2011 Blue Mass for Public Safety

The 10th annual Blue Mass for Public Safety is being held on Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 6:30 P.M. at St. Catherine of Alexandria at 3680 Arlington Avenue in Riverside, California.

The event began back in 1934 in Baltimore, Maryland when a Catholic Priest named Thomas Dade initiated the Catholic Police and Firemen's Society. About 1,100 police and firemen attended the first Blue Mass on September, 29, 1934. The Blue Mass became an annual tradition in the northeastern cities of the United States. The Blue Mass began in San Bernardino, California in 2002 when the Most Reverend Gerald R. Barnes celebrated the event which drew more than 200 men and women in blue from the Inland empire.

Since it began, it has become part of the tradition to alternate the the Mass between San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Each year, a member of the Public Safety Community is recognized by the Diocese with the Chief Patrick G. Crowe Memorial Public Servant Award.

This is a non-denominational event and has become a collaborative effort between the Diocese of San Bernardino and Public Safety Agencies.