The 10th Annual Camden Diocesan Blue Mass, honoring all public safety employees in the diocese, was celebrated on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011 at Our Lady of Hope Parish in Blackwood.
The Blue Mass celebrates the dedication and courage of law enforcement officers, fire personnel, and EMS personnel who live and work in the Camden Diocese which includes Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem counties. People of all faiths, who serve at municipal, county, state, and federal levels, along with their families, were welcome to attend the Mass. Also members of the community who wanted to show their support and appreciation for the public safety personnel were welcome.
Msgr. Michael Mannion, director of Community Relations for the Diocese of Camden, is “grateful for the opportunity to honor those who dedicate their lives each day to the service and protection to our citizens and communities,” he said, by personnel who “put their lives on the line each day for us.” As well, he invited “citizens of all faiths, to pray and show their appreciation to all those who serve us.”