PROVIDENCE — Bishop Thomas J. Tobin and the St. Thomas More Society have announced plans for the Annual Red Mass, September 27 at 6:00 p.m. in the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul. Providence College president and Warwick native Dominican Father Brian J. Shanley will serve as the homilist.
“I am honored to be asked to preach at the Red Mass, especially because there are so many distinguished Providence College alumni active in the local legal community,” said Father Shanley.
Father Shanley was ordained a member of the Dominican Order of Preachers in 1987. He taught philosophy at Providence College and was a visiting professor at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. He most recently served as an associate professor of philosophy at The Catholic University of America.
Father Shanley holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Toronto and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Philosophy of Religion. After completing undergraduate studies in history at Providence College in 1980, he earned a licentiate degree in philosophy from The Catholic University of America. He also holds a master of divinity and a licentiate degree in sacred theology from the Dominican House of Studies, Washington, D.C.
“The Annual Red Mass is a very important tradition in the Catholic Church and in the Diocese of Providence, said Bishop Tobin. “It is an opportunity to express our gratitude to those in the legal profession and to ask God’s blessings upon their good and important work."
The Red Mass is celebrated by the bishop of Providence in the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul with Support of the St. Thomas More Society to coincide with the beginning of the new judicial session.
According to the St. Thomas More Society, the “Red Mass” is a historical tradition within the Catholic Church dating back to the thirteenth century when it officially opened the term of the court for most European countries. The bishop and concelebrating Priests wear red vestments, signifying the fire of the Holy Spirit’s guidance to all who pursue justice in their daily lives.
