Wings of a Bird

A Look Back: Father Mychal Judge, FDNY Chaplain Who Died on 9/11
... The trip from the firehouse to the friars' residence is maybe two dozen steps. It was a trip that Father Mike--as he was known among both the homeless and the famous--made many times since becoming FDNY chaplain in 1992. ... "Mayor Giuliani recalls that they were both down there very early in the event and the mayor saw him run by with the firemen," says Father Michael Duffy. "Giuliani says he grabbed his arm and stopped the friar, saying, 'Mychal, please pray for us.' And Mychal just looked at him with a big grin and said, 'I always do!' And then he turned and ran off with his firefighters, right to the tower, and that's where he died."
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There were conflicting early reports of the exact circumstances of Father Judge's death. [A church official] confirmed ... that Mychal indeed was anointing a firefighter and the woman who had fallen on the firefighter. ... [He was] the first official casualty of the World Trade Center.
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A friend of his quotes Father Mike as saying, "And if you REALLY want to make God laugh... tell Him what you are planning to do tomorrow." ...