PORTLAND — Sen. Susan Collins and other dignitaries will attend the 2013 Blue Mass on Sunday, Sept. 15, at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Hundreds of local, state and federal law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency personnel will be recognized for their dedication at the Mass, and attending members of the public safety community will also participate in a procession from Federal Street to the cathedral.

At 9 a.m., the group will gather on Federal Street between the Portland Fire Department and the U.S. District Courthouse. At approximately 9:20 a.m., a procession will begin down Federal, Pearl and Congress streets before continuing on Franklin Street, where public safety personnel will walk under a large American flag, held up by Portland and South Portland Fire Department ladder trucks, before entering the cathedral.

Color guards will be on hand, as will the Maine Public Safety Pipe and Drum Corps, which will perform outside the cathedral before and after the Blue Mass.

Monsignor Andrew Dubois, moderator of the curia for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, will celebrate the Mass which bestows blessings upon all who contribute to public health and safety in Maine. In addition, law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency personnel who have given their lives in the line of duty will be remembered.

The Blue Mass, which has a decades-long history in the Catholic Church, calls for a greater awareness and gratitude for those who serve the state and nation as first responders. The events of 9/11 served as an impetus for the Diocese of Portland to institute the Blue Mass locally. The general public is invited to attend this special event.

For more information, contact Dave Guthro, communications director for the diocese, at 321-7810, or at dave.guthro@portlanddiocese.org.