17th Annual Blue Mass

Today marks the unofficial start of National Police Week, as public safety and law enforcement officers from the Washington, DC metropolitan area converged at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, to honor and pray for law enforcement and fire safety officers fallen in the line of duty and those currently serving today.

As representatives from Federal and local law enforcement and public safety agencies entered the church, they were flanked by honor guards and pipe and drum corps units.

Blue Mass began in 1934, when police officers gathered to pray for their fallen comrades and seek God's blessing for their own safety. The tradition stopped in the mid-1970s but has since resumed in grander fashion than ever. The name "Blue Mass" comes from the traditional color of many officers' uniforms.

The principal celebrant and homilist for the Blue Mass was Reverend Monsignor Salvatore Criscuolo, Chaplain, D.C. First Responders.