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.”

Delendick served the FDNY with decades of “spiritual guidance.” Brigitte Stelzer

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.

Dozens of firefighters celebrated the life of Rev. Monsignor John Delendick. Brigitte Stelzer

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.”