Blue Mass: Prayer support for those who serve

Shortly before the Diocese’s 21st annual Blue Mass began April 13, the inside of St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, was quiet and still as the names of 51 law enforcement officials who lost their lives in the line of duty since 2019 were slowly called.

For the congregation, the reading of the names called to mind one of the main reasons that they had gathered: to remember and pray for all persons serv- ing in law enforcement; those currently serving and especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The Blue Mass, formally known as the Celebration of Law Enforcement, “is our annual opportunity in the Diocese of Trenton to recognize you, the women and men who protect and serve us,” said Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., to the hundreds of law enforcement professionals from scores of departments and asso- ciations throughout Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties. The popular event had returned after a threeyear hiatus due to COVID concerns.

The Mass, the Bishop continued, is an occasion “to thank you, to lift you up to God in prayer, regardless of your particular religious beliefs . . . to raise you up and ask Almighty God to watch over you, to care for you, to protect you, the way a father watches over and cares for and protects his children.”

In keeping with its traditional pageantry, the Blue Mass unfolded amid the stirring sights and sounds of bagpipes and drums; color guards carrying an array of flags, and columns of uniformed officers filing into the Co-Cathedral.

Among the 900 attendees were family members of law enforcement personnel; parishioners from around the Diocese and civic and political figures.

For more about the Blue Mass, along with photos and video, visit TrentonMonitor.com and click on FAITH & CULTURE>SEASONS & CELEBRATIONS.