St. Thomas More Society of Sacramento
Presents the Annual Red Mass
On March 9th, members of the bench and bar, elected officials, and all those involved in the process of government were invited to participate in the annual Red Mass, held at St. Elizabeth's Church in downtown Sacramento. The mass was presided over by the Most Reverend Richard J. Garcia, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento, and the homilist was the Reverend Paul J. Goda, S.J., Professor of Law, Santa Clara University School of Law. He graduated from Georgetown Law Center in 1963, and was admitted to practice in California in 1964. Rev. Goda is also chaplain for the San Jose Saint Thomas More Society. His remarks were on the theme of "The Catholic Tradition of the Moral Dimension of Political Life."
The Red Mass is sponsored annually by the St. Thomas More Society of Sacramento and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento. It occurs in the early spring, to celebrate the start of the legislative session.
The custom of a special Mass for the Bench and Bar arose principally in England, France, and Italy in the early 13th Century.
The first recorded Red Mass was celebrated in the year 1245 in Paris. For many centuries, the Red Mass was celebrated in the chapel of the Order of Advocates, La Sainte Chapelle, which was built by King Louis IX of France - later canonized as Saint Louis. In certain localities of France, the Red Mass was celebrated in honor of Saint Ives, the Patron Saint of Lawyers, who was born in Brittany in 1253 and canonized in 1347.
In England, the tradition of the Red Mass began about 1310 during the reign of Edward I. The entire Bench and Bar attended the Red Mass together at the opening of each term of Court. Since the priest celebrant wore red robes, the judges of the High Court in the time of Edward I, who were all doctors of the law, conformed to the ecclesiastical tradition and also wore red robes. As a consequence, the celebration became popularly known as the Red Mass.
Marty Haley, Bob Roth and Jan Sward at the post-mass reception
Herb Bolz and Judge Gail Ohanesian
Joe Symkowick, Victoria Cline, Julia Bilaver,
Heather Hoganson, and Fr. Paul Goda
Jean McEvoy, Eldora Ford and Cecilia Arnold
May / June 2005