The annual Blue Mass in Washington, D.C., honors law enforcement and public safety employees who leave for work and “may not come home because of the dangers of the profession,” Monsignor Sal Criscuolo told Newsmax on Tuesday.
Criscuolo spoke with Newsmax’s Alana Austin before midday Mass at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church where hundreds of first responders from around the country attended.
The Blue Mass, held preceding National Police Week for those in law enforcement and fire safety, remembers those who have fallen and those who serve.
“They’re just like everybody else that has a family,” Criscuolo told Austin of first responders. “When they come to work though, they may not come home because of the dangers of the profession, where other men and women who go to work every day and never think they’re not coming home.
“And they do have families that make sacrifices also. These officers will miss graduations and birthdays and anniversaries and holidays because they’re working the streets so that we can be kept safe.”
Criscuolo was joined by Tom Lloyd, deputy chief of the U.S. Capitol Police.
“I’ve seen a lot in 35 years,” Lloyd told Austin.”We’ve also lost a lot of officers in the line of duty over those 35 years and you can never, never forget them. And always have to support their families that they leave behind.”
The Blue Mass, being held for the 31st consecutive year, started in the 1930s.
“There was a Catholic police society, and there was a Protestant society, and the Catholic society would have a mass here on Mother’s Day, and all the Protestants would work the streets,” Criscuolo told Austin. “And then in June, the Protestant society would have a service for their members and all the Catholics would work the streets. But it’s been in this parish.
“The original was the Mother’s Day Mass that goes back to the ’30s. And then it stopped for a while. And then 31 years ago we started it up again and became the Blue Mass.”
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