dquaranta-1 Mychal Judge was a disobedient priest who got so big that his order couldn't discipline him. Franciscans generally aren't their own boss, especially men who are both alcoholic and homosexual. Fr. Mychal went where he wanted, spent money the way he wanted, and set his own schedule doing whatever he pleased.If Fr. Mychal had really been a friend to black people, he might have used his office as Fire Department chaplain to address discrimination in hiring in the lily-white FDNY. There's a real moral issue there, especially since so many of New York's firefighters don't live in New York. He wouldn't have been quite so popular if he'd shown some genuine spiritual leadership.He's a hero of our distinctly unheroic times. I don't expect the Vatican to put a rush on canonizing him. They don't often do that for people with a unique spiritual vision that's at odds with Church teaching.

mychalsprayer Father Mychal Judge's self-identity as a gay man was a crucial motivation for his remarkable outreach to other outcasts of society.Despite a handful of deniers, the evidence that Fr. Mychal Judge self-identified as gay, though chaste and celibate, is irrefutable. For a discussion of the conclusive facts, visit http://SaintMychalJudge.blogspot.com (then click "Gay Saint" at the top). Most of the world first heard of Fr. Mychal Judge on September 11, 2001. Yet even prior to his heroic death, Mychal was widely seen by many New Yorkers as a living saint for his deep spirituality and his extraordinary work with the homeless, recovering alcoholics, people with AIDS, immigrants, gays and lesbians, and other social outcasts.Mychal's saintliness was not one of outward piety, though he did have an intimate relationship with God. Nor did he march in lockstep with the church hierarchy. Like his spiritual father, St. Francis of Assisi, Mychal reported to a Higher Authority.Mychal's sainthood was in his unconditionally loving presence with all he encountered -- with heavy doses of playful humor thrown in. This is well portrayed by the film."Saint of 9/11" is powerfully inspiring but not sappy. It focuses more on his life than his death. Unfortunately, its 80 minutes can only begin to scratch the surface of his remarkable story. Viewers may also want to read Michael Ford's biography, "Father Mychal Judge: An Authentic American Hero."

mrjaws75-1 This is a really touching and inspirational movie. The guy was a saint, and not just because of the way he died. This film shows how truly Christian this man was: kissing and cradling AIDS patients in his arms back when health care professionals were wearing gloves and masks around them, staging peace marches through violence-torn Northern Ireland, handing out valuable gifts that he'd just been given to more needy people he encountered in the streets, and much more.Why don't more people know about this man? Why hasn't the Vatican put his cause on the fast track to sainthood? So he wrestled with his demons...but in that sense, he's no different than any other saint. And evidently, he won these private battles, daily. America needs to be reminded that you don't have to minister to Untouchables in Calcutta to be a contemporary saint. We've got Mychal Judge, Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton who emerged right from our own back yard. It's a shame that more people don't know about them.This movie is on DVD, and I highly recommend it. My only frustration is that it doesn't have more archival footage of him. But why would it? He went about his virtuous business anonymously. As the movie says, "he wasn't a hero, he was just doing his job." Hopefully, they'll make a dramatized movie of his life so he'll get more exposure. John Mahoney HAS to play him.

Laurie Duncan I saw this film last week at the Montreal film festival. I had to drag my husband because he was afraid it would be sappy. We were both extremely moved by the story and loved the film. The director did an excellent job in telling the story of Mychael Judge's life. He had a lot of great footage and interviews with many of the people who knew Judge well. I always walk out of a film and think what I would have done differently, but there is not one thing I would have changed. I predict this will get a nomination for an Oscar for Best Documentary this year. For people who avoided seeing United 93 because you were afraid or not ready to revisit what happened on 9/11, do not miss this film for that reason. There is some discussion and footage about 9/11, but most of the film deals with the life of this priest. It is very moving and inspirational. This is a film I would recommend to everyone.