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red mass celebrated oct. 1 at cathedral

Bishop Edward K. Braxton walks into the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at the cathedral in Belleville where more than 100 people gathered for the annual liturgy marking the opening of what is described as “the judicial year.”

Judges, attorneys, law enforcement personnel and others attended. The bishop was preceded by St. Clair County judges who also walked in as part of the opening procession.

St. Clair County Chief Judge John Baricevic chaired the committee for the liturgy, encouraging fellow judges and attorneys to mark the occasion this year.

The Red Mass is a tradition dating back 700 years, according to an article from Catholic News Service's Mark Zimmermann.

In his homily, Archbishop J. Augustine Di Noia traced the 700-year history of the Red Mass, noting that the tradition of a special Mass at the opening of the judicial term "is as old as the legal profession itself."

A Red Mass was celebrated in Paris in 1245 and in Westminster, England, in 1301. The Mass got its name from red-colored liturgical vestments worn by the celebrants, since fire is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and red was also the color of early judicial robes.

The tradition of the Red Mass, he said, honors "the sacred character of the law and the vital civic role of its guardians."

"Our enactment of this ancient ritual of the Red Mass joins us to the generations of judges and lawyers who pursued their professions conscious of their need for divine grace and guidance, for enlightenment, for consolation, for refreshment, for solace, for healing, for comfort, for hope," Archbishop Di Noia said.