LAPLACE — St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church is celebrating Blue Mass, honoring all St. John the Baptist Parish first responders.

The mass will start at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, located at 529 West 5th St. in LaPlace.

“This is the 12th year the mass has been held at St. Joan of Arc,” office manager Jennifer Suarez said. “Last year was the first year not hosted by us.”

The mass was held at Our Lady of Grace in 2014.

According to Suarez, the Blue Mass is traditionally held closer to Veterans Day but it was moved this year.

“This year we moved it to Sept. 29 because it’s the Feast of the Archangels,” Suarez said. “St. Michael the Archangel is the patron saint of police officers.”

The mass, beginning at 10 a.m., will last from 45 minutes to an hour. Following mass, a priest will bless the fleet of fire trucks, ambulances and police cars that are in the parking lot.

“It’s a prayer of blessing over the vehicles,” Father Garrett O’Brien said. “A priest doing the blessing will walk around the vehicles and sprinkle them with holy water, asking God for protection.”

O’Brien is a priest at St. Joan of Arc and has been involved with the Blue Mass for three years.

“The event is a way for us, as people of LaPlace, to express our gratitude to our civil servants,” O’Brien said. “It’s appreciation by our presences (by attending the event) and by our prayers. I would hope that the first responders sense the support of the community. They are not just performing a job to help the city function, but they are serving the people. Since they are serving and also protecting the people, I hope they feel a personal thank you and support from the event.”

Over the past few years Suarez says attendance has been dwindling, and she hopes more people attend this year.

“It’s a way of thanking the first responders of our community,” Suarez said. “People’s attendance will show the responders how much we appreciate their service to us.”

Priests from all over St. John the Baptist Parish have been invited to the event, so have the students of St. Joan of Arc School and other surrounding schools.

After the mass and blessing of the fleet, there will be lunch provided to all who attend. According to Suarez, putting the lunch together has been a group effort.

“Our Knights of Columbus are providing the jambalaya,” Suarez said.

“The school will be providing the white beans, our Golden Oaks are bringing desert and Raising Canes is providing drinks.”

Just because this event is held at a Catholic church doesn’t mean it is strictly for Catholics. People of different faiths or no faith are invited to the mass, blessing of the fleet and lunch. It is asked that during mass, for people who are not Catholic, that they not take communion. They may still go to the alter for a blessing.

“This event is our way of thanking and honoring the first responders,” Suarez said. “It’s a way for us to come together and pray for them and their safety.”

— By Raquel Derganz Baker