BLACKWOOD – Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan comforted a grieving family, gave hope for others and bestowed blessings upon all during the 22nd annual Diocesan Blue Mass celebrated for law enforcement and first responders.
“Through the intercession of Saint Michael, protect all who wear uniforms and all of us from violence and keep us safe,” he prayed.
As he presented the family of Deptford Police Officer Robert Shisler with a statue of Saint Michael the Archangel, he continued, “To this grieving family, give them comfort and peace knowing that their loved one is indeed among the angels of God.”
Officer Shisler, whose parents and grandmother attended the Blue Mass, was shot in the line of duty in March and succumbed to his injuries two months later.
The entire community, Bishop Sullivan said, “prays for Robert, and his eternal rest [and] peace.”
During the liturgy, a solemn bell tolled for Shisler and the 28 servicemen and women of New Jersey who have died this year.
The Blue Mass, traditionally celebrated on or around the Feast of the Archangels (Gabriel, Michael and Raphael), honors law enforcement and first responders, including local and state police, corrections, firefighters, emergency medical service personnel and more. Hundreds filled the pews in Saint Agnes Church, Our Lady of Hope Parish, on Sept. 29 as more than two dozen concelebrating priests, deacons, religious women and men, and almost 600 students and administrators from 21 Catholic elementary and high schools in South Jersey showed their support.
That support extended beyond the church walls, too, as the liturgy was livestreamed on all diocesan media platforms.
Deacon Tobias Haley, a sergeant in Washington Township who is assigned to Our Lady of Hope Parish, was the homilist for the day. He noted that the majority of those in attendance were in uniform – from law enforcement and first responders to school students – and how uniforms represent belonging to a group or team engaged in the same activity.
People, he said, can choose to participate in two games while on earth: one that is finite, with a definitive end and agreed-upon boundaries, or an infinite one with changing rules and no boundaries in which the purpose is not to win, but for the game to continue.
Hearkening back to the liturgy’s reading from Revelation and the battle between Satan and the Archangels, Deacon Haley said that the devil “didn’t want to play by God’s new rules; he decided to be a finite player in an infinite game.”
He continued, “Let us listen to God and be like Saint Michael, and battle Satan and the evil that prowls about the world. Let us also remember that this infinite game is hard; it goes on forever. It requires perseverance, self-denial, dedication, respect for authority and sacrifice, because it has no end. Our job is to continue the game for a short time, and pass it on to others. We will die playing this game, but know, if we do, all of what God is asking of us, we will secure a place in heaven with him.”
Leaning into the family atmosphere of a liturgy that was at times festive and inspiring, as well as solemn and reflective, Bishop Sullivan welcomed the first responders and their Catholic schoolchildren in attendance to the altar for a photo after Mass.
Included was the Cunningham family – Steven Cunningham, chief of police for the Linwood Police Department, and his daughter Sofia, an eighth-grader at Saint Joseph Regional School, Somers Point.
“My dad works very hard, helps a lot of people. I’m proud of him,” she said.
Chief Cunningham, a 20 year-veteran of law enforcement, said he hopes his profession helps his daughter learn “good morals, character, ethics and how to be a good person.”
As a first-time attendee at the Blue Mass, he said was impressed with how many people were in the pews. “It’s very uplifting.”
The Blue Mass Committee, comprising public safety leaders from across the Diocese, presented the Blue Mass Service Award to Lt. Brian Robinson, in recognition of his contributions to the liturgy’s success. Retired from the Cherry Hill Police Department, he has been a fixture in the law enforcement community for the past 35 years, working in departments such as fire and corrections. He currently serves on the Blue Mass Committee as honor guard coordinator.
“You’re a big part of this Blue Mass,” noted Deacon David Harkins, chief of police for the Gloucester Township Police. “We are very proud to serve with you and call you a friend.”
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