Hundreds of police, firefighters and other public safety personnel gathered at Sacred Heart Church in Rancho Cucamonga on Oct. 9 for the 23rd Annual Blue Mass.
Bishop Alberto Rojas was the chief celebrant of the liturgy and likened first responders to “guardian angels” of the communities they serve. Indeed, throughout the Blue Mass attendees prayed for and offered thanks to first responders for their sacrifice and service.
In his homily, Deacon Brook Wagner expanded on Bishop Rojas’ reference to the angelic nature of public safety officers, talking specifically about the qualities of the archangels St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael. Dcn. Wagner, himself a retired sergeant with San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, noted the unsung nature of their work.
“Sadly, too often we take for granted your courage, your heroism and sacrifice – and that of your families who worry about you,” he said. “When tragedies caused by the violence of people or the violence of nature occur, we rightly watch with awe the work of law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics, EMTs and others who respond immediately and with valor to these harsh happenings.”
Two traditions specific to public safety work are observed at the Blue Mass. During the Last Alarm a member of the firefighting community rings an alarm bell in memory of all firefighters other first responders killed in the line of duty, especially within the past year. With the Blessing of the Badges, public safety workers are invited to come forward after communion and have their badge blessed by Bishop Rojas or police chaplains who are present.
The Blue Mass also includes the annual Chief Patrick G. Crowe Memorial Public Service Award, named in honor of the former Colton Chief of Police who used his gifts and his religious faith as a foundation to build his law enforcement career. The award recognizes a member of the public safety community who similarly brings a strong faith to their work and community life. The 2024 honoree was Sergeant Joshua Simpson of the San Bernardino Police Department.
Sgt. Simpson is a 21-year veteran of San Bernardino PD and is currently assigned to the department’s San Bernardino County Auto Theft Task Force, or SANCATT. He is active in his church and has made several mission trips to Ecuador over the past six years. In accepting the award at the Blue Mass, Sgt. Simpson said faith and prayer provide a daily foundation to his work in public safety. He brought with him to the podium the bible that he keeps at his desk and quoted St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, “Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.” (Eph. 6:11).
Deacon Manuel Vides, a retired Los Angeles Police Department officer, served as the chief coordinator of the Blue Mass for the first time, taking over for Eddie Garcia, retired police chief for the University of California, Riverside, who had organized the Mass for many years.
The Blue Mass was established in the diocese in 2002 by Bishop Gerald Barnes, inspired in part by a desire to honor those in public safety in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.