Police officers, firefighters, law enforcement officials, first responders and others gathered May 2 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Northwest Washington, D.C. for the annual Blue Mass to honor those who serve in law enforcement, to invoke God’s blessing on them and to pray for those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
The men and women charged with safeguarding public safety “have long been heroes in our midst,” Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory said, telling them that “you are deeply respected for your courageous and generous spirit of public service.”
“May their service in our community be a source of blessing for them and for all of us,” the cardinal said.
Cardinal Gregory was the principal celebrant and the homilist at the Mass.
Concelebrants included Washington Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr.; Father Andrew T. Wakefield, pastor of St. Patrick Parish; Msgr. John Enzler, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington; Msgr. Salvatore A. Criscuolo, retired pastor of St. Patrick Parish who has served as a chaplain to federal and municipal public safety agencies in Washington; and Father Raymond L. Fecteau, retired pastor of Our Lady of the Visitation in Darnestown, Maryland, who has served as a chaplain to federal, Maryland state and Montgomery County law enforcement agencies.
Among those at the Mass were Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security; Christopher Wray, director of the FBI; Steven M. Dettelbach, director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and Kimberly Cheatle, director of the U.S. Secret Service.
Representatives from more than 25 federal, state, county and local police and fire departments as well as family members and friends of law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty also attended the Mass.
Addressing his “beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord,” Cardinal Gregory pointed out that Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Fourth of July are days when the nation “pauses to revere the countless heroic people in our society.” The Blue Mass, he said, is the time “when we pause to recognize and pray for all of our first responders.”
The cardinal said that instances where law enforcement personnel are the perpetrators of violence and harm “causes despair and chaos in our nation” and among the majority of law-abiding peace officers. “We pray for a deeper bond of trust between all of our citizens and especially all those who are charged with our common safety,” he said.
Noting that “we continue to experience an increase in violence on the streets of our nation,” the cardinal called it “a sorry condition to be sure” that “everyday people – documented and undocumented alike – have been caught in the crossfire of violence” and have become victims of hatred, racism, fear, terror and discrimination.
“Jesus comforts all of us in His assurance that no one in His flock is ever lost, no disciple is abandoned or considered unimportant,” Cardinal Gregory said. “Each one of us has a dignity that comes directly from God Himself. As we pray for and with all of our first responders today, we remind them that they too are included in that safety that Christ has promised to all of His disciples.”
Speaking to the family and friends “of those whose lives have been surrendered in public service,” the cardinal urged them to “take comfort in the gratitude and the faith and the trust of this community and in thanksgiving for their bravery.”
This is the 29th year that the Blue Mass – so named for the traditional color of the dress uniforms of police officers and firefighters – has been offered to honor those who serve in law enforcement and public safety.
The tradition of celebrating a Blue Mass began in 1934, when police officers gathered to pray for fallen comrades and to pray for God’s blessing. The tradition stopped in the mid-1970s but resumed in the 1990s.The Mass is offered in May each year close to or during National Police Week (which this year will be observed May 14-20).
Prior to the Mass, honor guards and flag bearers from the various local, state and federal agencies that serve throughout The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and neighboring Virginia processed into the church.
Father Wakefield, at the start of the Mass, said the annual occasion was a time to “pray for our nation and those who serve our community … (and) pray for all who courageously serve our nation.” He added that “we hold in our hearts and in our prayers” those family members who have lost a loved one in the line of duty.
A bugler plays “Taps” at the end of the May 2 Blue Mass St. Patrick Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. after a list was read of law enforcement officers from local, state and federal departments who died in the past year. (CS photo by Mihoko Owada)
At the end of the Mass, names were read of more than 40 law enforcement officers from local, state and federal departments who died in recent years. Each name was accompanied by the date of their “end of watch” – the day they died. They were remembered by two buglers playing “Taps.”
As the congregation departed, they sang “America the Beautiful,” which includes the verse: “Oh, beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife. Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life.”
