The Archdiocese of Newark’s 28th Annual Blue Mass honored late Jersey City Police Det. Joseph Seals, along with three other officers killed in the line of duty, 31 who died from COVID-19, and 37 Port Authority police officers who died in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“The lives and deaths of Detective Joseph Seals and Officers Michael Teel, Brian Sicknick, and Sean Peek remind us of their gift to us, their enduring affection for us,” Cardinal Joseph Tobin said in his homily on Thursday.
“They left an indelible witness to the greatest love of all, which is… to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
A Capitol Police honor guard unit traveled from Washington, D.C. in solidarity with Sicknick, who died following the January 6th Capitol riot.
Additionally, 31 police officers who died of COVID-19 were acknowledged, and 37 Port Authority officers who were killed during the World Trade Center terrorist attacks were recognized to mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
Three Hudson County law enforcement officers died due to complications from COVID-19 last year: Union City Police Officer Alex Ruperto, Corrections Officer Bernard Waddell, Sr., and Corrections Officer Zeb Craig.
Gov. Phil Murphy (D), former Gov. Jim McGreevey (D), and numerous other dignitaries joined hundreds of members of law enforcement to pay tribute to their fallen brothers and sisters in blue.
