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Supporters from around the Archdiocese of Baltimore gather for the annual Blue Mass honoring public safety personnel Sept. 15, 2024, at Saint Joseph's Monastery Parish. This year's Blue Mass at the monastery will be held Sept. 28. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

Blue Masses scheduled to recognize responders

September 9, 2025
By Katie V. Jones
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Feature, Local News, News, Worship & Sacraments

Several churches in the Archdiocese of Baltimore will recognize the work of public safety professionals – including police officers, firefighters, paramedics and emergency personnel – by celebrating a Blue Mass.

A tradition that dates to 1934, a Blue Mass, so named because of the color of many first responders’ uniforms, offers special prayers and blessings for both active and retired safety professionals of all denominations.

Archbishop William E. Lori speaks with Baltimore City Police Commissioner Richard Worley, left, and Baltimore City Fire Chief James W. Wallace prior to the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s annual Blue Mass Sept. 15, 2024, at Saint Joseph’s Monastery Parish. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

“The Blue Mass is more than a tradition; it is an act of gratitude,” said Father Bill Keown, pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Oakland. “As Catholics, we believe that every vocation of service reflects the love of Christ, who came not to be served, but to serve.”

First responders profoundly live out that call, the priest said, “by running toward danger when others run away, offering comfort in moments of crisis and often sacrificing their own safety to protect lives.”

“At the Blue Mass, we not only thank them for their dedication, but we also lift them and their families in prayer, asking God to bless them with courage, strength and protection,” he said.

Father Keown celebrated St. Peter the Apostle’s first Blue Mass last year. This year’s Blue Mass is scheduled for Sept. 11. Father Scott Kady, pastor of Divine Mercy Parish in Allegany County, will concelebrate this year for the first time.

“Many times, first responders are the ones who can get there and save someone’s life,” Father Kady said. “Life is the most precious thing to God. They can make all the difference.”

Archbishop William E. Lori will celebrate a Blue Mass Sept. 28 at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Monastery Parish in Baltimore. Last year’s Blue Mass brought together more than 600 people from departments all around the state.

St. John in Westminster will host a Blue Mass Oct. 4

“It lets them know … that we’re supporting them. We are here for them,” Teresa Richardson, an organizer said. “It is really beautiful.”

Participants at St. John will receive “challenge coins” – tokens of thanks from St. John – when they go up for a blessing, according to Richardson. A potluck dinner featuring pasta and fried chicken will follow. St. Peter the Apostle will host a reception following its Blue Mass.

“Kids at the school will do thank-you cards and it is nice to say ‘thank you’ in person,” Richardson said, of the dinner. “It is a profession, but they are unsung heroes. We are praying for them.”

Blue Mass dates and locations

  • St. Peter the Apostle Church, 208 S. Fourth St., Oakland, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. Father Bill Keown and Father Scott Kady, pastor of Divine Mercy Parish, will concelebrate. Reception in the St. Peter parish hall follows.
  • St. Joseph’s Monastery Parish, 3801 Old Frederick Road, Baltimore, Sept. 28 at 11 a.m. Archbishop William E. Lori will celebrate.
  • St. John Church, 43 Monroe St., Westminster, Oct. 4 at 4:30 p.m. Father Mark Bialek will celebrate. Dinner will follow.

Email Katie V. Jones at kjones@CatholicReview.org

Brother Joseph Keough, F.S.C., dies at 79

Catholic Review Staff

April 28, 2026

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A funeral Mass for De La Salle Christian Brother Joseph Keough will be offered at 2 p.m. on May 2 at Calvert Hall College High School’s Marion Burk Knott Center for the Performing Arts in Towson.

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Continue Reading Brother Joseph Keough, F.S.C., dies at 79

Sister Joan McCann, O.P., former principal, dies at 85

Catholic Review Staff

April 22, 2026

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In the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Sister Joan was a former teacher and principal of St. Rose of Lima School in Brooklyn. Elsewhere, she ministered in Illinois, Wisconsin, Georgia, Illinois and Washington, D.C.

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Continue Reading Sister Joan McCann, O.P., former principal, dies at 85

Sister Marie Anna (Rose de Lima) Stelmach, O.P., dies at 80 

Catholic Review Staff

April 17, 2026

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A funeral Mass for Dominican Sister of Sinsinawa Marie Anna Stelmach will be offered at 2:30 p.m. April 17 at Stair Crest Senior Living Community’s Faith and Fellowship Hall in Muskego, Wis. Sister Marie died April 8.

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Continue Reading Sister Marie Anna (Rose de Lima) Stelmach, O.P., dies at 80 

Xaverian Brother Charles Warthen dies at 92

Catholic Review Staff

April 14, 2026

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A memorial service for Xaverian Brother Charles (Dean) Warthen will be offered April 18 at 11 a.m. at the Mount St. Joseph High School Chapel in Irvington. His funeral Mass was previously offered in Virginia Beach, Va. Brother Charles died March 16. He was 92.

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Continue Reading Xaverian Brother Charles Warthen dies at 92

Father Joseph P. Lacey, S.J., longtime pastor of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, dies at 85

Lisa Harlow

April 6, 2026

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Jesuit Father Joseph P. Lacey, who spent more than two decades as pastor of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez in Woodstock and 22 years as a missionary in India, died March 28 at the St. Claude La Colombière Jesuit Community in Baltimore. He was 85.

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Continue Reading Father Joseph P. Lacey, S.J., longtime pastor of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, dies at 85

Sister Mary Gess Kirby, R.S.M., former Mercy High School counselor, dies at 92

Catholic Review Staff

April 5, 2026

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A funeral Mass for Religious Sister of Mercy Mary Gess Kirby will be offered April 11 at 11 a.m. at Mercy Medical Center’s McAuley Chapel in Baltimore. Sister Gess died March 27. She was 92 and had been a Sister of Mercy for 68 years.

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Continue Reading Sister Mary Gess Kirby, R.S.M., former Mercy High School counselor, dies at 92

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