October 31, 2023
Newark, N.J. – U.S. Customs Supervisor Jacqueline Montanaro, a Hazlet resident who died while trying to rescue her daughter from a housefire, will be one of 12 fallen police officers honored at the Archdiocese of Newark’s 30th Annual Blue Mass this Thursday, Nov. 2, at 10 a.m. in Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, will preside over the Mass, which honors the dedication and sacrifices of New Jersey law enforcement personnel. Police and fire officials of all faiths representing federal, state, county, and municipal departments and agencies will attend the liturgy. They will be joined by the families of the deceased being recognized as well as multiple police honor guard units, bagpipers, and drummers. High-ranking public officials will also be present to show their support.
Aside from Montanaro, this year’s Blue Mass will pay tribute to five other officers who died in the line of duty: Bayonne Police Captain Paul Jamolawicz, Port Authority Police Officer Anthony Varvaro, Deptford Township Police Officer Robert Shisler, Timothy Sullivan of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, and New Jersey State Police Lieutenant Gerald Barbato.
The following officers also will be remembered: Bayonne Sergeant Robert Skalski, Newark Captain Richard Weber, Officer Brendan Burke of the New Jersey Transit Police, Lieutenant Walter A. Imbert of the Orange Police Department, Timothy O’Hare of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, and Detective Alex Melendez of the New Jersey Transit Police.
Additionally, the Blue Mass will honor Newark firefighters Augusto Acabou and Wayne Brookes following their deaths earlier this year.
A luncheon sponsored by law enforcement will be held at the Branch Brook Park Roller Rink in Newark following the Mass. Tickets may be purchased at the door or by contacting Vincent Nardone and William Schievella at 1-800-427-7651 or [email protected].
About the Archdiocese of Newark
The Archdiocese of Newark serves 1.3 million Catholics throughout Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union counties. The Archdiocese has 212 parishes, 73 Catholic schools, and many missions and ministries. Hundreds of Masses are celebrated in more than a dozen languages each week. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., the sixth archbishop of Newark, leads the Archdiocese with four auxiliary bishops. Together, they serve the northern New Jersey community through faith, education, and social services. For more information, visit www.rcan.org.
Police and clergy process out of the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark following the 2021 Blue Mass. (Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Newark)
Police from throughout New Jersey process into Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart for the Archdiocese of Newark’s 29th Annual Blue Mass on November 3, 2022. (Photo by Archdiocese of Newark/Joe Jordan)
Police officers prayed for more than 70 law enforcement personnel who were killed in the line of duty, died of COVID-19, were killed on 9/11, or who died in retirement during the Archdiocese of Newark’s 28th Annual Blue Mass inside Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart on November 4, 2021.
Law enforcement personnel representing federal, state, county, and municipal departments and agencies will pray for fallen officers during the 29th Annual Blue Mass in Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Thursday, Nov. 3, at 10 a.m. (Photo by Archdiocese of Newark/Julio Eduardo Herrera)
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin watches as police officers display the flags of the United States, the Vatican, and numerous law enforcement agencies during the Archdiocese of Newark’s 28th Annual Blue Mass at Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart on November 4, 2021.