PROVIDENCE — Providence College hosted the annual Red Mass, on September 26 for those in the legal and judicial community. Organized by the Diocese of Providence and promoted by the St. Thomas More Society — a non-profit organization made up of Catholic legal professionals — the event was held at St. Dominic Chapel. In attendance were lawyers from throughout Rhode Island, as well as several local judges.
Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Richard G. Henning and concelebrated by Father Kenneth Sicard, O.P., president of Providence College, and other members of the Dominican community and priests from throughout the diocese.
In his homily, Father Justin Brophy, O.P., emphasized that true justice is born out of love, seen primarily in terms of care for others, and how true love is the result of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
“The proper name of the Holy Spirit is love. … And indeed, it is love that moves us from complacency to action, love that forces us to go the extra mile, love that gives us the ability to sacrifice freely and without reserve,” Father Brophy said.
“Love does a great deal for virtue, for heroic action. It is love that has the unique ability to draw us out of ourselves, to liberate ourselves from self-absorption and selfishness. And most importantly, love does not regard ideas or abstractions … Love regards persons.”
Father Brophy stated that love of others enables great deeds and that those in the legal profession should form their minds by the demands of love.
Legal professionals can serve as signs of hope to the community, said Archbishop Henning.
“In the legal profession, justice means you protect our communities by holding chaos at bay. You are a sign of hope to the innocent in need of redress. … You are a sign of hope to the guilty, because through our system of justice it is possible to find reconciliation.”
Archbishop Henning noted that wisdom and compassion are the driving forces of the practice of law, something which requires its practitioners to turn to God for moral and spiritual guidance.
Raymond Bicia, a personal injury lawyer in practice for 43 years and member of the St. Thomas More Society, said “I think there’s a moral imperative for Christian faith implicit in the fundamental principles of the law, [such as] live honestly, injure no one, give every person his due. These are fundamental principles that are just as true today as they were 2,500 years ago.”
Estate planning lawyer Paul McCarthy said, “It’s very moving, especially considering the world we live in today.”
McCarthy noted how Catholic morality corresponds with most Western concepts of law, and also has profound emotional and spiritual implications for those confronting the daily struggles within the legal world. This is particularly true in his field, where he is regularly confronted with death. “My Catholicism often comes into play, especially end-of-life situations and also people in nursing homes, where they have loved ones dying.”
This faith has also helped bolster his ability to relate to his clients in a way that shows his deep care for them. “I think it gives me empathy for people,” McCarthy said. “It’s not just clinical. It’s more of I try to feel the pain that people are in, and I try to help them out in that way.”
