Film honors life of Father Mychal Judge
9/11/07 - The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) center screened the documentary Saint of 9/11 on Monday night. The film told the story of Father Mychal Judge, a gay man, Franciscan Friar and chaplain for the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) who died on Sept. 11, 2001.
After the screening, the audience participated in an open discussion of the film. While reactions varied in content, all were positive.
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Yet even prior to his heroic death on 9/11, Father Mychal was widely seen by many New Yorkers as a living saint for his deep spirituality and his extraordinary work not only with firefighters -- but also with the homeless, recovering alcoholics, people with AIDS, immigrants, gays and lesbians, and others rejected by society.
Father Mychal was also openly gay, though celibate. He blessed and supported committed gay relationships asking, “Is there so much love in the world that we can afford to discriminate against any kind of love ?”
This often annoyed the Roman church hierarchy. But like his spiritual father St. Francis of Assisi, Mychal reported directly to a Higher Authority, as evidenced by several miraculous healings through him.
For more information about Father Mychal, I invite you to visit:
http://SaintMychalJudge.blogspot.com