MADISON — “Tonight, we gather not only to honor our first responders, but to remember those who answered the call and made the ultimate sacrifice,” said UW-Madison Chief of Police Kristen Roman at the fifth annual Blue Mass.
The Mass was celebrated on May 19 at St. Bernard Parish in Madison and included the lighting of memorial candles followed by a solemn song of remembrance. Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison was the principal celebrant and was joined by several priests of the Diocese of Madison. The Knights of Columbus and members of the wider community also attended.
The bishop’s homily
In his homily, Bishop Hying compared the sacrifices made by first responders to the sacrifice of Christ, especially on the cross.
“We can think of the whole Christ event as a rescue mission,” he said. “God coming to rescue us from this burning house of sin and death. It is a powerful image as we gather tonight to thank and pray for all first responders in our city and in our diocese.”
He said that sacrifice comes from the Latin which means to set aside for a sacred purpose and expressed that first responders — police, firefighters, EMTs — set aside so much in their “vocational choice for the sacred purpose of defending life.”
He expressed that throughout his life, he’s always been struck “by their sacrifice, their vigilance, and their compassion. You then, in many ways, are like Jesus himself, who was willing to hand over his life for the sake of the salvation of the world.”
He ended his homily by thanking everyone there, including the first responders, stating, “We ask the Lord to bless you, to strengthen you, to protect you. As you protect and serve, the Lord may protect and serve you, that you may continue to do good work among us. Sometimes that is taken for granted, sometimes not thanked, but in the end, it is always rewarded.”
Police chief’s closing remarks
Chief of Police for the City of Madison Shon F. Barnes spoke after the Mass about the power of identity.
“The power of identity is the difference between a single story and the actual truth,” he said. “It is the difference between generalization about what police are based on what we see in the media and the facts of what we actually do on a regular basis. The power of identity is a major key in establishing trust in our community.”
He added, “We are far from perfect, but we come to work every day to make the ultimate sacrifice. It’s not about the money. It’s not about the fast cars — or fast SUVs now.”
Following his words, UW-Madison Chief of Police Kristen Roman spoke of the calling to serve as a first responder.
“Those of us serving as first responders understand that it is so much more than a job,” she said. “Regardless of one’s specific faith, there is, for a great many of us in this profession, a profoundly spiritual dimension to it. Not all professions are referred to as one’s calling.”
“I’ve heard countless officers and firefighters and first responders, myself included, speak of the work that we do of our service as a calling,” she continued. “This call to serve is difficult to explain to those whose paths have led them to a myriad of other careers. Not only do we think of ourselves as spiritually or figuratively having been called to service, we literally respond to calls.”
After the Mass, all were invited to a meal in the church basement.