'Blue Mass' Prays For Law Enforcement

The pews of St. Mary of Assumption Cathedral were a wave of blue. The 13th annual Celebration of Law Enforcement, held March 20 in the Trenton church, saw law enforcement in uniform from throughout the state come to hear a Mass especially for them – what the Diocese of Trenton calls its annual Blue Mass.

The Mass is "offered in thanksgiving for the sacrifice and service to the communities given by police officers and law enforcement agents at every level," said Jennifer Britton in the Diocese statement on the Blue Mass.

Bishop David M. O’Connell led the service, which also prays for the safety of law enforcement and honors those who died in the line of duty.

Attending were personnel from Toms River Police; N.J. State Police; N.J. Fraternal Order of Police; U.S. Customs & Border Protection; U.S. Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security; Office of the Attorney General; N.J. State Association of Chiefs of Police; N.J. State Policemen’s Benevolent Association; N.J. Juvenile Justice Commission; Ocean County Sheriff’s Department; Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office; the N.J. Motor Vehicle Commission, among others.

Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford said she has attended each of the Masses since becoming Prosecutor.  

"It is an opportunity to convene with law enforcement at all levels and from throughout the Diocese, for a spiritual break," she said. 

Whether the officers are Roman Catholic, another denomination or another religion, the event is pretty inclusive, she said.

"Actually, there are many non-Catholic and non-Christian attendees at this event. The Bishop says the Mass with other priests from parishes within the Trenton Diocese," she said.

Ford said the blessings that come as part of the service may not be an essential part of policing but they can't hurt.

"I have learned that addressing crime always involves good policing;  occasionally relies upon plain luck, and when all else fails, divine intervention.  This is the divine intervention part."