On September 10 , 2001 , Father Mychal Judge OFM , chaplain for the New York City Fire Department , gave the following sermon at a Mass for New York City firefighters at Engine 73 Ladder 42 , Bronx , NY : You do what God has called you to do . You get on that rig , you go out and do the job . No matter how big the call , no matter how small , you have no idea of what God is calling you to do , but God needs you . He needs me . He needs all of us . God needs us to keep supporting each other , to be kind to each other , to love each other ... We love this job , we all do . What a blessing it is ! It is a difficult , difficult job , but God calls you to do it , and indeed , He gives you a love for it so that a difficult job will be well done . Is n't God wonderful ?! Is n't He good to you , to each one of you , and to me ? Turn to God each day -- put your faith , your trust , your hope and your life in His hands . He 'll take care of you , and you 'll have a good life . And this firehouse will be a great blessing to his neighborhood and to this city . Amen . The next day , a portion of the landing gear of an airplane struck and damaged the roof of the St. Peter 's Church building during the September 11 attacks . When debris from the towers killed Fr . Mychal ( the first publicly identified casualty of the attacks ) , surviving firemen brought him from the towers site to St. Peter 's and laid his body before the altar . The parish also served as a staging ground for rescue and recovery operations . " We were the first place they were bringing all the emergency equipment . Everything was in disarray , " pastor Father Kevin Madigan stated . " Stuff was piled six feet high all over the pews — - bandages , gas masks , boots , hoses and cans of food for the workers and the volunteers , many of whom were sleeping in the church on bedrolls . " The same also occurred in the downstairs church
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
St. Peter's Church (Manhattan)