Red Mass is celebrated for unity, Holy Spirit's guidance to those in the legal professions

Intermountain Catholic

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Bishop Wester greets Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gil after the Oct. 11 Red Mass in the Cathedral of the Madeleine. IC photo/Christine Young

SALT LAKE CITY — Those who work in the judicial system gathered in unity, although they were of different faiths, for the sixth annual Red Mass in the Cathedral of the Madeleine Oct. 11.

The Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, concelebrated the Mass with the Cathedral of the Madeleine pastor Father Martin Diaz and Father Jose Barrera, parochial vicar; Monsignor Joseph Mayo, Saint John the Baptist Parish pastor; and Father Langes Silva, J.C.D., diocesan judicial vicar and vice chancellor.

In his opening remarks, Bishop Wester said, "This is a tradition that goes back eight centuries in the Catholic Church, where we gather judges, lawyers, police officers, firefighters, soldiers, the Utah National Guard and all those involved in the system of justice, together to invoke the guidance of the Holy Spirit upon us all. We can assure you of our respect, gratitude and admiration for your respective vocations and your efforts on behalf of the citizens of Utah."

Honored at the Mass were four judges who are retiring: Judith Atherton, Frederic Oddone, William Thorne and Andrew Valdez.

Also recognized for their service in the judicial system were 16 judges, lawyers and police officers who died in the past 12 months.

"We want to remember the judges who are retiring for their service to the judicial system," said Ronald J. Yengich, a criminal defense lawyer and Cathedral of the Madeleine parishioner who helped organize the St. Thomas More Society, which sponsored the Red Mass. "We offered the Mass for those who died in honor of the devotion they gave to their jobs as a vocation and a profession."

Bishop Wester welcomed Muhamed Shoayb from the Imam Mosque in West Valley. Also in attendance were Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gil; Judge Royal Hansen, presiding judge of the Third District Court; and Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank, among others in the legal professions.

"The law is sacred," said Bishop Wester in his homily. "Being involved in the law means that we must internalize it. … It has meaning only as it resides in the hearts and souls of its citizens. This internalization is a way to become an instrument of peace in our society and our culture. … Today we thank those in the legal system for creating an environment where we can all live in peace and harmony, but more importantly we honor you for being … living instruments of peace in our midst."

The tradition of the Red Mass goes back to Europe in the Middle Ages. In the United States, perhaps the best-known Red Mass is celebrated in the nation’s capital on the Sunday before the U.S. Supreme Court opens its new session on the first Monday of October.