S08, E94 Hope and Spirituality on the Department’s Darkest Day with FDNY Chaplain Monsignor John Delendick

An FDNY Chaplain since 1996, Monsignor John Delendick has comforted, advised, and ministered to the Department’s members and families for nearly three decades. On September 11, 2001, he responded to the terrorist attacks and served as a pathfinder to safety, first aid and ambulances, while providing counsel to the desperate who were losing hope. During the recovery efforts, he spent his days attending memorial services and funerals, and his evenings checking in with members working the pile. In the years since 9/11, while the Department rebuilt, he continued attending plaque dedications, funerals and visiting with members, but also bestowed blessings at graduations, promotions and on the Department’s marine fleet. Eventually, Monsignor Delendick received the same news many WTC responders have since that fateful day—that he too had developed World Trade Center-related illness. Host Elizabeth Cascio speaks with the Monsignor about entering the priesthood, his introduction to the FDNY and his experiences since.