Wichita church celebrates Blue Mass for local law enforcement officers

When Father Shawn McKnight at the Church of the Magdalen in Wichita asked his congregation Sunday morning to show gratitude for local law enforcement officers, the applause went on.

And on.

For nearly two minutes.

Maybe more.

It was the first Blue Mass to honor law enforcement celebrated by Wichita-area Catholics, said Amy Pavlacka, director of communications for the Catholic Diocese of Wichita.

“This isn’t a new concept,” Pavlacka said. “We have had White Masses for those who work in hospitals and Red Masses for attorneys, legislators and judges.

“The Blue Mass is for those in law enforcement.”

On Sunday, more than 40 men and women in uniform – from the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, the Wichita Police Department as well as the military – were invited by McKnight to receive religious medallions of St. Michael, the archangel who fought Satan in the Book of Revelation and who is the patron saint of those in the military and the police force.

McKnight invited them to carry the medallions in their pockets as they go about their daily lives.

Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter and Deputy Chief Gavin Seiler were in attendance at the 9:30 a.m. service.

In recent months, Blue Masses have become fairly common throughout the nation as law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty as well as placed in situations where they have had to kill someone. On Saturday, two police officers in Palm Springs, Calif., were killed as they responded to a family disturbance call.

McKnight wanted those serving in law enforcement to feel appreciation and offered them a prayer for safety. The Blue Mass is celebrated, he said, not only for those women and men in law enforcement but also for their families and communities.

Magdalen’s Fouth Degree Knights of Columbus Honor Guard wore uniforms and opened and closed the service. Caledonian bagpipes were played.

Parishioner John Madia, a retired Air Force officer, was touched by the service, particularly the spontaneity of the applause.

“The people clapped and clapped until the officers got embarrassed, and that is a good thing,” Madia said.

McKnight arrived at the Magdalen parish in June 2015. He said on Sunday he had been serving in Washington, D.C., where Blue Masses happen fairly frequently.

“As all these events have happened in the country involving police, I thought it was important we do this now – to remind those in law enforcement what they are about and should be and our obligation to support those who put themselves in harm’s way for our benefit,” he said.

As McKnight on Sunday invited those serving in law enforcement to come forward to receive the medals and blessings, he could see their faces.

“I motioned for them to turn around,” he said. “They were reluctant, but you could see in their faces the magnificence of the applause.”

Sgt. Chad Beard of the Wichita Police Department – who helped organize the Blue Mass – called it inspiring.

“As an officer, you can sometimes see the worst of people, and it is difficult,” he said. “But this was so heartfelt. It made me want to start crying. We are here to serve citizens. To receive and get a thank-you made me feel really good and proud of my department.”

This story was originally published October 9, 2016 at 6:51 PM with the headline "Wichita church celebrates Blue Mass for local law enforcement officers ."