PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island’s prosecutors, defense attorneys, clerk magistrates, civil lawyers and judges will soon worship together and ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance as they carry out their legal work.
The annual Red Mass, which is sponsored by the Diocese of Providence and the St. Thomas More Society, will be held Oct. 3 at 5:30 p.m. at Holy Ghost Church in Providence.
Monsignor Albert A. Kenney, S.T.L., the vicar general and moderator of the curia of the Diocese of Providence, will be the main celebrant. Father Ryan Connors, S.T.D., a professor of moral theology at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, will be the homilist.
Father Connors, a priest of the Diocese of Providence, said he is happy to participate in the Red Mass, which is offered for members of the legal community.
“I think it’s an important event in the life of our diocese and in the state of Rhode Island,” Father Connors said. “It’s an important moment to ask for God’s help for those who try to ensure that justice is served in the civil order.”
Attorney Joseph V. Cavanaugh Jr., the president of the Rhode Island chapter of the Thomas More Society, said the Red Mass provides an opportunity for attorneys and members of the judiciary to ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom, counsel and understanding.
“What we try to do is have a Mass where we all come together and humbly ask God to help us in our daily lives, to live those gifts and respond well in our responsibilities so we can do the best job we can to be just, fair and to treat people well,” Cavanaugh said.
“In today’s secular world, it’s a good reminder to all of us that our faith and our belief that God is with us all the time, and that our goal in life is to use our talents and gifts to do this well,” Cavanaugh said.
The Red Mass dates to the High Middle Ages in Europe. The first recorded Red Mass was celebrated in Paris around the year 1245. In other parts of France, the Red Mass was reportedly celebrated in honor of St. Ives, the patron saint of lawyers.
“The Red Mass is of noble origin, where officials of both church and state would gather to ask for the invocation of the Holy Spirit upon lawyers, judges and legislators, to ask that those who are going to enact justice, that it be in accord with the truth of the human person,” Father Connors said.
Cavanaugh said the Red Mass was an annual event in Rhode Island from the 1960s into the 1980s, when it suddenly stopped before being revived in the late 1990s. It’s been celebrated locally every year since.
“It’s open to everybody,” Cavanaugh said. “We invite everyone of good will to come and in this effort, to assist us and keep us humble.”
Judges have often said the Mass readings. A member of the Rhode Island chapter of the Thomas More Society usually says the prayers of the faithful. Retired lawyers and couples have also presented the gifts for the Eucharistic liturgy.
Those who gather for the Red Mass also remember those members of our legal community who died in the previous year and pray that their souls be granted eternal rest.
“Over the years, I’ve found it uplifting and inspiring to see so many people come and join us,” Cavanaugh said. “We realize there is a certain strength in togetherness. It’s an opportunity to renew our commitment to do things well.”
There is no admission fee for the Red Mass. The costs are borne by the St. Thomas More Society and the Diocese of Providence. A reception with refreshments is offered after the Mass.
Father Connors said the Red Mass is an important event for the diocese.
“The Church wants the state to flourish,” Father Connors said. “Catholics want a just civil order, and we recognize that for those charged with that responsibility, it is a difficult task, and it’s our responsibility to help them with our prayers.”
