Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Friday will be the final send-off for fallen Buffalo Firefighter Jason Arno, as he will be laid to rest following a funeral procession through the city and a Mass set to take place at Saint Joseph Cathedral.
It is expected that a large crowd will be in the City of Buffalo for Friday's final salute to Firefighter Arno. While Saint Joseph Cathedral will be filled to capacity with more than 1,100 people in attendance for the funeral Mass, several thousands more will be lining the procession routes both from the funeral home to the cathedral, as well as the cathedral to Forest Lawn Cemetery all the way up Delaware Avenue.
Among the group of potentially 5,000-to-10,000 people set to pay their respects to Firefighter Arno on Friday includes Western New Yorkers and a number of out-of-towners coming to the city. A fair amount of those people to line the streets of Buffalo will be fellow firefighters and first responders from the local, national and international level.
"I think it's an almost unbelievable, and overwhelming canyon of, first of all, firefighters, not only from Buffalo, but from all over the country. Then there are, in a very touching way, a lot of civilians, citizens of the City of Buffalo who will be standing along the route of procession both from the funeral home on Delaware Avenue, and then towards Forest Lawn Cemetery," said Buffalo Fire Chaplain Fr. Paul Seil of the expected turnout for Friday's services. "Myself, I find both, in different ways, to be very moving and emotional. Especially I noticed when Firefighter Arno was transported from the medical examiner's office to the funeral home last week, the civilians were very moved. And by their being moved, I think that was a great support to the firefighters of the City of Buffalo, and very moving to them, and to me certainly as well."
Saint Joseph Cathedral rector Fr. Sean Paul Fleming says it's a bit staggering when you hear about the projected number of people expected to turn out for Firefighter Arno's farewell. However, he reminds everyone that at the core of this is a family who's grieving the loss of their loved one.
"Our main objective at the Cathedral is that we create a space that's peaceful for them, that they can pray, that in the middle of all the outpouring of support and grief with them, which is wonderful, they need to have some time themselves," said Fr. Fleming ahead of Friday's funeral services. "I can't imagine the number of people that have approached them that they probably don't even know. They're grieving their loved one, their son, their father, their husband. That's an important piece that we shouldn't let go of. They need to have some space to be able to have that time to grieve, to be able to have the time to pray, and we hope to be an integral part to that."
It has been more than 13 years since the last time a Buffalo Firefighter had lost their life in the line of duty. That was in August of 2009 when Firefighters Chip McCarthy and Jonathan Croom both died battling a blaze on Genesee Street.
Both Fr. Seil and Fr. Fleming were a part of the funeral services in some form back in 2009, and say nothing can every prepare you for any kind of liturgy such as this.
"At that time, I was not the fire chaplain. I was a priest. Chip McCarthy was my second cousin, and I did concelebrate the mass, and even then, the overwhelming nature of it, really nothing to prepare you for this that's coming up Friday," Fr. Seil said.
"I was a seminarian preparing to be a priest when Chip McCarthy and Jonathan Croom died in, I won't say a similar incident, but also in the line of duty," Fr. Fleming recalled. "I served Chip McCarthy's funeral here at the Cathedral, so while I might not have been privy to all the details at that point, I certainly remember it as such a moving experience for me that I've held with me since that day."
When it comes to the outpouring of support from the community on Friday, Buffalo Professional Firefighters Local 282 President Vincent Ventresca felt there would be a substantial amount of people making it out to pay their respects partially with how connected many may feel thanks to the help of today's age of technology. This includes the way the story was covered by the media and how the videos and audio of the fire spread via social media.
While it may be seen one way as needing to be careful when it comes to spreading news like the fatal fire around social media, it does also bring to light the risks that firefighters and other first responders face in any given circumstance.
"Social media plays a big part in the response, I'm sure and I know. The fact that much of what will be done Friday morning ceremonially will also be reported in social media, people then will feel maybe that deeper connection to the Arno family and the Buffalo Fire Department, and to the church as well," Fr. Seil said.
Friday's funeral will be a reminder of the sadness and grief that the City of Buffalo has experienced over the last several months. Whether it was the two snowstorms in November and December that took lives or the tragedy of the Tops mass shooting on May 14, the city has had a lot of things to grieve. However, in the moments of grieving, there are plenty of things that bring out the wonderful characteristics of Buffalo.
"It proves in those events that we come together," Fr. Fleming said. "The heart of Buffalo shows every time. The love, the compassion, the outpouring of support, and it's always here. But it's amazing, to me, when we have these singular events, if you will, that bring that to the forefront. I wish we could see more of that on a regular basis."
As for the large number of firefighters making the trek to Buffalo to properly honor their fallen brother, Fr. Seil believes overwhelming sense of loss also brings about an overwhelming sense of camaraderie and unity.
"I think the grouping of the firefighters is one of the most overpowering symbols," he said. "The lines and lines of uniformed firefighters giving their last salute to their fallen brother is something that is just not seen very often, thankfully. But when it is seen, it is something that is very, very moving."
While Friday's funeral services will be a day filled with plenty emotions surrounding the loss of Firefighter Arno - with the thoughts of the family at the forefront of it all - in a way, Friday's services may also be seen as sort of a celebration of life. A celebration of service for a man, a hero who gave his life to help serve his community, and to protect life and property for others.
"For us as Roman Catholics, for Christians all-around the world, we're celebrating the season of Lent. I say celebrating the season of Lent, but that might sound like a contradiction of terms. Why? Because we're celebrating the fact that Jesus gave his life for all of us, for the whole world," Fr. Fleming said. "Jason was a Catholic himself, he attended St. Rose of Lima and he attended Canisius High School. Canisius always says, 'Men For Others.' As Fr. Fred Betti said the other day, he took that to heart in his life.
"Certainly every first responder, every firefighter, they do that each and every day for us. To see that sacrifice, to see it right in front of us, to witness the effects of what that sacrifice has had is really something I think, especially for young people, to learn. We know sometimes we can be a little selfish. Young people, old people, adults, every age. But this teaches us that we really need to be looking to others, that we really need to be looking to serve our brothers and sisters beside us."
Friday's funeral procession for Firefighter Arno begins around 9:30 a.m. EST, with funeral Mass set to start close to 10 a.m. EST at Saint Joseph Cathedral. After the estimated two-hour service at the church, Firefighter Arno will be carried to his eternal resting place at Forest Lawn Cemetery.
