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Sept. 29--First responders are doing God's work, serving as angels to help those in need, Orlando Bishop John Noonan said during a special Mass Thursday at St. James Cathedral.
The 10th annual Blue Mass, so called because it is dedicated to police, firefighters, and EMTs, drew an overflow crowd, with a mix of officials, officers and Catholic schoolchildren among the congregants.
"We come here today to honor you for your service and pray for you and your families," Noonan told the congregation.
"We all became more aware of the dangers you face after 9-11," Noonan said. "We pray He will always be with you to guard you and bring you safely home to your families."
The Mass falls on the Feast Day of St. Michael the Archangel, patron saint of public-safety workers.
Patriotism and pageantry marked the service, with the Orlando Firefighter Fife and Drum Corps and sword-bearing Knights of Columbus taking part in the opening and closing processions.
Orange County Sheriff's Office Captain Miguel Pagan gave one of the readings, and the gift bearers were William Vose from the State Attorney's Office, OPD Officer Jose Pagan, and Joyce Dawley of FDLE.
A pair of firetrucks sat in front of the downtown cathedral, their ladders extended and a giant American flag hanging between them.
Noonan told worshipers that as a child, he visited a fire station one year for his birthday. He got to wear a fire helmet and ring the fire bell, and afterward he decided that wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up.
"I don't know what happened in between," he said. "[Now] I wear a different hat and I ring a different bell, but I guess the Lord has different ways of teaching us about life."
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