Staff reporter
WILMINGTON – Although the Blue Mass is meant to honor all who serve as first responders, the Diocese of Wilmington’s annual service, celebrated May 4 at St. John the Beloved Church in Wilmington, was heavily influenced by the death last September of New Castle County Police Lt. Joseph Szczerba.
County police officers, wearing a black ribbon over their badges, made up the largest contingent at the church, and Szczerba’s family, including his widow, Kathy, sat in the front. After Communion, she received a plaque from Col. Scott McLaren, chief of the county police.