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Father Michael Duffy talks about how he came to give the homily at the funeral of his friend, Father Mychal Judge, the first official victim of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
Father Michael Duffy talks about how he came to give the homily at the funeral of his friend, Father Mychal Judge, the first official victim of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
Broadcast History
NPR Morning Edition 9/9/11
Transcript
Father Michael Duffy (FMD): My name is Father Michael Duffy, and I am a Franciscan Brother to Father Mychal Judge.
We Franciscans are a little odd and one of our oddities is there's a form we fill out and it's called "On My Death." It says where you want your funeral mass to be, who you want to do the homily, and et cetera like that.
So, 9/11 happened on a Tuesday. Well, the next day the phone rang and it was our provincial in New York and he said, "Mychal wanted you to do the homily." And I said,"Well yes, but this is different. It should be someone with a little more import. So, I think you should do it." And there was a long pause. And he said,"But Mychal wanted you." So, I mean, what are you going to say to that?
ARCHIVAL TAPE "Family and friends of Mychal Judge. Good morning everyone. . ."
I said to myself, when I see Mychal I'm going to kill him. (Laughs)
ARCHIVAL TAPE "I...
Read the full transcript
Intro and Outro
INTRO:Yesterday on this program, our series StoryCorps, brought us the voices of people who lost loved ones on 9/11. This morning we hear one more story.
From people who remember the man who's death certificate was the first of all those issued in connection with the attacks. Father Mychal Judge was a Franciscan friar and chaplain to the New York City Fire Department. He was also a true New York character. He was a native of Brooklyn, and he seemed to know everyone in the city... from the homeless to the mayor.
On the morning of September 11th Father Mychal arrived at the World Trade Center shortly after the first plane hit.
Bill Cosgrove, a police lieutenant, was also there.
And when the first tower collapsed… Cosgrove and a group of firefighters emerged from the dust carrying Father Mychal's body.
At that moment a photographer snapped a picture which would become an iconic image of that day -- five men carrying a fallen priest, slouched in a chair, the tragedy's first official victim.
Here's Bill Cosgrove talking about the events leading up to that famous photograph… Followed by Father Michael Duffy remembering Judge's funeral service...
OUTRO:The homily from Father Mychal Judge's funeral September, 15, 2001 by Father Michael Duffy. Before that you heard from Bill Cosgrove one of the men from the iconic photo of Father Mychal taken on 9/11. You can see it on npr.org.
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon Variations | Max Richter | The Blue Notebooks. | Fat Cat Records | 2004 | 01:12 |
Additional Credits
NPR, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Principal Financial Group
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