The Dallas Red Mass 2008

Dallas legal community comes together for `Red Mass' today
11:58 AM Wed, Oct 08, 2008 Permalink
by Sam Hodges Bio --> E-mail News tips

Many judges, lawyers and other members of the legal community will attend a "Red Mass" today at 5:30 p.m. at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe on Ross Avenue in Dallas.

Here are the details on today's Mass and the tradition it upholds:

Legal Community Comes Together to Pray:
Red Mass Carries on Centuries Old Tradition

Approximately 200 members of the Dallas area legal community are expected to attend the annual Red Mass sponsored by The St. Thomas More Society of the Diocese of Dallas.

The Red Mass scheduled for Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 5:30 p.m. at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, 2215 Ross Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75201 offers members of the judiciary, the bar, law faculty, their families and staffs the opportunity to come together to invoke the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the deliberations of the courts, the dispensing of justice, and to ask that all in the legal profession be blessed.

Judges and academics will wear their robes to participate in the procession at the beginning of Mass. The main celebrant will be the Most Reverend José H. Gomez, S.T.D., Archbishop of San Antonio. Concelebrants will the Most Reverent Kevin J. Farrell, M.A., S.T.L., Bishop of Dallas and Reverend Paul Weinberger, K.H.S., chaplain of the St. Thomas More Society. A reception will follow at the Dallas Petroleum Club in the Chase Tower, 2200 Ross Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75201. Archbishop Gomez, a renowned expert on death and dying issues author of "A Will to Live: Clear Answers on End of Life Issues" will serve as the guest speaker.

A tradition that dates back 700 years, the Red Mass is the liturgical celebration dedicated to those in the legal community who seek the Holy Spirit as the source of counsel and fortitude.

The custom of a special Mass for members of the Bench and Bar arose in France, England and Italy around the 13th century. The first such celebration recorded was held in 1245 in Paris. In England the Red Mass was first celebrated in London's Westminster Abbey in 1310 during the reign of Edward I. The entire Bench and Bar attended the Mass together at the beginning of each term of Court.

The clergy were vested in red, and the judges of the High Court, who were all doctors of the law, conformed to ecclesiastical tradition and also wore red robes. As a result, the celebration became known as the Red Mass.Many scholars maintain that the name has a deeper significance. The liturgical red symbolizes a willingness to defend truth, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Today, the Red Mass marks the traditional beginning of the judicial year with the opening session of the United States Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of Texas, and continues to be a source of spiritual inspiration for members of the legal community.

The entry "Dallas legal community comes together for `Red Mass' today" is tagged: catholic diocese of dallas , red mass

http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/10/dallas-legal-community-comes-t.html
by Sam Hodges, http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/