October 7, 2011
At the shrine of St. Michael
Mass is time to pray for those who serve and protect
Father Claude Burns blesses water that falls down a wall behind a statue of St. Michael the Archangel. He said police officers often come to the outdoor shrine to pray; it is located to the west of Holy Spirit School in Evansville. (Message photo by Mary Ann Hughes) Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
Phil Luecke was off duty last Thursday morning, and he chose to attend Mass on the grounds of Holy Spirit parish in Evansville. He’s an Evansville police officer, and it was the feast day of Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.
St. Michael is the patron saint of police officers. “You’d be hard pressed to find a police officer without a St. Michael medal,” Luecke said, adding that his medal is in his wallet.
There is a shrine to St. Michael at Holy Spirit parish. It’s located west of the school, and Luecke said “a lot of police officers stop by the shrine. He’s our saint. He protected heaven from the devil, and that’s kind of what we do. A lot of officers stop by here and pray.
“I’ve had several officers say something to me in that regard.”
He laughed as he added, “We need all the help we can get.”
That was the idea behind the Mass which was celebrated that morning. It was con-celebrated by Father Claude Burns, pastor at Holy Spirit, and Father Zach Etienne, chaplain for the Evansville Police Department, and attended by students from the school and by parishioners.
The parish invited police officers, fire fighters, paramedics and military personnel to attend the Mass.
During the homily, Father Burns reminded the children that they each have a guardian angel. “They are our protectors,” he said. “Ask them to protect you.”
There are all types of angels, he said, and “today we celebrate the feast day of three archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.” He pointed to the large statue of St. Michael, and asked the students if they knew the meaning of the word “Michael.”
After several guesses, he explained, “Michael means ‘who is like God.’ Michael is the warrior, the protector of the Church.” He told the students to look again at the statue to see the figure of Satan found under the archangel’s feet.
Of the shrine, he said, “This is a place we can come and pray. We have a lot of police officers who come here” to ask for protection. He encouraged the students to pray for those who serve and protect.