The Archdiocese of Newark honored late Hudson County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Matthew Vogel, who died from COVID-19 at the end of last year, at their 29th Annual Blue Mass last week.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The November 3rd ceremony was held in Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, the Archbishop of Newark, presided over the liturgy, which featured honor guard units, bagpipers, and drummers.
“We’re called to model mutual respect in the honest search for the common good, excluding no one from that process. Saying ‘yes’ to God is something believers are called to do each day. [They] choose good over evil, truth over lies, and love for others over selfish gain,” Tobin said in a statement.
This year, Gov. Phil Murphy (D), Attorney General Matthew Platkin, and numerous other dignitaries joined hundreds of police officers from throughout the state to pray for five men who died in the line of duty.
Those men are as follows: Senior Correctional Police Officer Daniel Sincavage, Port Authority Police Officer Anthony Varvaro, Middletown Police Det. Lt. Joseph Capriotti, Paterson Police Lt. Frank Petrellim and Deputy First Class Glenn Hilliard of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office in Maryland, who was a former Newark resident.
Additionally, those at the Mass paid tribute to 10 officers who succumbed to COVID-19, including Vogel, who was a 22-year veteran of the department who had also served as their SWAT commander.
Tobin also acknowledged the good work of all active-duty law enforcement in his homily, citing the two Newark officers who were recently shot as examples of the police’s selflessness.
He then asked everyone who is not in law enforcement to reflect on what God wants from them: They may not wear a badge, he said, but they can still follow the police’s example of helping those in need.
