‘Faithful servants of God’ honored at annual liturgy

METUCHEN — With a unique blend of military-like precision and faith-filled solidarity, men and women who had sworn to “protect and serve” filled the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi Sept. 29 for the diocese’s 19th annual Blue Mass.

Bishop James F. Checchio, who presided at the liturgy, proclaimed his gratitude to all for “the commitment and sacrifice you make each day in your public service.”

The Mass, celebrated on the Feast of Ss. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, archangels, traditionally honors active, retired and deceased law enforcement personnel serving in the counties served by the diocese — Somerset, Middlesex, Hunterdon and Warren.

Local and state dignitaries, grateful citizens and students filled the pews; representatives of the Edison Police Department, this year’s host agency, served as honor guard members, readers and gift bearers.

The small borough of Metuchen resembled a major law enforcement hub that sunny autumn morning: a long row of police motorcycles lined Main Street in front of the Cathedral, while dozens of police cars, their red and blue roof lights flashing, also stood as mute sentinels near the diocese’s Mother Church. From a fire truck hung a mammoth American flag that fluttered in the breeze above scores of officers clad in their uniformed best. A pair of mounted patrolmen, a few armed tactical officers, even two sharpshooters perched on the adjacent school’s roof alerted passersby that no ordinary liturgy would be celebrated that day.

An honor guard bearing flags marched into the Cathedral, each of their steps in rhythm with their leader’s staccato count, followed closely by the tartan-clad members of the Middlesex County Police and Fire Pipes and Drums. Bishop Checchio was accompanied by priests from the diocese who serve as chaplains of police departments.

In his homily, Father Charles T. O’Connor, pastor, St. Cecilia Parish, Monmouth Junction, elicited chuckles and knowing nods from the police officers seated before him as he shared anecdotes from his father’s 25 years on the mounted squad of the Newark Police force atop his horse.

“There was always some chance to confront a situation most of us do not have the courage to face, places some angels fear to tread,” Father O’Connor said. Recalling the details of the Sept. 11 attacks 20 years prior, and the sacrifices many officers made as they tried to save the innocent, he continued, “You are in a very real sense the Archangel Michaels of today. Your calling, especially in the defense of human life, is a sacred calling… We are faithful servants of God whenever we do well the duties that correspond to our state in life.”

Asserting that “this is no time to retreat from our support of our police officers,” Father O’Connor concluded, “We are all called to live an authentic Christian life, and faith must accompany us in every decision we make. Not all angels have wings: sometimes if you observe very carefully, you may find them dressed in blue.”

At the conclusion of the Mass, the bagpipers and drum corps strode down the center and side aisles of the cathedral, then stood at attention as a representative from the Edison Police Department read the Police Officers’ Prayer, which beseeches St. Michael for “protection from all mental, physical and spiritual harm.” The names of those officers who had died in the line of duty since the inception of the diocesan Blue Mass were read aloud, a bell tolling after each name. Bishop Checchio greeted family members of the four most recently deceased and presented them with a statue of St. Michael the Archangel vanquishing the devil.

A single bagpiper squeezed out the strains of “Amazing Grace” in the hushed church, the remaining members of the Middlesex County Police and Fire Pipe and Drum Corps joining him on the second verse in a window-rattling profession of faith. SWAT team members fired a 21-gun salute outside on the patio, and a bugler played the mournful “Taps” in honor of the fallen.

As Bishop Checchio reviewed the officers on Main Street, a State Police helicopter buzzed the crowd as police and others reflected upon their presence.

Standing beneath the 16’ x 32’ American flag suspended from Ladder Truck No. 2, Edison Firefighter/EMT Howard Tarlow expressed his gratitude for the Mass. “Volunteering in the community is part of my life,” Tarlow, who practices Judaism, noted. “I see religion daily in this job. In dangerous situations, God comes to mind.”

“Every year, it’s good to honor the fallen,” said Sgt. William Merkler of the South Brunswick Police Force. “It is special to the families.”

State Police Lt. Ted Schafer encouraged the Cathedral schoolchildren to pet his horse, Justice, and the giggling students obliged. The officer opined the Mass “gives law enforcement and the community the opportunity to get together peacefully and reflect on those we lost over the years.”