Members of the faithful gathered on Sept. 11 at Columbus St. Timothy Church to support first responders and their families at the Blue Mass.
The Blue Mass honors the sacrifice of police, firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical crews, members of the public safety community and those who have given their lives in service to their communities.
The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Earl Fernandes, who was joined by priests, deacons and seminarians from across the Diocese of Columbus. The Mass was first celebrated in Washington, D.C., in 1934, and the tradition was brought to Columbus by the St. Timothy Knights of Columbus Council.
First responders present for the Mass said it is crucial to have the public’s support. It is reassuring and reenergizing for them, they said, to know that they have the support of those they serve.
“This Mass is a commitment to law enforcement and fire and all public safety that the citizens still appreciate,” said Chief Jim Gilbert with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
“Over the time of 9/11, it’s been 22 years, each time we come together, this event has consistently shown to first responders that there are citizens out there that still support what we have to do on a daily basis because on any given call to service any one of us could need to run into a building like those first responders did in New York, the first responders that responded to the Pentagon, the first responders that responded to the Flight 93 tragedy.”
Gilbert, who serves as chief deputy for the sheriff’s Patrol Division, said the Mass is “reassuring to us and our families to know that they still care, and they still appreciate what we do because that’s important to us in case we have to lay down our lives for them as citizens.”
Fire Chief David Whiting with the Pleasant Township Fire Department said many first responders rely on their faith to do their jobs and having the public’s support increases their faith and commitment to their role.
“I’ve been coming for a lot of years, and it’s really nice that they recognize what the first responders do because the first responders meet a lot of challenges, and we rely on our faith throughout our lives, our personal and professional lives,” he said.
Whiting has served for a year as fire chief, and he previously served as assistant chief for the Columbus Division of Fire.
“It’s important to us to be able to be recognized for what we do. It really reenergizes us, gives us more faith as we go forward, especially in today’s challenging world, the things that we face, the difficulties that we face. It’s 9/11, so it’s a challenging day.”
In his homily, Bishop Fernandes thanked the emergency personnel “who serve the Diocese of Columbus and beyond.”
The bishop recognized that some people turn to terrorism as a solution, but Christians place their faith in the One whose name they proclaim.
“Some people think we can use the power of terror and terrorism to achieve our ends,” he said. “And certainly, on this date in 2001, our world changed forever: a new threat of terrorism, a war in Iraq, a war in Afghanistan, continuing war in Syria, a war in Ukraine, but where does it get us? …
“What is the power? It is the power of love. This is the world’s true power. The power that actually changes hearts. That power has a name, and He was not born in wealth, but in poverty. He came not to terrorize us, but to win us over with His love and gentleness. This is the Christ Whom we proclaim.”
Chief David Conley, who serves in the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Security Operations Division, said,“Being a Catholic, the Mass was always the highlight for the week for my life, but to see the public support in one room, one building, one area for an hour, it’s wonderful.
“It’s crucially important that they support us because we want to support them.”
Father Joe Yokum, pastor of Grove City Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, serves as a chaplain for police officers and their families. He is assigned to the Patrol Division of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and ministers to the physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual needs of first responders.
After the final blessing, Father Yokum thanked first responders and their families for their willingness to “stand in the gap between good and evil every day.”
“You expose yourselves, making yourself vulnerable to danger for our protection. Those of you who serve as a first responder in our community are on the front line of our defense that we have against evil and lawlessness in our communities. You stand between us and them, between safety and chaos, between peace and anarchy.
“You are the reason that we can go to bed at night confident that trained and dedicated first responders are patrolling our streets while we sleep. You do the work that we could not do in places where we would not want to go with courage that we do not possess. You stand in the gap for us, and we are grateful.”
