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In the Chaos, there was Courage, Sacrifice, and Love.
“25 years ago, a morning began like any other. Coffee poured, subways filled, prayers whispered at morning mass, and then the unthinkable happened. In a single moment, the sky tore apart and the world that we knew here in New York City changed forever. But in that chaos, in the smoke, the fear, the falling towers, something else appeared: Courage, sacrifice, and love.”
Fr. David Convertino, OFM, shared these moving words of remembrance as he welcomed Fr. Michael Duffy, OFM, to Friar Time to discuss the 25th Anniversary of 9/11.
Father Michael was a close friend of Fr. Mychal Judge, a brave Franciscan Friar, Catholic priest, NYPD Chaplain, and the first official casualty of the September 11 terrorist attacks. In remembering Fr. Mychal, Fr. David said:
“A Franciscan Friar ran toward the burning towers, not away from it. He didn’t carry a weapon. He didn’t seek safety. He chose to be present to the suffering and the dying. And in doing so, he became the first recognized victim of the September 11th attacks. His death certificate reads, ‘0001.’ We remember, and we will never forget Father Mychal Judge.
Today, Friar Time is privileged to have with us Father Michael Duffy, a Franciscan Friar, Catholic priest, a very good friend of Father Mychal Judge, and the one who presided at Father Mychal’s funeral here in New York City.
Father Michael, before the world knew his name, who was the Mychal Judge that we all knew as friars? And what kind of priest and Franciscan was he in quiet, ordinary moments?”
“I would say he was the typical country priest,” replied Fr. Michael. “When people talked to him, either with good news or bad news, whatever, they felt like he regarded them as the only person in the world. Everyone thought he was their best friend. Anything happened to them; they would call on him. You know, he was in everybody’s life because everyone trusted him like that.”
To read more of Fr. David and Fr. Michael’s conversation, see this month’s “Franciscan Perspectives: Remembering Fr. Mychal Judge, OFM, on the 25th Anniversary of 9/11” where you’ll learn more about Fr. Mychal, a Franciscan Friar and FDNY (New York City Fire Department Foundation) Chaplain, and how to watch the premiere of Remembering Judge, a new, 30-minute documentary produced through the support of the FDNY Foundation and FDNY Pro Films.