SOUTH END -- Police officers, firefighters, EMTs, corrections officers, and other first responders from across the Archdiocese of Boston will be honored Oct. 9 during the annual Mass for Public Safety Personnel and Families at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.

Colloquially referred to as the "Blue Mass," the Mass for Public Safety Personnel and Families will be celebrated by Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, and serves as a way to thank first responders and public safety personnel for the work they do on a daily basis.

Like the Red Mass for those in the legal profession and the White Mass for those in the medical field, the Public Safety Mass had been a longstanding tradition in the archdiocese until the early 2000s. The Mass was revived in 2014 through a collaboration of the archdiocese's Office of Chaplaincy Programs and Office of Divine Worship with the goal of honoring all those who serve their communities in uniform.

The Mass will begin at 11:30 a.m., with the procession including the first responders beginning at 11:00 a.m.