The St. Thomas More Society of the Diocese of Wilmington hosts its annual Red Mass at St. Joseph on the Brandywine in Wilmington on Oct. 2 at 3 p.m.. The Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Koenig with concelebrant Father Joseph W. McQuaide IV as homilist.
The Saint Thomas More Society of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington is a collection of attorneys of various faiths committed to the examples of Saint Thomas More. It was founded in 1988 with approximately 100 members of the Delaware bar. The society has grown over the years and has served the Diocese of Wilmington and members of the local bar.
The Red Mass is celebrated for lawyers, judges, law school professors, law students and government officials, marking the opening of the judicial calendar. Members of the legal profession request “guidance from the Holy Spirit for all who seek justice,” according to the society.
The Mass originated in the High Middle Ages in Europe and gets its name from the red vestments traditionally worn in symbolism of the tongues of fire – the Holy Spirit – that descended on the Apostles at Pentecost. It also exemplifies the scarlet robes worn by royal judges at the Mass centuries ago.
A dinner will follow the Mass in the St. Joseph’s church hall.
