Archdiocese
of Newark Honors Police Officers Killed in the Line of Duty
Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick will be the principal celebrant at the 4th Annual Blue Mass honoring police officers killed in the line of duty this past year. The Mass will be celebrated at 10:30am Thursday, November 6, 1997 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. The Mass will honor Federal, State, County, City, Local and Institutional law enforcement officers from throughout the Archdiocese. Last year 1,400 police officers from Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties attended the Mass. Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick said that he is delighted to be honoring the courageous work of law enforcement officers. "It is with joy that we honor the work of police officers in our Archdiocese," said Archbishop McCarrick. "Law enforcement is a vitally important vocation where good people are willing to risk their lives to protect and serve every citizen," he said. "It is with a great sense of loss that we remember those men and women who gave their lives in fulfilling their oath." Senior Corrections Officer, Fred Baker, Andover Patrol Officer, William P. Bosworth Jr. and State Trooper, Scott M. Gonzalez were the three police officers who died in the line of duty in the Archdiocese of Newark in the last year. Officer Baker, 35, was fatally stabbed on July 30, 1997 while on duty at Bayside State Prison in Leesburg. He is survived by his wife Kelly and two children, Jason, 14, and Dara, 20 months Officer Bosworth, 31, died in a car accident while on duty on Aug. 5, 1997. He joined the police force in February of 1996. He is survived by his parents, William P. Sr. and Judith, and a sister, Lisa Kelly. Trooper Gonzalez, 35, was fatally shot while on duty on Oct. 24, 1997. He is survived by his wife, Maureen. Chairperson of the Blue Mass Organizing Committee and Captain in the Belleville Police Department, Joseph Rotunda, is delighted that attendance at the Mass has increased every year. "There were 1,400 people at the Mass last year," said Rotunda, "it's great to see that kind of participation." Rotunda
said that this year's Mass will also honor Chiefs of Police, "for
their contribution to law enforcement," as well as the President
of the NJ Police Benevolent Association (PBA), Michael
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 Captain Joe Rotunda at (201) 450-3360 or Dennis Kihlberg at (201) 748-0525.
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