The Saint I never met but wish I did

I don’t do Book Reviews, but I do recommend books. Last week I finished a book I’m recommending to everyone, The Book of Mychal by Michael Daly. Here Michael Daly, a NY Daily News columnist, gives a very intimate portrait of the man that would become the first official recorded death on September 11^th – Father Mychal Judge.

This book is divine. Divine, in all senses of the word. I think what Michael Daly does here is not only bring back the man who thought that New York City was a holy place, but Daly also brings the forgotten stories of the men and women who make it holy. As a lifelong New Yorker, there are names in these chapters that sound familiar to me but the stories to go with those names have been forgotten. Michael Daly brings those stories to life and reminds us why we should never forget.

In The Book of Mychal, the holy people of the holy city are the homeless, the AIDS victims, the firefighters, the widows, and the children. These stories emerge in the telling of Mychal Judge’s life because they were his life. Father Judge devoted himself to them in a manner that evokes the compassion of Christ. All of us are called to love one another, but few have what it takes to do it. Mychal Judge had it.

Mychal Judge was a son of Irish immigrants, born in Brooklyn (Brooklyn!), who grew up to become a Franciscan friar and FDNY chaplain. His story is one of personal struggle – he took a vow of celibacy as a priest while dealing with his own homosexuality – and public struggle – he often clashed with the hierarchy of the Church. Despite his struggles, he found a way to connect with the people who needed him. He was a Saint.

I guess one of the highest compliments you can give someone who has passed on is that you wish you’d known them in life. I wish I had known Mychal Judge.

That should also be a compliment to Michael Daly who brought Judge's story to life so vividly and eloquently.

I say, "Buy it, read it, share it!"