Frontiers Magazine
July 8, 2006

Outfest Screening: Saint of 9/11
By Japhy Grant

The story of Father Mychal Judge, the gay FDNY chaplain who died in the line of duty on September 11th, Saint of 9/11 is the most profoundly moving film yet made about that day. A Franciscan who struggled with alcoholism and the struggle of being a gay man in the Catholic Church, Father Mychal's life, not his death, is the focus here. Irish immigrants, friends, church members, the poor, AIDS victims, firemen, President Clinton and leaders of the gay Catholic movement all talk about how their lives were made better by Father Mychal's example of loving and serving others before yourself.

This film touches on so many issues that we are dealing with now: the culture war, the role of religion ("Should the Church tell us how to live or help us to cope with life?") in our personal and political lives, the post 9/11 world we live in -- In the Q&A after the film with executive producer Malcolm Lazin, he spoke about how he saw this as a "mainstream" film -- even dropping the "Brokeback" name, but I think he's right. Here is a film that will draw people in because of Father Mychal's iconic death, but once in the theatre, they will see that this "saint's" true miracle was his human touch; his ability to minister to those most in need, and whose failings brought him closer to God. There's a scene in which a man who lost his lover to AIDS describes how, at his lover's funeral, Father Mychal turned to the family and told them how proud they must be of their son -- and how blessed they were to be part of the love that his son had for his lover. Needless to say, there wasn't a dry eye in the theatre. Easily the best film I've seen this year.