HONORARY ORDER OF
ST. MYCHAL JUDGE

Fr. Mychal F. Judge, OFM,

Was a Roman Catholic Franciscan priest and chaplain to the New York City Fire Department. He gave his life on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center attack in a hail of falling debris. He became the first officially recorded fatality following the attack. Father Mychal was 68 at the time of his death.

The Reformed Catholic Church, after prayer and consideration, canonized Fr. Judge as a Saint in 2011. We felt that his life was a living testimony to the love and grace of God. Saint Mychal Judge was on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic in New York City - willing to touch and console people that others feared to be near. Living his life as a celibate friar, Fr. Judge aligned himself with love of the LGBTQ community in New York as well as worked in support of NYFD’s finest.

At the Holy Synod of 2019, the Reformed Catholic Church founded the Honorary Order of St. Mychal Judge in order to recognize members of the Church who made notable contributions in time, talent, and treasure.

The Inaugural Honorees:

Fr. James Morgan - Nevada
Fr. Robert Johnnene, OFM - Massachusetts

2023 Honorees:

Louise Rauckhorst
Ronald “Al” Rauckhorst