Blessing of the badges planned

By Glynis Hart
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CHARLESTOWN —Rev. Arthur Bennett can’t remember the year exactly — four or five years ago — but “it was a particularly troubling year,” he said.

“A number of police officers were shot on duty (nationally),” said Bennett. “There was a lot of negative publicity. Seemed like everybody was getting sympathy except the police and firefighters who had to stick their necks out and get in there.”

Bennett, a former police officer in Fairfax, Virginia, had moved to Charlestown in 2003. Brian Marsh, then a rector (now a bishop) found out Bennett had done missionary work and put him in touch with the police force. And the Blessing of the Badges ceremony was born.

There are numerous such ceremonies around the country: interfaith events to recognize the sacrifices first responders make and express the community’s support. In Charlestown, the Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd sponsors the ceremony, with help from Community Church, Life on Main, Life Fellowship and the Roman Catholic community.

“We say sponsored by the Anglican church because I’ve been the coordinator since it started,” said Bennett. “Last year the Roman Catholic priest showed up, he and Father Moody blessed the fire trucks. One year we had the bagpiper from the New Hampshire State Police. We have coffee and donuts and such after.”

Bennett recalled being shot when he was a police officer, but said it wasn’t a serious injury. “It didn’t amount to anything,” he shrugged. A more serious injury was caused by a drunk woman slamming a car door on his knee.

“Police work is a life of boredom and 10 minutes of panic,” he said. “People don’t think about police until they need them — you only see them when there’s a reason to see them.”

Therefore the Blessing of the Badges ceremony offers the community a time to appreciate what police and firefighters do.

The Charlestown Blessing of the Badges will be held on the last Saturday in September, the 28th, which is St. Michael’s Feast Day. St. Michael, said Bennett, is the patron saint of police and firefighters. The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. in the Charlestown Public Safety Complex, 2 Claremont Road with an invocation, a short service about the reasons for the ceremony, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a reading about St. Michael.

“If people aren’t religious they can come anyway. We don’t care,” said Bennett. “It’s a public event to say ‘Thank you.’”