First responders recognized

at Blue Mass in Mathis

Jason Guerra and Gonzalo Jimenez were two recipients of awards at the Blue Mass hld in Mathis.

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Some 80 first responders were recognized at the Diocese of Corpus Christi Blue Mass celebrated by Bishop Michael Mulvey held at Sacred Heart Church in Mathis on Saturday, Sept. 12. More than 200 guests joined the responders for a dinner at the parish Hall served by the Knights of Columbus.

Twelve KC councils along with 25 4th Degree Knights participated in the Mass.

The Blue Mass dates back to 1934 when a Catholic priest named Father Thomas Dade from the Archdiocese Baltimore initiated the Catholic Police & Firemen's Society in Washington, D.C. About 1,100 police and firemen dressed in significant blue uniforms marched into St. Patrick's Catholic Church for the First Blue Mass on Sept. 29, 1934.

The Knights of Columbus has a long history of supporting the men and women of the emergency services community. Father Jose Salazar and Father Maurice Shepherd SOLT - Police Chaplin for the City of Robstown Police Department celebrated the first Blue Mass held at Sacred Heart in September 2001.

After the Mass, the Knights recognized a number of first responders. The 2015 911–Life Saving award went to Tangy Haliburton with the City of Robstown Police Department Police – Life Saving awards were given to Clifford Lynn Martin, Jr., Jarek Pantoja, Armand Lopez, Isaac DeLeon, Jordon Armstrong, Gonzalo Jimenez and Jason Guerra, al with the Robstown Police Department.

The Outstanding Community Service recognitions went to the Robstown Police Department, Robstown Fire Department, Robstown EMS, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, McConnell Unit Canine Services and the Mathis Volunteer Fire Department.