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by LINDSAY FABER
It was the pope himself who offered many grieving members of the city's Fire Department the strength to survive the losses from the Sept. 11 attacks.
Daniel Nigro, the former chief of the department, recalled during the weekend with sadness in his voice the November 2001 trip to St. Peter's Basilica that he took with three other firefighters. The purpose of the trip was to present the pope with the helmet of the Rev. Mychal Judge, the department chaplain who died while giving last rites to fallen firefighters at the World Trade Center.
"May almighty God grant the bereaved families consolation and peace, and may he give you and your fellow firefighters strength and courage to carry on your great service to your city," John Paul II said in prayer to the firefighters who attended Mass in uniform. "With the promise of my continued prayers, I invoke upon you and your families God's abundant blessings."
Nigro, who mourned for the pope at St. Patrick's Cathedral during the weekend, said the pontiff gave the group and their family members the collective will to weather the tragedy.
"He spoke directly to us, the firefighters, and offered prayers for the families who lost loved ones and for those working at the World Trade Center site," Nigro said. "We were all individually brought up to the altar where the pope held our hands."
"He looked right into our hearts, that's what it felt like," Nigro said. "It's a very strong, wonderful gaze that he had and strength in his hands. It was the most moving experience of my life."
Without it, Nigro said, the loss of more than 300 fallen brothers would have been a much tougher pill to swallow.
"We still felt all the sadness that came on from losing all these friends of ours, but we felt [after meeting the pope] that we would have the strength to carry on ourselves, and do the job we had to do," Nigro said.
"We went home feeling like different people. It was really inspiring."
Copyright © 2003, Newsday, Inc
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