
BRIDGEPORT — A special mass at St. Mary of Perpetual Help will honor and bless current and former first responders next week.
The church, at 1039 W. 32nd St., will host its first responders Mass at 6 p.m. Sept. 27. Congregants and community members will honor all active and retired officers, firefighters, emergency medical service staff and dispatchers at the Mass, according to a press release.
The Rev. Dan Brandt, director of Chicago Police Chaplains, will give the homily, while the Rev. John McNalis, Chicago Fire Department Chaplain, will be a concelebrant at the Mass.
A blessing of the badges will be held after the Mass, and there will be a blessing of the St. Michael the Archangel statue in honor of those who died in the lining of duty.