion.
kevininbuffalo
The usual path for canonization is that the local bishop of the diocese where the person died initiates the process. Fr. Judge’s local bishop is Timothy Cardinal Dolan. Good luck with that. If Rome changes it’s attitude towards LGBT people he’d have a good chance but that’s not going to happen anytime soon, if ever. That’s just reality.
Joshooeerr
Canonization also almost always involves proof of a miracle. Being hit by falling debris at a disaster site is kind of the opposite of a miracle. It seems a cruel fate for someone trying to do good. But then, as gay catholics are always telling us, “god doesn’t make mistakes”.
wikidBSTN
Joshooeerr – a miracle is needed. But the miracle is to have come FROM the intercession of person sought to be sainted – not upon him, but through him after he/she has died. So Fr. Judge’s death has nothing to do with it. In fact – many Catholic Saints were martyrs who died very unenviable deaths.
cuteguy
The Catholic Church like all religions is a cult. Honor this great man in another way.
wikidBSTN
Despite your feelings about the Catholic Church (which are just as bad as the RC hierarchy’s opinion of you) the great man you refer to was a Roman Catholic priest – so a willing member of the “cult” you disparage.
DCFarmboy
Saint Mychal , ora pro nobis!
Fahd
I get what they’re trying to do, but, as far as I know, there’s a whole process of first he has to be beatified and then has to have 3 miracles associated with his intercession that are recognized by the Church and all other kinds of mumbo jumbo. Unless there’s some exception here because he was killed, its a process that could take not only years but even decades or centuries. It seems like buying into the slow water torture of getting the Roman Catholic Church to change. Not for me, but if someone really admired/loved him and needs an avocation, have at it.
To me, it’s also ironic that the 9/11 muslim hijackers themselves and many surviving muslims were/are utterly convinced that the hijackers were themselves martyrs who went directly to paradise upon their death.
Are there separate celestial paradises/heavens for Muslim and Roman Catholic saints or is it all a load of crap that winds up getting people killed?
wikidBSTN
There is good and bad in every human enterprise as well as in every human being.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
cubcmh
Being a priest or clergy is not a requirement of canonization, so theoretically there could be an LGBTQ+ saint (if there isn’t one already!) However, you DO need to perform some (verified) miracles. Has he? Being nice and doing good work are great, but they aren’t miracles (even in today’s world).
Heywood Jablowme
Miracles are optional nowadays! The RCC recently made Pope John XXIII a saint without any miracles attributed to him. “No one doubts his virtues.” (Really, no one?) Seems that Francis personally pushed that one.
terencemcginn
Fr. Judge might well be the first MODERN “known gay saint,” but Sergius and Bacchus, 4th century Roman Christian soldiers, were gay partners and saints. Venerated more in the East than the West, they are nonetheless acknowledged by the Roman Cahtholic church: their feast day is Oct 7, and their touching story is worth reading. (You can google them or start with Wikipedia.)
wikidBSTN
CORRECT! I have a little picture of the two of them on my bedroom wall 🙂
MusicBoi74
I read his biography a few years ago. It was a great book. He sounds like he was a one-of-a-kind person.