Blue Mass Honors Fallen Police and Firefighters

After a year that saw several Inland law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, including two in the high-profile Christopher Dorner case, the annual Blue Mass offered by the Diocese of San Bernardino took on added poignancy. The Diocese of San Bernardino offered this special liturgy to honor police officers, deputies, firefighters and other public safety personnel on Wednesday evening, Oct. 9, at Christ the Redeemer Church in Grand Terrace. Auxiliary Bishop Rutilio del Riego was principal celebrant and police and fire personnel, active and retired, participated in the Mass. All were invited to attend. “Our police, firefighters, paramedics and others in public safety show great courage and sacrifice to keep our communities safe,” said Bishop del Riego. At the conclusion of the Blue Mass, the ceremonial “Last Alarm” was rung to honor those in public safety who have died in the line of duty during the previous year. Among those remembered during the Last Alarm were Riverside Police Officer Michael Crain and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Detective Jeremiah MacKay, who both lost their lives in the pursuit of rogue cop Christopher Dorner, a former Los Angeles police officer who violently targeted law enforcement personnel throughout Southern California in February. Also honored in the Last Alarm were firefighters Christopher MacKenzie, Kevin Woyjeck and William Warneke, members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots interagency firefighting crew who were lost fighting the Yarnell Hill fire near Prescott, Arizona in June. All the three men had ties to communities in the Diocese of San Bernardino. Christopher Douglas, a CAL FIRE engineer/paramedic with Riverside County Fire, San Bernardino City Firefighter Norman Walters and California Corrections Officer Gilbert Cortez died in the line of duty this year and were also remembered during the Last Alarm. At the Blue Mass a member of the public safety community is recognized by the Diocese with the Chief Patrick G. Crowe Public Safety Award. The award is given to a public safety member who exhibits exceptional service to the community, department or church in some way. This year the recipient of the award was San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Sergeant Mark Martinez. A 22-year veteran of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Sgt. Martinez has worked a multitude of assignments including patrol, narcotics, custody and transportation. A lifelong resident of Colton and a Colton High School alumnus, he is currently assigned to the Fontana Sheriff’s Station. Colleagues describe Martinez as an outstanding mentor and a model of faith-filled police work. He is an active parishioner at Immaculate Conception Church in Colton and has spent two years in the Diaconate Formation Program for the Diocese of San Bernardino. “I was very surprised and very humbled to receive the award,” said Martinez. “I think what made it special was the tie-in to Colton,” he said. Former Colton Police Chief Patrick G. Crowe was known for his efforts to use his religious beliefs upon which to build his law enforcement career. Martinez added, “I think the connection between the community and law enforcement is faith. I really believe in service, especially when it comes to the community and our youth,” he said. “Every Blue Mass is held in the memory of the officers we’ve lost, and it made me connect my faith with my family. They’re there for us—they know the long hours we work, the holidays and the soccer games we miss—and they support us. This is also giving thanks to the families for giving us their support.” Martinez lives in Colton with his wife of 24 years, Emily. The couple has three sons: Mark Jr. (25), Manny (19) and Ryan (14). The Blue Mass first began in 1934, when Rev. Thomas Dade, a priest from the Archdiocese of Baltimore, initiated the Catholic Police and Fireman’s Society while assigned to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Washington D.C. On September 29, 1934, about 1,100 police officers and firemen, dressed in blue uniforms, celebrated the first Blue Mass in St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Bishop Barnes brought the northeastern U.S. tradition to the Diocese in 2002. Each year the Mass alternates between the two counties that fall under the Diocese of San Bernardino. [END] Press Enterprise article: BLUE MASS: Event honors fallen police, firefighters This year’s fallen public safety officers include the Dorner shooting and Arizona wildfire victims BY JEFF HORSEMAN STAFF WRITER Police and firefighters from across the Inland Empire gathered in a Grand Terrace church Wednesday, Oct. 9, to honor their fallen comrades in an annual Mass made more significant by greater-than-normal losses among first responders this year. Among those at the 12th annual Blue Mass held at Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church was Regina Crain, widow of Riverside police Officer Michael Crain, who was shot and killed by fugitive ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner in February. “I think that anytime the public