Sep 10, 2010 / 04:14 am
Catholic dioceses in New York, Washington, D.C., and in many other locations across the country will soon be holding Masses and other ceremonies in memory of those killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
Many of the liturgical ceremonies will also honor the memory or current service of all the nation's police, firefighters, and emergency personnel.
A Blue Mass is traditionally held to honor law enforcement officers, particularly those who have died in the line of duty or otherwise demonstrated a heroic commitment to their work for the community. Fr. Thomas Dade, a Washington, D.C. priest who founded the Catholic Police and Firemen's Society, began the tradition in 1934 of celebrating an annual Mass for emergency workers, who always attend in uniform.
Fr. Dade's tradition has since spread throughout the nation. Because hundreds of police and rescue workers were killed at the World Trade Center on September 11, the date is becoming an increasingly common one on which to celebrate the Blue Mass.