Cathedral hosts funeral for ‘hero’ firefighter who sacrificed life for city

As a team of white-gloved pallbearers from the Baltimore City Fire Department solemnly carried the casket of their fallen brother, Rodney William Pitts III, up the stairs of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland Oct. 27, hundreds of emergency service personnel from across the state and around the country stood at attention and saluted.

Pitts’ remains had been transported aboard a fire engine from Engine Company 29 in a slow-moving procession from the Duda-Ruck Funeral Home in Dundalk to the cathedral, where they passed beneath a large American flag held between two extended ladders.  

Family members, many wearing bright red in Pitts’ honor, watched in silence or held each other close, with one returning a salute to the sea of firefighters as he mouthed the words, “Thank you.”

Pitts, 31, died Oct. 19 after sustaining injuries while fighting a two-alarm fire that engulfed several row houses on Linden Heights Avenue in West Baltimore. Four other firefighters were hurt while battling the blaze, with Lt. Dillon Rinaldo later also dying from his injuries.

Inside the cathedral, more than 1,000 people gathered for an interfaith service honoring Pitts’ life and final sacrifice, while many hundreds more remained outside.

One by one, hundreds of firefighters from across the region approached Pitts’ casket near the sanctuary, offering individual salutes before returning to their seats.

Auxiliary Bishop Bruce Lewandowski, C.Ss.R., urban vicar for the Archdiocese of Baltimore; Father Louis Bianco, cathedral rector; Father Justin Gough, the cathedral’s associate pastor; the Rev. Walter F. Burgess, an Episcopal priest and fire chaplain commander emeritus; and the Rev. Albert M. Molden Sr. stood side-by-side at the front of the church as fire service personnel paid their respects.

Several civic leaders, fire department officials, family members and religious leaders praised Pitts’ heroism during a service that lasted more than two hours.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott sparked applause by noting that at a time when some speak negatively of Black young men from Baltimore, “we owe it to Rodney” to celebrate a young Black Baltimore man who was devoted to his kids, dedicated to his family and who gave his life for his community.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller said Pitts defined what it means to be a hero.

“Brotherhood and sisterhood are not just words for firefighters,” she said. “They are an unbreakable bond of solidarity and shared purpose.”

Rev. Molden highlighted Pitts’ Christian faith. The most important thing the firefighter did, the clergyman said, was being baptized in 2003 and “accepting Jesus Christ as his personal savior and Lord.”

Pitts was a member of Mount Hebron Baptist Church in Clifton Park.

According to an obituary provided by the family, Pitts graduated from Digital Harbor High School in 2011. He worked for Regional Management as a maintenance technician and also worked part-time for a security company. He enrolled in the Baltimore Fire Academy in 2022 and graduated in 2023. He was the father of two.

Near the end of the service, Father Bianco led the congregation in praying the Firefighter’s Prayer. The congregation prayed all five stanzas, concluding with:

“And if, according to your will
“in my duty I shall fall,
“bless me with your loving hand
“my family one and all.”

Bishop Lewandowski led the final commendation, asking for the soul of Pitts to rest in peace.

Gregory Matysek, a lieutenant in the Baltimore City Fire Department who had been stationed with Pitts at Engine Company 29 in Park Heights, served as a pallbearer at Pitts’ funeral.

“Rodney was one of several new firefighters at our station,” said Matysek, a parishioner of St. Clare in Essex. “He and all the new people were really bonding.”

Matysek said Pitts was unafraid of sacrificing his life in service of the city.

“He loved the fire department,” Matysek said. “It’s all he ever wanted to do.”

Matysek, who noted that the fire engine used to bring Pitts’ casket to the funeral was new and had not been previously used, said he and others stationed at Engine 29 have been overwhelmed by expressions of support in the wake of Pitts’ death.

“We’ve received round-the-clock food delivery,” Matysek said. “There have been balloons, stuffed animals and cards from all over the country.”

Children from School of the Cathedral made special posters that adorned the cathedral’s walls during the prayer service. They included hand-drawn images of Pitts, fire helmets and fire engines.

“Dear Firefighter Pitts,” one fifth grader wrote, “You have changed other people’s lives and helped them out a ton. You are a hero!”

A seventh-grader wrote: “Thank you for putting your life on the line and devoting your life to your job.”

Ernesto Batenga, a Howard County firefighter and a parishioner of St. Joseph in Sykesville, attended the funeral to “pay his respects,” he said. He brought his son with him to “get him some exposure” to the honors that are accorded fallen firefighters.

“Putting on the uniform each day means a lot in the sense that you’re out there helping your community,” he said.

The funeral for Rinaldo, the other fallen firefighter, will also take place at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen one week from Pitts’.

“The cathedral is privileged to offer this space where they can gather to be comforted by God and find support in the thousands of people who have come from Baltimore, Maryland, and beyond,” Father Bianco said.

To view more photos, visit https://catholicreview.smugmug.com/Fallen-Firefighter-Pitts-Funeral-CMOQ/ or click through the slideshow below:

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