Blue Mass honors society’s ‘guardian angels’

By Marlene Quaroni - Florida Catholic

MIAMI BEACH | The difference between law and order and chaos in civil society is the thin blue line of law enforcement officers.

“Police officers proudly stand between good and evil, at their own peril, because it is their calling,” said Debbie Geary, president of the South Florida chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors, COPS, at a Blue Mass for law enforcement officers Sept. 30 at St. Patrick Church.

The Mass is celebrated each year on or near the feast day of St. Michael the Archangel, patron saint of police officers. Honor guards carried flags from many jurisdictions in southeast Florida into and out of the church and police officers helped during the Mass.

Geary’s husband died in the line of duty, serving the Metro-Dade Police Department. Her three sons and daughter work for the Broward Sheriff’s Office. Geary, a past national president of COPS, recently attended a retreat for about 150 survivors who lost a loved one in the line of duty.

“Our ages, skin color, gender or nationality didn’t matter,” she said. “We all had one thing in common, we lost someone in the line of duty. We had loved ones that loved the profession they were called to do. They worked diligently to protect their communities.”

The current climate in the United States is a very difficult time for law enforcement officers, she said.

“It feels as if our officers are at war,” she said. “We have a community in turmoil with protests and riots over specific incidents and law enforcement is in the forefront protecting the citizen bystanders. We have some government leaders that fail to support our officers and instead allow politics to dictate their response. Cases involving police are many times tried by public opinion and on social media. Law enforcement is facing a growing desire to prosecute officers for actions that result in injury or death before any investigation can take place.”

Law enforcement needs to know that the community stands behind them, she said. When an incident occurs, a proper investigation will be conducted and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings and not political reasons.

Recruiting and retention is becoming more of a challenge and there is a shortage of officers across the county. She added that some officers have been targeted for execution while others have been indicted for protecting their own life or the lives of others.

“These concerns are my concerns, these fears are my fears, and they are the concerns of survivors I met recently,” said Geary. “We must support our officers and let them know that they do not stand alone on the ‘thin blue line’.”

John Rivera, president of the Miami-Dade Police Benevolent Association, called Geary a guardian angel.

“She took her tragedy and turned it into a crusade to change laws and create benefits,” he said. “I’m honored to be here today. Thank you for this beautiful and glorious ceremony.”

In his homily, Archbishop Thomas Wenski echoed Rivera’s words, calling first responders guardian angels.

“At this Blue Mass, we honor our men and women in blue,” he said. “We honor you for your commitment and sacrifice for the common good. Because of your work, you see, too often, the dark side of our fallen human nature. It is a thin blue line that protects us from barbarity, that defends our communities so that they remain communities and not moral jungles.”

Archbishop Wenski said that it was good to see children from St. Patrick School at the Mass.

“We recall the sacrifice of the hundreds of public servants who gave their lives trying to save people whom they didn’t even know,” he said. “We can’t forget the sacrifices of those officers in Louisiana, Dallas and elsewhere. We honor you because you are heroes. You do not let fear overwhelm you or hatred blind you so as to keep you from helping your neighbor. When duty calls, you show up.”