​San Antonio to celebrate 69th annual Red Mass

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Catholic News Agency

San Antonio to celebrate 69th annual Red Mass

Members of the legal community will gather at San Fernando Cathedral to celebrate the 69th annual Red Mass organized by the St. Mary’s University School of Law and the Catholic Lawyers’ Guild of San Antonio, after a year-long hiatus in which the event went virtual during the pandemic.

The event will begin at 6 p.m., on Thursday, Oct. 14. Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS, will be the principal celebrant and homilist. St. Mary’s University President Thomas M. Mengler, J.D., will give welcome remarks. Masks will be required.

During the pandemic, the legal profession had to adapt to a new reality, ensuring justice could still be administered despite new procedures and protocols put in place to ensure everyone’s safety and well-being.

“At this year’s Red Mass, we will pray for wisdom and guidance with the challenges we face at the start of our judicial and academic year,” said Sister Grace Walle, D.Min., FMI, the St. Mary’s University School of Law chaplain. “I was most impressed with how the legal community learned new skills and came together last year to ensure access to justice.”

The long-standing tradition dates back to 1245 in Paris. In San Antonio, Red Mass presents the opportunity for those in the legal community to come together at the commencement of the judicial year to pray for guidance in the administration of justice. Red Mass is open to members of all faiths.

Red Mass has typically been attended by local and state officials, legal professionals and members of the St. Mary’s University community, including faculty, staff and students.

“Red Mass is a powerful tradition that gives us space to reflect on faith, peace, patience, compassion and wisdom, all of which are fundamental to the equitable administration of justice,” said St. Mary’s University School of Law Dean Patricia E. Roberts, J.D.