For most people, the first of May is usually a time for outdoor recreation. For first responders and those in the business of protecting the public, it’s a day to honor their service and remember in prayer those lost in the line of duty.
Hundreds of local first responders and federal officials gathered at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in the heart of downtown Tuesday afternoon to pray for those serving, and to honor the memory of the fallen police officers and emergency personnel. The annual “Blue Mass,” conducted by Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington, was open to people of all faiths.
Attendees this year included a number of the nation’s top law enforcement officials facing unusual scrutiny, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, his deputy Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, sitting side by side in a front pew. Also represented were officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the Drug Enforcement Administration and unions representing first responders.
Falls Church Police Chief Mary Gavin spoke during Tuesday’s Mass, praying for “members of our law enforcement, firefighters, and paramedics who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our cities and nation, that they find peace and joy in eternal life.”
This year the roster of those lost in the line of duty included Prince George’s County police Sgt. Mujahid Ramzziddin, who was fatally shot while protecting a victim of domestic violence in February.
Two fire ladder trucks hoisted a giant American flag outside the church on 10th St. NW, and dozens of black Escalades blocked traffic to make room for bagpipers to march under the American flag into the church. Following the bagpipers were federal honor guards, as well as representatives from Virginia, Maryland, and District police departments bearing regional flags.
After the procession, people ducked out of the hot sun into the church where Cardinal Wuerl presided over the service.
“There is always violence around us,” said the archbishop as he addressed the full pews in front of him. “This Blue Mass says to us, in the midst of all this, there is peace.”
At the conclusion of the Mass, Prince William County Deputy Chief Steven J. Thompson read the names of 17 law enforcement officers from the Washington metropolitan area who lost their lives in the line of duty, including 11 in 2017. Officers from their respective agencies stood and answered “Present” to honor their lost comrades.
Many in the pews sobbed or reached out to hug family members as a name was read.
This year’s Blue Mass is the region’s 24th celebration of the event.
The District closed several streets from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday to accommodate the procession. Crowds formed at the end where onlookers snapped pictures of the hoisted flag and children danced to the bagpipers’ music.
Inside St. Patrick’s, the lights were dimmer and the mood more somber as the crowd sang along with hymns and listened to “Taps.”
The Blue Mass is a tradition that began 80 years ago after 310 police were killed in 1930 — the most deaths ever recorded in the single year in the U.S., according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
Today, the Fund reports there are over 900,000 law enforcement officers in the United States, and on average 151 officers are killed each year.
This tally does not include the number of first-responders killed while off-duty, as several have recently died in the greater Washington region.
Last month, D.C. firefighter Robert Marshall, of Engine 29 died in a highway car accident in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Earlier in April, D.C. Officer Jamal Shaw was killed in a motorcycle accident in Clinton, Maryland. In December, Sander Cohen, a deputy chief with the Maryland Fire Marshal’s Office, was killed by a negligent driver in Rockville, Maryland, after pulling over to help Carlos Wolff, an FBI agent, who was also killed.
Next Monday the city’s police department will host a memorial service of law enforcement offices at its headquarters on 300 Indiana Avenue, NW.
• Julia Airey can be reached at jairey@washingtontimes.com.
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