wants to show there’s support for my husband or any officer ... (who) are here protecting us every day or the ones that have passed in the line of duty, I think it’s important to show support,” she said. “I want to attend everything that I can. It’s hard sometimes. But I want to come.” The Mass is a joint effort by the Diocese of San Bernardino and local public safety agencies. The pews were filled by police and fire personnel in a variety of uniforms, and a multi-agency color guard started the service. The Mass was tailored to first responders. One of the readings was from the Book of Isaiah, which contained the verse: “Then my people will live in a peaceful habitation, And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places.” In his homily, the Most Rev. Rutilio J. Del Riego, the diocese auxiliary bishop, praised police as instruments of peace and justice and firefighters as rescuers, just as Jesus rescued the world from sin. It’s been a particularly somber year for Inland police and firefighters. Besides Michael Crain, Dorner also killed San Bernardino County sheriff’s Detective Jeremiah MacKay before committing suicide during a firefight at a Seven Oaks cabin. Two Hemet natives, Christopher MacKenzie and William Warneke, were among 19 elite firefighters killed battling an Arizona wildfire in late June. In July, Cal Fire engineer/paramedic Christopher Douglas, of Temecula, was killed after being struck by a truck while responding to an accident on Interstate 10 in Palm Desert. Others honored at the service included Kevin Woyjeck, one of the Arizona 19 who had Southern California ties; corrections Sgt. Gilbert Cortez, who died in an auto accident in March; and retired San Bernardino city firefighter Norman Walters, who died of cancer in August. The mass included a ringing of the “Last Alarm” bell and a “Blessing of the Badges,” in which police and fire chaplains stood at the front of the altar to bestow special individual blessings on those in uniform. A trumpet blared taps at the last ring of the bell and a bagpiper played “Amazing Grace.” After the service, Regina Crain said: “It was beautiful to hear the words. It was comforting to know that people are thinking about my husband still ... “It’s hard to hear the bagpipes again. It’s hard to see the honor guard. It’s hard to hear that bell ring even. But I think that it’s good to hear the words.” The Blue Mass dates back to 1934 when a priest with the Baltimore archdiocese founded the Catholic Police and Fireman’s Society. The first Mass took place at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Washington, DC. Follow Jeff Horseman on Twitter: @JeffHorseman Sun/Redlands Daily Facts article: By Kristina Hernandez, Redlands Daily Facts Posted: 10/10/13, 1:37 PM PDT | Updated: 4 days ago GRAND TERRACE >> Three rings echoed through Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church on Wednesday night to pay respects to public safety members who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty the past year. Eight names were read before the single bell standing near the front of the church was rung, as many wiped tears from their eyes or held their loved ones closer. The tribute — known as the “Last Alarm” ceremony — was one of many planned to recognize public safety personnel at the 12th annual Blue Mass organized by the Diocese of San Bernardino, which covers San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The Rev. Rutilio J. del Riego led hundreds through prayer, scripture and song, and thanked those in attendance from police and fire agencies from both counties. “I think it is a great day when the police, firefighters and the first responders gather with the people in prayer in solidarity, for your work is good for us,” del Riego said. “For you are people who risk, in many ways, your lives to protect us, to protect all of us. We give you our gratitude and our praise.” The hundreds in attendance were first greeted by an American flag hanging between fire ladder trucks from the San Bernardino County and Riverside fire departments. Among those to whom Wednesday night’s Mass was dedicated were Riverside police Officer Michael Crain and San Bernardino County sheriff’s Detective Jeremiah MacKay, both of whom were killed in February during the manhunt for rogue ex-cop Christopher Dorner. Also recognized were the three Granite Mountain Hot Shots firefighters — Christopher MacKenzie, Kevin Woyjeck and William Warneke — who died June 30 while fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire near Prescott, Ariz., as well as Riverside Cal Fire Engineer and Paramedic Christopher Douglas, San Bernardino Firefighter Norman Walters and state corrections Sgt. Gilbert Cortez and K-9 Mattie. The Blue Mass was started in 1934 in Washington, D.C. and has since grown to become a nationwide tradition, the diocese said. It was first recognized by the Diocese of San Bernardino in 2002 at the request of Bishop Gerald Barnes. Diocese spokesman John Andrews said the service is rotated among several churches. “This is a way for our church to say ‘thank you’ to the men and women of public safety who keep our community safe,” said spokesman John Andrews.