On May 7, those walking past the intersection of 10th St and G Street in downtown Washington, D.C., would have noticed the large American flag hung from the ladders of two fire engines. Nearby, St. Patrick Catholic Church was hosting its 30th Annual Blue Mass to honor those in public safety, including first responders, police officers, and firefighters.
The Mass honors both those currently serving and those who have died in the line of duty.
Cardinal Wilton Gregory celebrated the Mass. The concelebrants of the annual liturgy were Father Patrick Lewis, pastor at St. Patrick’s, and Father Vincent De Rosa, pastor at St. Mary Mother of God Church.
Also at the Mass were Msgr. Salvatore Criscuolo, chaplain to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the D.C Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Park Police, and the U.S. Capitol Police, and Father Raymond Fecteau, chaplain to the Montgomery County Police Department, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, the Maryland National Park Police, the Maryland State Police Rockville Barrack, and the U.S. Secret Service.
Before the start of Mass, there was the presentation of colors, which included not only the different branches of law enforcement in Washington, D.C., but also county and state first responders from Maryland and Virginia and federal agencies.
Cardinal Gregory spoke on the importance of ensuring those working in the community are safe during his homily.
“We need to feel confident that community servants and first responders have a good legacy, a good pedigree,” Cardinal Gregory said.
Cardinal Gregory compared those who have had background checks to Paul and Silas from the Bible, who preached about Jesus, and noted how much forensics testing has improved over the years, and how this kind of advanced testing would have impacted Jesus’s time.
“Those ancients might be surprised now to see how much more advanced we have become. We might even have been able to determine if Jesus were really the Christ because we would know much more about him and his heritage because of our technological cleverness,” Cardinal Gregory said.
The cardinal stressed that heritage is only linked to the past and cannot determine the future.
“We honor those first responders today who have passed the background checks of courage and devotion. They are qualities that can never be determined by even the most sophisticated, technologically state-of-the-art background checks,” Cardinal Gregory said.
The cardinal added that those who work in public safety come from different backgrounds, just as Jesus’s disciples did.
“Jesus called fishermen and tax collectors. He invited hotheads and braggarts. All that he demanded was that those that he chose heard his words, listen to his invitation to them, and then responded with love and courage,” Cardinal Gregory said.
The cardinal ended his homily by saying that society has “background checks that [it] needs to fulfill” by being open to people of all backgrounds.
“May all who have served our community courageously and continue to do so know of our sincere and deep gratitude and respect,” Cardinal Gregory said.
Following Communion, there was another presentation of the colors, and the names of those who died in service were read before the retiring of the colors. “Echo Taps” was performed to honor nine officers from this year and 15 officers from previous years who had died. In 2023, 282 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty across the country. A flyover with helicopters concluded the event.
