[3] From the ages of three to six, he watched his father suffer and die of mastoiditis, a slow and painful illness of the skull and inner ear.

To earn income following his father's death, Judge shined shoes at New York Penn Station and would visit St. Francis of Assisi Church, located across the street.

"[4] After spending his freshman year at the St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens, where he studied under the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, in 1948, at the age of 15, Judge began the formation process to enter the Order of Friars Minor.

As chaplain, he offered encouragement and prayers at fires, rescues, and hospitals, and counseled firemen and their families, often working 16-hour days.

[13] Judge was also well known in the city for ministering to the homeless, the hungry, recovering alcoholics, people with AIDS, the sick, injured, and grieving, immigrants, gays and lesbians, and those alienated by society.

He visited hospitals and AIDS patients and their families, presided over many funerals, and counseled other Catholics such as Brendan Fay and John McNeill.

[16] Even before his death, many considered Judge to be a living saint for his extraordinary works of charity and his deep spirituality.

"[18] On September 11, 2001, upon learning that the World Trade Center had been hit by the first of two jetliners, Judge rushed to the site.

Judge prayed over bodies lying on the streets, then entered the lobby of the World Trade Center North Tower, where an emergency command post had been organized.

Judge died at this moment, too, struck and killed by the debris, according to a later interview with 1st Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer, it was initially believed that he had suffered a heart attack.

[20][21] Shortly after his death, Judge's body was found and carried out of the North Tower by five people (Firefighters Christian Waugh and Zachary Vause, NYPD Lt. William Cosgrove, civilian John Maguire and FDNY EMT Kevin Allen) shortly before it collapsed at 10:28 a.m.

[25] Judge's body was formally identified by NYPD Detective Steven McDonald, a long-time friend.

The New York Medical Examiner found that Judge died of "blunt force trauma to the head".

[26] According to Fire Department Commissioner Thomas Von Essen: "I actually knew about his homosexuality when I was in the Uniformed Firefighters Association.

In response, many bishops, including Cardinal John O'Connor, banned Dignity from diocesan churches under their control.

"[36] On September 15, 2001, 3,000 people attended Judge's funeral Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Church, which was presided over by Cardinal Edward Egan, the Archbishop of New York.

[38] On October 11, 2001, Brendan Fay organized a "Month's Mind Memorial" in Good Shepherd Chapel, General Theological Seminary, New York.

[44] In 2002, the United States Congress passed The Mychal Judge Police and Fire Chaplains Public Safety Officers Benefit Act into law.

[48] Alvernia University, a private independent college in the Franciscan tradition in Reading, Pennsylvania, named a new residence hall in honor of Judge.

[50][51] In 2006, a documentary film, Saint of 9/11, directed by Glenn Holsten, co-produced by Brendan Fay and narrated by Sir Ian McKellen, was released.

[52] The Father Mychal Judge Walk of Remembrance takes place every year in New York on the Sunday before the 9/11 anniversary.

It begins with a Mass at St. Francis Church on West 31st Street, then proceeds to the site of Ground Zero, retracing Judge's final journey and praying along the way.

[55] In 2014, Judge was inducted into the Legacy Walk, an outdoor public display which celebrates LGBT history and people.

[59] A documentary film directed by Brendan Fay that focuses on Judge, Remembering Mychal, premiered on October 26, 2021, in New York City.

However, Christian denominations that are not in communion with Rome have canonized him, recognizing him as a saint and a martyr[61][62] while his tomb, in the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery of Totowa, has been becoming a kind of "informal sanctuary".