Members of the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council Motors Unit thundered into Gloucester on Friday morning for a stop at St. Ann Church for a blessing.
Gloucester police Officer Joe Parady, the only member of the NEMLEC Motors Unit from the Gloucester Police Department, pulled together the ride to America’s oldest seaport and Rockport.
As far as Parady and other members of the unit knew, this was a first.
“I think this is the first blessing of the bikes we’ve had as a unit,” Parady said.
At St. Ann, the Rev. James “Father Jim” Achadinha stood out on Pleasant Street and gave a short service, sprinkled their bikes with holy water, and blessed each individual motorcycle officer.
“Oh Lord, Our God,” Achadinha said, “Look down with mercy and compassion upon every police officer who is facing a daily struggle with crime, aggression and unrest. Protect each one by your right hand. Preserve them we humbly pray and watch over them every given hour. Guide their steps. Guide their rides …”
The officers stood at attention in a line behind their bikes, and bowed their heads as they received the blessing from Father Jim.
“God bless all of you and may all of you always have safe rides, God bless you, thank you,” Achadinha said before shaking hands with the officers.
Then, the 20 motorcycles carrying officers from communities across Northeastern Massachusetts roared over to East Veterans Elementary School on Webster Street where they were greeted by kindergartners and first-graders.
The bikes pulled around the school’s circular driveway and lined up their bikes. The students then crowded around their bikes and got stickers from the officers.
“They are definitely not shy in any way,” Parady said.
Parady said it was important for schoolchildren to learn about what police do so they can feel comfortable approaching officers in case of an emergency.
“Good,” said first-grader Milosc Cimoszko, 6, about the motorcycle unit. He said he had never seen a police motorcycle before. “Cool” he said about the police motorcycle crew.
The unit, a specialized team skilled in using motorcycles for traffic enforcement, event security and rapid response operations, then rode off for a ride around the Back Shore and a final destination at Rockport Elementary School on Jerden’s Lane where they fielded questions from students.
Police officers taking part in the ride were from Gloucester, Natick, Amesbury, Salem, Tewksbury, Haverhill, Littleton, Weston, Melrose, Swampscott, Sudbury, Somerville, Waltham, Arlington and Winchester.
Before the blessing of the unit, Achadinha spoke about the respect he has for the work police do to keep the community safe, mentioning that his brother, Joe, serves as a sergeant/detective for the Hamilton Police Department.
“It’s very meaningful,” said Salem police Detective Wesley Regan about the blessing of the unit. “It’s a dangerous profession and a dangerous job within the profession so it’s very meaningful to receive the blessing and hopefully helps watch over all of us.”
“It means a lot,” said Swampscott police Officer John Cassidy Jr. “It’s always good to have a blessing for the bikes, you never know what’s going to happen.”
Achadinha said this was the first blessing he had ever done for a group of motorcycles. It’s more common for him to bless cars when someone buys a new one.
The visit to St. Ann Church, which is part of the Catholic Community of Gloucester and Rockport, was meaningful for Parady, having attended the former St. Ann School through fifth grade. It’s also the church where he got married.
He noted that being a police officer is a dangerous job and motorcycles can be dangerous, which is why the unit trains monthly.
“We can all use a blessing to keep us safe,” he said.