The St. Thomas More Society of the Diocese of Dallas invites all members of the judiciary, the bar, law faculty, their families and staffs to attend the annual Red Mass 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.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Red Mass at 12:00 noon
Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe
2215 Ross Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75201
(Judges and academics are requested to wear their robes and gowns for the procession. Guests are requested to wear business attire and something red, e.g., a red tie.)
The Red Mass will be celebrated by
Kevin J. Farrell, M.A., S.T.L., Bishop of Dallas
Reception to follow (registration required)
Dallas Petroleum Club in the Chase Tower
2200 Ross Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75201
Speaker: Professor Charles Rice, University of Notre Dame Law School
Renowned expert on Constitutional Law
Speaking on “Natural Law: God’s Declaration of the Rights of Man”
For information on the St. Thomas More Society and the Red Mass, please direct inquiries to:
Mark Cronenwett
Higier Allen & Lautin, P.C.
5057 Keller Springs Road, Suite 600
Addison, Texas 75001
Telephone: 972-716-1888
Fax: 972-716-1899
email: mcronenwett@higierallen.com
www.stms
THE SOCIETY ST. THOMAS MORE
The St. Thomas More Society of the Diocese of Dallas (STMS) is an independent association of Catholic lawyers, judges, public servants, and officials active in the legal profession, and all Catholics who are interested in the relationship between the Catholic faith and the law.
The purpose of the STMS is to encourage Catholic lawyers within the diocese of Dallas to live a Christian vocation by sanctifying their daily work.
Its goals include:
to stimulate the practice of Christian precepts in the formulation and administration of the law;
to be a source of fellowship for members and other lawyers in the diocese;
to promote and foster high ethical principals in the legal profession generally and, in particular, in the community of Catholic lawyers, as exemplified by the life of St. Thomas More;
to encourage the study of the life and writings of St. Thomas More;
to promote the study of the Natural Law and its application to the legal profession;
to sponsor the annual Red Mass; and
to encourage interfaith understanding and brotherhood.
Together, we ask God to bless, strengthen, and enlighten all servants of the law and all people of faith, so that in solidarity and mutual trust we may achieve justice and freedom for society.
The STMS is named for the 16th century lawyer, judge, and diplomat who became the first layman to serve as Lord Chancellor of England, the crowns chief minister as well as its highest judicial officer. St. Thomas More (1478-1535) is the ideal of the Catholic lawyer. He was a man of scholarship and action; contemplative prayer and public life; dedication to family and service to his country in the highest offices of the land. But most importantly, he was a witness to God and the Catholic faith. After a celebrated career, the most distinguished lawyer in England was martyred under Henry VIII for a matter of conscience. In 1935 he was canonized on the 400th anniversary of his martyrdom and declared the patron saint of lawyers.
St. Thomas More Society of the Diocese of Dallas Catholic Lawyers Guild sponsors the annual Red Mass and reception, at which it presents the St. Thomas More Lifetime Achievement Award, St. John Fisher Award, or other honor to a person who exemplifies the ideals of service and sacrifice in the pursuit of justice so conspicuously reflected in the life and death of St. Thomas More.
The Red Mass is offered to invoke divine guidance and strength during the coming judicial term. It is celebrated in honor of the Holy Spirit as the source of wisdom, understanding, counsel, and fortitude, gifts that shine forth preeminently in the dispensing of justice in the courtroom as well as in the individual lawyers office. The Red Mass also offers prayers for all men and women in the legal profession, judiciary, and public life, asking that they be blessed with wisdom and understanding.
In England, the tradition of the Red Mass began in approximately 1310, during the reign of Edward I. The Mass was offered at Westminster Abbey at the opening of the Michaelmas term (September 29th). It received its name from the fact that the celebrant was vested in red and the Lord High justices were robed in scarlet. They were joined by the university professors who displayed red in their academic gowns. Today, in the U.K., the Catholic judges assemble at the Westminster Cathedral for the celebration of the Red Mass, and a short distance away in ancient Westminster Abbey, non-Catholic jurists likewise gather for worship.
The first recorded Red Mass was celebrated in Paris in 1245. In France, the inauguration of the judicial year was celebrated annually at the famous Sainte-Chapelle. Although this chapel was desecrated during the French Revolution, it was restored by Louis Phillipe and dedicated exclusively to the use of the Messe Rouge. In 1906, the French Parliament secularized the chapel, and the Red Mass was transferred to Saint-Germaine-l Auzerrois. The Red Mass has also been traditionally identified with the opening of the Sacred Roman Rota, the supreme judicial body of the Catholic Church.
The inauguration of the Red Mass in the United States occurred in New York City on October 6, 1928 at Old St. Andrew s. Now, several cities celebrate the Mass each year. In Washington, D.C., members of the Supreme Court, the President, and members of Congress often attend the Red Mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. In the United States, not only Catholic, but also Protestant and Jewish members of the judiciary and legal profession attend the Mass.
RED MASS HONOREES
2008 Archbishop José H. Gomez, S.T.D., Archdiocese of San Antonio
2007 Greg Abbott, Texas Attorney General
2006 Judge Edith Brown Clement, 5th Cir.
2005 Bowie Kuhn, Esq.
2004 Rev. Paul Weinberger, KHS, Diocese of Dallas
2003 Henry Hyde, U.S. House of Reps., 6th Dist. Ill.
2002 Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., Fordham University
2001 Judge Robert C. McGuire, Chief Bankruptcy Judge (ret’d)
2000 Hal F. Tehan, Esq.
1999 Prof. Robert P. George, J.D., Dept. of Philosophy, Princeton
1998 Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap., Archdiocese of Denver
1997 Rev. Mitch Pacwa, S.J.
1995 Justice Joseph R. Nolan, Mass. Supreme Court
1993 Judge Reynaldo Garza, 5th Cir.
1991 Justice Raul Gonzales, Texas Supreme Court
1990 Justice Antonin Scalia, U.S. Supreme Court
1989 Tom Unis, Esq.
ACTIVITIES
The STMS members benefit from educational and inspirational events. In furtherance of St. Thomas Mores heritage, the STMS offers monthly luncheon speakers who inform and guide the legal practitioner on ethical and moral issues, legal issues, Church history, world religions, the lives of the saints, and more.
The meetings are usually held on the first Thursday of the month at the Belo Mansion in downtown Dallas. Also, the STMS offers continuing legal education (CLE).
Occasionally, CLE credit is offered for the STMS meetings. Approximately once a year, the STMS offers an all-day CLE conference. In addition, the STMS members meet at St. Judes Chapel in downtown Dallas to celebrate Mass and commemorate St. Thomas More s feast day (June 22nd) and the day of his martyrdom (July 6th).
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
Mark D. Cronenwett, President
Vincent J. Hess, Immediate Past President
S. Cass Weiland, Vice President
Michael J. Uhl, Secretary
Barbara J. Panza, Treasurer
Rev. Paul Weinberger, K.H.S., Chaplain
Thomas P. Brandt Raymond E. LaDriere II
Ellen Eisenlohr Dorn Patrick J. McLain
Brian T. Gaddy Timothy E. Taylor
Charles R. Helms Jeffrey S. Turner
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