Eight years after the terrorist attack, West Milford remembers a priest who touched so many, By Ginny Raue West Milford Reverend Mychal Judge, O.F.M., answered the call to duty as chaplain of the Fire Department of New York on Sept. 11, 2001. At the end of the day he was listed as victim #0001, the first official casualty of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center. The heart-wrenching photograph of his body being carried from the north tower was telecast globally, a haunting image. His death was devastating to those who knew him - but his life has since been celebrated. Much has been written about this spiritual and charismatic priest. In the grand scheme of things, the memories that originate in West Milford could easily be overshadowed by the extensive media coverage of Fr. Mychal’s life - and death. But the local residents’ reflections are down-to-earth memories of a priest who touched their lives. Fr. Mychal came to West Milford as pastor of Saint Joseph’s Church in 1979. He spent six years living among the people of the town and guiding the parishioners of the little country church. His personality and sense of humor lit up a room, and although he was never a country boy at heart, he made the most of his assignment, and was well-loved. On his days off, Fr. Mychal would head into Manhattan. He loved the sights and sounds of the city and would walk for miles. His feet clad in typical Franciscan sandals, summer and winter, he’d sometimes trek across the Brooklyn Bridge and stroll through the borough, back to his boyhood home. Born on May 11, 1933 to Irish immigrant parents, Fr. Mychal and his sisters grew up through hard times. The early loss of his father led to the young boy helping out financially, working with gravediggers in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn and shining shoes at Penn Station in the city. It was while he was working in Penn Station that he got to know the friars of nearby Saint Francis of Assisi Church. They had a great influence on the youngster and he heard the call to the priesthood. He entered the seminary in 1948 and was ordained a priest in the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor in 1961. Over the years Fr. Mychal served in several parishes in New Jersey. When stationed in New York, drawn to the poor and suffering, he ministered to AIDS patients, recovering addicts and the homeless. In 1994 he was officially named chaplain of the Fire Department, with Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island his spiritual domain. As the story is told, Fr. Mychal said that he knew his Irish mother would be so proud of him to think that her son was a priest - and had a city job, too. While in West Milford, Fr. Mychal left his imprint on many hearts. A few have shared their thoughts. Harry and Lillian White When Fr. Mychal came to St. Joseph Church, Lillian had already completed religious instructions, on her way to converting to Catholicism but not quite ready to make the commitment. “What finally changed me was his example. Fr. Mychal was a guiding light, what a Catholic should be. His spiritual example turned me completely. I was set,” she said. Through his actions and through conversation, Lillian found him to be a humble priest who took his vows seriously. He understood that sometimes people just needed a hug and in a crowd of 1,000 he made you feel you were the only one present. “I think he was on fire for God,” she said. Lillian has served at St. Joseph’s for many years as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. Harry recalled Fr. Mychal as larger than life, open, friendly and non-judgmental. He accepted everyone and accepted himself for who he was, he said. He had the knack of making everyone feel like they were his best friend. Influenced by the Franciscan theology, Fr. Mychal and the friars who succeeded him, Harry went on to become a deacon of the church. He currently serves as a chaplain at Chilton Memorial Hospital. John De Marco De Marco, a former West Milford resident, was the grand knight of the Fr. Francis Koch Council, Knights of Columbus, during Fr. Mychal’s tenure. He remembers the priest as supportive of all the Knights’ endeavors. De Marco was impressed with Fr. Mychal’s ability to gain the full attention of the group when he delivered his chaplain’s report, combining current topics with scripture. “He spoke so eloquently to the team. He loved the Knights and the men it represented and he was always my best supporter. Somehow I knew that when he was present everything was okay and everyone would benefit from his message,” he said. Carl Richards Now a Cape Cod resident, Richards was the owner of Richards Funeral Home in West Milford when Fr. Mychal was at St. Joseph’s. He has many fond memories of the priest who, he said, lived the Franciscan philosophy. “He was a very spiritual man. He wasn’t afraid to jump in where he could help,” Richards said. As funeral director, Richards was called out at all hours and would often find Fr. Mychal already there, consoling the family. Many times, he said Fr. Mychal could have begged off but he was selfless and utterly dependable. “He could comfort people in a way no one else did,” he said. “I was in funeral service for 30 years and there are a handful of people I will never forget. He made a profound impression on me and you carry that with you. We all just want to be connected and he looked at you and he cared and understood,” Richards said. This writer also had the privilege of knowing Fr. Mychal. What comes to mind most often was his wonderful sense of humor. At the morning funeral service for her father, Fr. Mychal, quite unexpectedly, appeared at the funeral home in Brooklyn. It was typical of him, so busy yet finding time to show that he cared. When it came time to do a scriptural reading he realized he had left his glasses behind. He went around the room, trying on all the glasses of the gathered relatives. It will remain forever in her memory - Fr. Mychal in his Franciscan robe, a pair of black cats-eye glasses perched on his nose, heavily adorned with rhinestones. It’s good to remember a loved one with a smile. We remember the nearly 3,000 people who perished on 9/11/01, especially those with roots in West Milford - Jean Depalma, Michael J. Zinzi, Jeremy Glick, T.J. Hargrave and Fr. Mychal Judge, O.F.M. Source: www.americancatholic.org