Police officers, firefighters, law officials, first responders and others gathered May 6 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Northwest Washington, D.C. for the 31st 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.
“You get yourselves right into the midst of where you are needed. The Lord heals and saves – He does not do that from a distance,” said Msgr. Salvatore A. Criscuolo. “And you all heal and save and you do not do it from a distance. Jesus did not work from a distance, and neither do you.”
Msgr. Criscuolo, retired pastor of St. Patrick Parish who has served as a chaplain to federal and municipal public safety agencies in Washington, served as homilist at the Mass, at which Washington Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr. was the principal celebrant. Concelebrants included Father Patrick S. Lewis, pastor of St. Patrick Parish; 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.
Representatives from 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.
Referring to the Gospel of John 10:11 in which Jesus says “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep," Bishop Campbell told the first responders gathered at the Mass “so many of you every day act like that Good Shepherd.”
“Every day you are ready to lay down your lives for your family, for your community, for your country,” the bishop said, “and we are here to honor those who have and those who are willing to do so.”
In his homily, Msgr. Criscuolo also prayed for and honored those who have died in the line of duty.
“Today and every day we remember our brothers and sisters who are not here today because they made the ultimate sacrifice,” Msgr. Criscuolo said. “We pray they are truly at peace ... and we pray for their survivors, their loved ones they have left behind.”
In praising first responders, police officers, firefighters and EMTs, he said they are the ones “who rush into situations where most of us are doing our best to get away from.”
“We honor you courage, your service, your daily commitment and sacrifice,” the priest said. “You wear uniforms that the world actually recognizes ... but underneath that there is a human soul, a human being, a beloved child of God. You face dangers, you face trauma, sometimes you face the unthinkable sorrow and yet you continue to answer the call – and what a call it is!”
Msgr. Criscuolo pointed out that first responders and other emergency personnel “live under the weight of expectations every day ... as a sign of peace and hope and protection.”
“All of you are there when you are needed. Through training, through preparation and through faith in God,” he said. “ It is important that you have all of that if you are going to continue to succeed and going to serve those in need.”
He also pointed out that as first responders answer an emergency calls or rescuing someone who is trapped or injured, they are doing works of mercy.
“When you comfort someone who is broken, you become at that moment an instrument of the hand of God. That is your vocation, that is your calling. It is not just a job, but a true calling by the Lord Himself,” he said. “The world does not understand you, does not understand your sacrifices. You do not do it for recognition, you do not do it for glory, you do it because it is your vocation to protect and to serve.”
Msgr. Criscuolo also urged the first responders to rely on God “so that you know you are not out there alone.”
“The Lord is the source that can bring us all that we need,” Msgr. Criscuolo said. “The Lord looks down upon you with love. He knows the dangers you face every day. Go to Him, He will truly, truly sustain you.”
The Blue Mass is so named for the traditional color of the dress uniforms of police officers and firefighters.
The tradition of celebrating a Blue Mass began in 1934. The tradition stopped in the mid-1970s, but resumed in the 1990s to honor those who serve in law enforcement and public safety. The Mass is offered in May each year close to or during National Police Week, which this year will be observed May 11-17.
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.
At the end of the Mass, names were read of the 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.”
