Blue Mass Street Closures May 7th

Photo via St. Patrick Catholic Church

From DDOT:

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has provided the following information about scheduled street closures for the Blue Mass event that is scheduled for Tuesday, May 7, 2013.

The following streets will be closed from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.:

G Street, NW from 9th Street to 11th Street, NW
G Place, NW from 9th Street to 10th Street, NW
10th Street, NW from H Street to F Street, NW

From St. Patrick Catholic Church:

All parishioners and friends of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church are cordially invited to join hundreds of first responders from around the country at St. Patrick’s 19th Annual Blue Mass. Held each year at the beginning of National Police Week, we pray for those in law enforcement and fire safety, remember those who have fallen, and support those who serve. Representatives of Federal and local law enforcement and public safety agencies from the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area and around the country attend.

Before Mass, hundreds of law enforcement officers and public safety officials gather outside for the solemn processional into St. Patrick’s. Units from federal, state, and local jurisidictions gather in formation to pass under a huge American flag proudly hung over the street by two fire ladder trucks. Also gathered outside are officers on horseback, as well as pipe and drum corps units.

Inside the church, the principal celebrant and homilist for the 2013 Mass will be His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington. The Mass includes an honor guard, bagpipers, and the solemn playing of “Taps” in memory of those who gave their lives in the past year.