Change Your Image
Ecclesia2
Reviews
Saint of 9/11 (2006)
Response to Conventional Piety
"Conventional Piety" makes some serious charges about Fr. Mychal Judge. I hope the editors will either allow me to respond, or delete his post (which has nothing to do with the film).
First, we do not know if Fr. Judge did or did not address alleged discrimination in the FDNY. Piety's comments are pure speculation. What we do know is that Fr. Judge publicly stood up for a black family who had moved into Rochelle Park, NJ in the late 60's, while he was pastor of Sacred Heart. As a result of his outspokenness for justice, enough people complained that the archdiocese removed him as pastor. (Michael Ford biography of MJ). He is described as "never having a racist bone in his body."
Second, as FDNY chaplain, Fr. Judge traveled all over the city at all hours of the day and night, often responding to emergencies. "Setting his own schedule" went along with the job, and that schedule was usually 16-18 hours a day.
Then "Conventional Piety" charges that Fr. Judge was "a disobedient priest" with "a unique spiritual vision." By every account, Judge's only disagreement with the official church was over the issue of same-gender relationships, which makes him neither disobedient nor unique among priests. Judge asserted the primacy of his conscience, a duty which goes back to the early church. Read Aquinas.
Finally, Conventional Piety mentions that Judge was an alcoholic and homosexual without mentioning that he was sober for 23 years, and celibate.
If this poster had actually viewed the film, Saint of 9/11, he'd know this. But frankly, it sounds like he has a personal ax to grind against Fr. Judge.