A tradition continued on the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy with the annual Blue Mass celebrated on Thursday, Sept. 11 at Columbus St. Timothy Church.
The Blue Mass recognizes the commitment and sacrifices of police, firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical crew and all members of the public safety community who risk their lives or have given their lives in the line of duty.
Bishop Earl Fernandes was the principal celebrant and homilist for the Mass, which was concelebrated by Father David Poliafico, pastor at St. Timothy; Father Leo Connolly, chaplain for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office; and Father Joseph Yocum, a chaplain for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Grove City Police Department and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
“Having St. Timothy honor all first responders by holding the Blue Mass just shows the support by the faith-based community, which is to me the most important thing to help us to serve the community, serve God and serve humanity,” Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said after Mass, adding that Bishop Fernandes’ homily drove home “what we should be doing as community servants. And that’s what it’s all about — not serving ourselves but serving the community and doing it in the right way, the most moral and ethical way.”
Honored guests and participants in the Mass included the Columbus Division of Police and Fire and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Pipes and Drums units, Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus, Emerald Society, first responders and honor guards from the Columbus Division of Police, Columbus Division of Fire, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Jim Connors of the Knights of Columbus read the names of first responders who have died in the line of duty. Michael Woods, chief of the Hilliard Division of Police, addressed the representatives of the various agencies and guests after Holy Communion.
“What we have is more than a job. It’s a calling, a vocation,” Woods said. “Not one that everyone can understand, but yet we continue.
“Scripture tells us from the Gospel of John that there’s no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. It’s lived out every day by the men and women gathered here, who know that they may be called to make the ultimate sacrifice … every traffic stop, at every house fire, at every medical emergency.
“There are acts of bravery, large and small, that often go unseen and that rarely make the headlines. And yet we continue in the face of the tragedies that we’ve witnessed. We continue after the loss of a brother or sister in service.”
Reflecting on the 9/11 anniversary, he said, “That day forever changed our nation. It reminds us of the worst of humanity, but it also shed light on the best. It showed us with a historical clarity the meaning of courage and sacrifice. And it is our responsibility, our sacred duty to carry that legacy forward.”
Chief Baldwin thanked the clergy for reminding first responders that their work has spiritual significance and that they bring order to chaos in difficult situations. And he thanked community members who support them with prayer.
The history of the Blue Mass dates to 1934 in Washington, D.C., where approximately 1,100 police and firefighters marched into Mass at St. Patrick Catholic Church in the nation’s capital wearing blue uniforms for a special Mass.
The Blue Mass was popular through the years in the northeastern United States but expanded more widely after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Many of the Blue Masses now celebrated throughout the nation are organized by local Knights of Columbus councils.
“It’s been a tradition here at St. Timothy when I arrived and hopefully it will continue even after I depart,” Father Poliafico said. “It’s a wonderful time once a year to remember and reflect on all the stories we see every day on the news and everything else, and it’s a time to thank (first responders), which we don’t often get to do in the midst of chaos and tragedy.”
As Americans continue to see shootings and stabbings and tragedies seemingly every day in the news, Father Poliafico said that it’s important to remember Bishop Fernandes’ message that “the peace that can only be found in Jesus is what keeps us going.”
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