Victoria Garcia  (973) 497-4189  garciavi@rcan.org

For Release  October 28, 1999

Archdiocese of Newark Celebrates Annual Blue Mass

Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick will be the principal celebrant at the 6th Annual Blue Mass honoring police officers killed in the line of duty. The Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, November 4, 1999 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark. 

The Mass will honor Federal, State, County, City, Local and Institutional law enforcement officers from throughout the state. Last year 1,600 police officers and their friends and family attended the Mass. Chairperson of the Blue Mass Organizing Committee, Deputy Chief Joseph Rotunda of the Belleville Police Department, said the Mass is "an important event within the law enforcement community in New Jersey." 

Vicar for Pastoral Life and a Mass organizer, Msgr. Louis Fimiani, said the Mass will remember those officers killed in the line of duty. "It is a show of our support and gratitude to the many men and women who have dedicated their lives for the safety of all." 

Police Officer Joyce A. Carnegie of the Orange Police Department, Police Officer Kevin Greener of the Fort Lee Police Department, and Corporal Steven L. Levy of the Washington Township Police Department were the three officers who died in the line of duty since last year's Mass. 

Police Officer Carnegie, who was 38 years old at the time of her death, was fatally shot in 
the head while questioning an armed robbery suspect on Thursday, April 8, 1999. She was a four-year veteran of the Orange Police Force. She is survived by her parents, Ernestine and Charles Carnegie. 
Police Officer Kevin Greener was killed in a motorcycle accident on his way to a special assignment on Monday, August 9, 1999 at the age of 43. He was a five-year veteran of the Fort Lee Police Department with a total of 18 years of service as a police officer. He is survived by his wife, Susan, and their sons, Matthew, 15, and Timothy, 12. 

Cpl. Levy, who was 35 years old at the time of his death, was an 11-year veteran of the Washington Township Police Force. He was fatally shot on Tuesday, October 21, 1999 while responding to a domestic violence situation. He is survived by his wife, Janeen, and their two children, 5 year old Kevin and 2 year old Jessica. 

The Mass will be followed by a luncheon at the Rink in Branch Brook Park. Tickets to the luncheon are $20. For more information call Deputy Chief Rotunda at (973) 450-3360. 

 

1999 News Releases