Msgr. John E. Delendick, a retired priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, was born Sept. 4, 1949, was ordained to the priesthood on Feb. 12, 1977, and died Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, at age 74 after a long battle with 9/11-related cancer, the Uniformed Fire Officers Association said.
Msgr. Delendick served the Diocese of Brooklyn as pastor of the Shrine of Saint Jude (Brooklyn), and the parishes of Saint Agnes and Sacred Heart Chapel (Brooklyn), and Saint Michael (Brooklyn). He also served as administrator of the parishes of Saint Ann and Saint George (Brooklyn); and as parochial vicar for the parishes of Good Shepherd (Brooklyn) and Saint Catherine of Genoa (Brooklyn). Msgr. Delendick was a member of the Priests’ Purgatorial Society.
Msgr. Delendick was also a Diocesan Real Estate Board member, and a professor at the Cathedral Preparatory School and Seminary. He had served as chaplain of the Fire Department of New York City since 1996.
On Feb. 8, 2003, he was named Chaplain of His Holiness.
But Msgr. Delendick may have been best known as the chaplain who consoled grieving FDNY firefighters following the 9/11 terror attacks. He was remembered as a “spiritual constant and staple” in the FDNY during his 28 years of service, FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said in a statement.
“Immediately after the immeasurable losses of Sept. 11, he stepped up to provide guidance and comfort to FDNY members and other first responders,” Kavanagh said. “In his decades-long career as a chaplain with the FDNY, he was a pillar at department funerals, graduations, promotions, and memorials. He was always quick with a joke and a kind word and had a way of making everyone feel special. He was beloved, and we are heartbroken over his passing.”
Msgr. Delendick started as a department chaplain in 1996, taking on a larger role following the 2001 terror attack that killed chaplain Father Mychal Judge, who was the first certified fatality on that devastating day.
He spent his days in the aftermath attending memorial and funeral services and consoling other members involved in the rescue of victims after the planes hit the World Trade Center.
One of the members he helped was retired firefighter Joseph Higgins, 62, whose brother Timothy was killed on 9/11.
“He was always there for every fireman all the way up to the end,” said Higgins. “He never let his illness stop him. That’s just as brave as the guys that crawl down the hallway.”
Rabbi Joseph Potasnik had this statement upon learning of the death of his fellow FDNY chaplain:
“Msgr. John Delendick arrived in Heaven on Thanksgiving Day. He was, using a Latin phrase, ‘primus inter pares,’ first among equals. He was a person of faith who respected all faiths of the human family. I will always remember his steadfast courage and commitment as he served our first responders daily at Ground Zero.
“We stood there together during Chanukah and Christmas recognizing the light and love in the hearts of all those who refused to leave the rescue and recovery of their colleagues. Some in this world do little and ask, ‘What can I do?’ Others like Msgr. John do so much and ask, ‘What else can I do?’ On this Thanksgiving, we give thanks for a special soul who blessed all of us throughout his life.
“Well done, Msgr. John Delendick, beloved Chaplain FDNY.”
Wake services for Msgr. John Delendick are scheduled to be held Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2 p.m.-4 p.m. and 7 p.m.-9 p.m., and Thursday, Nov. 30, 2 p.m.-6 p.m., at the Shrine Church of Saint Jude, 1677 Canarsie Road, Brooklyn.
A Vigil Mass will be celebrated Thursday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m. at the Shrine Church of Saint Jude.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday, Dec. 1, 11 a.m., at the Co-Cathedral of Saint Joseph, 856 Pacific Street, Brooklyn. Bishop Robert Brennan will be the main celebrant. Concelebrants will be Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio, Msgr. Richard Ahlemeyer, Msgr. Joseph Grimaldi, Msgr. Marc Filacchione, Father Joseph Hoffman, Father Lawrence Ryan, and Father Dominic Peprah. Burial will be at Saint John Cemetery, Middle Village, Queens.
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