Police officers, firefighters, law enforcement officials, first responders and others gathered Sept. 29 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. for the annual Blue Mass to honor those who serve in law enforcement and public safety, to invoke God’s blessing on them and to pray for those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

“We depend on you, we need you. Especially when evil raises its ugly head, you are the ones who keep us safe,” said Msgr. Salvatore Criscuolo, a longtime police chaplain in the District of Columbia who served as the homilist at the Mass. “I know it is difficult. I know your morale is not always that great, and I know why you wonder ‘why am I doing this.’ You are doing this because it is your calling, a calling given you by God.”

In 1986, Msgr. Criscuolo became assistant chaplain and then chaplain for the Metropolitan Police Department and D.C. Fire Department. Over the years as chaplain to first responders in the city, he has also served members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the U.S. Park Police, the United States Capitol Police, and the FBI. Msgr. Criscuolo is the former pastor of St. Patrick’s Parish in Washington and is in residence there.

Washington Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr.  was the principal celebrant of the Mass. Concelebrants included Father Andrew Wakefield, pastor of St. Patrick Parish, and Father Raymond Fecteau, retired pastor of Our Lady of the Visitation Parish in Darnestown, Maryland and a longtime chaplain to the Montgomery County and Maryland State Police and to the United States Secret Service.

This is the 27th 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 and to ask God’s continued protection on them.

Traditionally held in May each year during National Police Week, the Mass was offered this year on the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Raphael and Gabriel. St. Michael is the patron saint of those who serve in law enforcement, including police and sheriff departments, U.S. marshals, first responders, and FBI, CIA, Secret Service and other public safety officers.

Msgr. Criscuolo noted the feast day of the archangels, and said it was appropriate that the Mass be celebrated on this day. He likened the work of the law enforcement officers and first responders to the work of the archangels.

“Michael the archangel fights against the devil and helps us fight against evil. Gabriel brings good news … he was a messenger of salvation. Raphael takes us by the hand and leads us and walks with us on our journey toward salvation,” the priest said. “These three may have been the first three law enforcement officers sworn into heaven.”

“St. Michael fights against evil, and this is what you are called to do every day – fight against evil. St. Gabriel brings good news. When you find a lost child or an elderly person who has been wandering and bring them home to their loved ones – good news! When you rescue someone from a burning building – good news! When you are riding in an ambulance and someone has coded and you brought them back to life – good news! St. Raphael walks with us. You lead us every day with your calling. You lead us and help us every day,” Msgr. Criscuolo said.

Looking over the congregation, Msgr. Criscuolo joked that “it seems like today we have more than three archangels serving and protecting, leading and guiding and giving us good news.”

The priest noted that law enforcement has been particularly difficult in recent years in light of calls to defund the police. “We are seeing the effects of those defunding projects, and it is not positive,” he said. 

Praising law enforcement officials and first responders for “doing (their jobs) every day to keep us safe so that we do not have chaos,” Msgr. Criscuolo said their efforts help to “keep our monuments safe, keep our buildings that are sacred safe, (and) keep our visitors safe.”

“You stand every day in harm’s way, and you stand with great dignity as a witness to hope,” he said. “May St. Michael protect you, may St. Gabriel be with you and may St. Raphael take you by the hand.”

Those in attendance at the Mass wore masks and sat at social distances from each other in accord with COVID-19 safety guidelines, and the liturgy was livestreamed via the Internet. In addition to law enforcement officers, first responders and others who work in public safety, among those at the Mass were U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland; Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security; and family members and friends of law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the past two years. 

Speaking to family and friends of deceased law enforcement officers, Msgr. Criscuolo said, “We remember them. We grieve, we hurt, we laugh and we smile, and we remember them and their families.”

“Know that your loved ones are not forgotten,” he said. “Know they are always in our hearts and minds. Know that their sacrifices did not go unnoticed.”

During the Mass, Bishop Campbell prayed that God would “grant that our life on earth be defended by those watch over us.” He encouraged those at the Mass to “be safe as you keep us safe, and whatever you do continue to be courageous.”

Prayers were also offered for “in gratitude to all members of the law enforcement and public safety communities” and for members of the military.

Noting that the annual Mass was cancelled last year because of the ongoing COVID pandemic, Father Wakefield said, “It is so important we pray in gratitude and support for all those courageous men and women who risk their lives day in and day out” in protecting the communities they serve.

“It is fitting to gather to pray for our deceased … while holding their loved ones in our hearts and prayers,” he said.

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 processed into the church.

At the end of the Mass, the names of 37 police officers from those agencies who died in the past two years along with the date of their “end of watch” – the day they died – were read, followed by two trumpeters playing “Taps.” Bagpipers played “Amazing Grace” prior to the dismissal.

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.”