Firetrucks receive timely blessings at church celebration

The first vehicles to arrive yesterday for the “blessing of the cars” at the Episcopal Church of Ascension and Saint Agnes spent little time proving why they needed to be there. Within minutes of their arrival, the two D.C. firetrucks turned on their sirens, carefully drove through parishioners attending Mass, then sped to an apartment fire six blocks away.

“It was our first run this morning, [but] nobody was hurt,” Lt. Leo E. Handley, of Engine 16 from Tower 3, said of the kitchen fire on Seventh Street Northwest.

The firefighters returned with their trucks tochurch, in the 1200 block of Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, where they were invited to partake of the snacks and drinks on the front lawn.

The ceremony was part of the feast day of St. Fiacre, who was born and raised in Ireland in the seventh century.

St. Fiacre was raised in an Irish monastery and became known as the “glorious hermit” because of his healing power.

The Hotel de Saint Fiacre in Paris was named after him. The hotel rented carriages and cabs, which became known as “fiacres.” Over centuries, the word also came to identify taxicabs.

Aug. 30 eventually became the official feast day of St. Fiacre for the blessing of cabs and drivers.

“We had just finished blessing the firetrucks when the bells started ringing,” said the Rev. Father Ronald Conner. “So we went ahead with the blessing of other cars.”

The blessings consisted of prayers, waving of incense and sprinkling of holy water on cars and motorists along Massachusetts and 12th Street Northwest.

The ceremony began about 30 minutes after the 10 a.m. Mass. Some parishioners drove away after their cars were blessed, but others stayed for the snacks of cookies, crackers and sandwiches, and drinks of coffee, sodas and fruit juice.

Yesterday marked the first St. Fiacre celebration at the Church of Ascension. Father Conner hopes that it will drew the attention of neighbors and visitors in nearby hotels and that more such celebrations will follow.

Parishioners such as Christopher Whittington, an altar aide and native of Houston, expects the blessing will become as popular as the animal blessings the church started several years ago.

“Parishioners brought their pets, dogs, cats, birds,” Mr. Whittington said. “Someone brought an iguana. Ugly. Some neighbors came and brought their pets.”