Hero FDNY chaplain who died of 9/11-related cancer honored with plaque: He touched people

When the smoke cleared, he’d touched thousands of lives.A heroic firehouse chaplain who died of 9/11-related pancreatic cancer was honored with a plaque at a heartfelt ceremony in Brooklyn Friday — where pals recalled his uniquely funny brand of “spiritual guidance.”FDNY friends praised Rev.Monsignor John Delendick of Ladder 170 in Canarsie — who buried hundreds of fallen firefighters over nearly three decades — for channeling humor to help them through life’s darkest moments.“When my dad had a serious stroke, he was there,” Fire Deputy Commissioner Mark Guerra said at the packed ceremony.

“When he passed away, Monsignor was there to say the funeral Mass.“He could poke a little fun at himself, but he touched people in a way that was so special and so, so personal,” he added as he choked up.“That’s why I love him so much.

I miss him every day.”Others said the man of God had a “calming” presence — and a playful spin on piety.“With his quick wit and sharp tongue, he easily blended into the department and with the members, and he was a favorite among them.He knew how they talked, how they thought, and what they valued,” said Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker.

“He was a friend and a confidant.”Delendick, who joined the FDNY as a chaplain in May 1996, died on Nov.23, 2023, after battling cancer linked to the World Trade Center rescue on 9/11.

On Sept.11, 2001, he rushed to ground zero shortly before the second tower collapsed to help smoke-eaters cope with crushing grief and stress.He later officiated countless funerals of firefighters who died of 9/11-related illnesses after inhaling toxic chemicals at the terror attack site.

On Friday, roughly 100 people gathered at the firehouse in Carnasie to celebrate Delendick’s life as a gleaming plaque in his honor was unveiled.It reads: “[He] bravely served this department through his spiritual guidance and compassion.”...