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CNN Saturday Morning News
America's New War: New York Fire Department Buries Its Chaplain
Aired September 15, 2001 - 10:23 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Brian Nelson, our correspondent, is joining us from that funeral you see unfolding on the right part of your screen for the New York City's fire department chaplain who was killed, in fact, during the process of administering last rites to a firefighter who had fallen. His name was Michael Judge; and Brian Nelson, give us a better idea now of what is happening at this moment -- Brian.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, Paula. This is a really sad and poignant moment here. I'm in front of 24 Hookenladder (ph), this is in midtown Manhattan, and beside us is the church of St. Francis of Assisi, and this is the funeral for, as you said, Father Michael Judge. He was the chaplain for the New York City fire department for 10 years. He was 68 years old, and he was the first chaplain to die in the line of duty.
Now, according to people who know him well, he was a chaplain who was known far and wide outside the city of New York, but to the firemen of the city of New York, he ministered to their personal problems, he talked to them about marital problems, alcohol problems, problems with their kids. He was very close to so many people, especially those in front of in 24 Hookenladder (ph), which is happened to be across the street from the Church of St. Francis Assisi.
And with me now is Brother Ed Coughlin. He is from the church. And brother, you knew the father well?
ED COUGHLIN, FRANCISCAN BROTHER: I was one of the Franciscans that lived here in St. Francis with Father Michael.
NELSON: Tell us about him.
COUGHLIN: I think the best way I can describe him, he was your ultimate Irishman from Brooklyn, a warm, loving personality. And at the wake service last night, many people said everyone that met him thought like they were his best friend, and people have come from far and wide, internationally even, to be here, because they felt that he touched their lives deeply over many, many years. People just felt they had to come, because he was a friend of theirs and was so present to them, so loving to them. Just like the firemen, he always went to their families and tried to be there for them.
NELSON: He was a chaplain that seemed to go out of the way of beyond the line of duty.
COUGHLIN: His duty really began after the tragedies, or after the fire was put out. In some ways, he continued to minister to the families and so many of the firemen and different people who have come here have talked about Michael being present to them and helping them through hard time when someone was killed or injured.
NELSON: Tell us about the day of the tragedy, if you have any knowledge about, when that call came in about the fireman at the site of the World Trade Center having been fatally injured, and what happened then?
COUGHLIN: Actually, Bishop Bercado (ph) called Father Peter who is the guardian here, and I went with Father Peter down to St. Peter's Church. The fireman who found his body laid him on a body board and took him to St. Peter's Church and laid him in front of the alter, covered him with a sheet, and laid a stole over that and put his badge on top of him. And we got there in the middle of all that. Some of the firemen were already coming in to pay their respects to Father Mike.
NELSON: I take it, nobody was surprised that he had rushed down there?
COUGHLIN: No. I was in the house in the morning of the accident, and that would -- as soon as anything got to that proportion, Michael was gone in a moment, and these guys across the street, where this was his fire house, and often times he was on the street in his habit, talking to the gays across the street, and one of them drove him down there.
And I believe the man died with him, and so six of the men from across the street also died in the tragedy, and those are Michael's men and they were the whole firehood is a real brotherhood, and I think Michael's Franciscan brotherhood, there was a real link there, in terms of connecting of the two, in terms of real warmth and friendship and care.
And the body was actually brought back here to the fire house for transport to the morgue, and you know, the guys received him with great reverence.
NELSON: He was also a man known for great charity, great tolerance. I heard a story that he would go along the streets of New York and secretly slip money to the homeless, not wanting to be seen but himself, and not very well-off himself.
COUGHLIN: One of his classmates and friends, Pat Fitzgerald, who kind of describes himself as the back man or the quiet men said they would go on these long walks at night all over the city, and Michael always had a bunch of dollar bills in his pocket to help somebody out and give them something along the way.
And like I said, you know, anybody on the street here was moved by him. People at the hotel and people in restaurants, everyone knew Father Mike, because he was always on the street, always in his habit. He loved New York City and loved, you know, even our morning prayer in the morning, almost every morning he would say a special prayer for peace in the city and for safety for all the visitors, because he just thought this was the greatest place in the world, and he couldn't imagine being any other place.
NELSON: Brother, thank you.
And just for our viewers, just to let you know, in the background what's happening here, the New York is beginning to bury its dead. This is Saturday morning in New York City, and this is the first of three funerals today. Two other firemen and this is for the chaplain of the New York fire department and Father Michael Judge. He was 68 years old, and was the chaplain for 10 years. And we will continue to follow this story as these very sad events here in midtown Manhattan proceed this morning.
Let's go back to you, Paula.
ZAHN: Thanks, Brian.
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