Florida Catholic | Inaugural Red Mass Celebrated in Diocese of Venice

Inaugural Red Mass celebrated in Diocese of Venice

BOB REDDY | FLORIDA CATHOLIC VENICE BUREAU EDITOR

Published: 03.28.08

Bishop Frank J. Dewane celebrates the first Red Mass in the Diocese of Venice for attorneys and judges March 14 at St. Martha Parish in Sarasota.
BOB REDDY | FC

SARASOTA | Evelyn Moya said the work of the Holy Spirit guided her to push to have a special Mass for the legal community celebrated in the Diocese of Venice.

The Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit, more commonly called the Red Mass, had never been celebrated in the diocese before March 14. Moya, a Sarasota attorney who attends St. Martha Parish, said she attended Red Masses in the past, most recently in St. Petersburg, but was surprised there was no such Mass in the Venice Diocese.

With the help of Charla Burchett, also an attorney from Sarasota who attends Incarnation Parish, the pair started to discreetly find out who in the legal community was Catholic. A list was generated and the idea for having the Red Mass presented to Bishop Frank J. Dewane for approval.

The Mass was held at St. Martha Parish with more than 70 attorneys, judges and their family members in attendance. It is for Catholic attorneys and judges because the celebrant requests guidance from the Holy Spirit for all who seek justice, and offers the opportunity to reflect on what Catholics believe is the God-given power and responsibility of all in the legal profession.

Bishop Dewane said he was pleased to be approached about this solemn Mass, called the Red Mass because of the invocation of the Holy Spirit and the red vestments worn by the clergy. The Mass dates back to the 13th century.

“It’s good that we are here together,” he said.

“We express a desire for the Holy Spirit to come upon you. We come together to ask the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom. To see more clearly and see the truth.”

The Holy Spirit provides insight that attorneys should rely upon, he said.

“In a true sense, wisdom is acquired as a gift of the Holy Spirit in your life and my life through prayer. It influences judgments and actions in a very particular way.”

Bishop Dewane said it was the responsibility of attorneys and judges to protect the most vulnerable members of society.

He added that each of the members of the legal profession plays a particular part as a Catholic.

“You may feel alone; excluded in a way. God will never leave us orphans,” Bishop Dewane said.

Noting that St. Thomas More is the patron saint of attorneys, he concluded, “It is the truth that will set you free.”

Moya said she was pleased with the turnout for the first Red Mass in the diocese and hopes more people will come next year. This first Mass focused mainly on Sarasota and Manatee counties. There is a hope to expand it to include other portions of the diocese or to have more than one Mass to allow greater access to others who want to attend in the future.

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