The Red Mass is an annual Catholic mass for those in the legal and government professions, asking for guidance from the Holy Spirit. It originated in Paris in the 13th century and is named after the red vestments worn by priests. Many US states hold a Red Mass, with the largest being in Washington D.C. Attendees are not required to be Catholic, and it is not a political event but a way to reflect on decision-making.
The Catholic Church holds many special masses each year, each designed to celebrate something or some aspect of life. One of these special celebrations is called the Red Mass. It is celebrated annually, though there were times when it was certainly barely observed, as a special means of seeking guidance for those working in the legal system such as lawyers, judges and law students and also for those working as civil servants. government. The goal of the Red Mass is to ask the Holy Spirit to guide each person to act in the right and most God-given way.
The reason why the mass is called the Red Mass comes from the colors worn by the priests who administer the mass. The color red is also in reference to particular scripture passages. 50 days after Jesus had risen from the dead, the apostles were together in a room when they suddenly encountered tongues of fire, which filled each one with the Holy Spirit. Tongues clearly meant that they were to go and proclaim the work of Jesus, and fire, that they were to do it with great passion. Evoking tongues of fire with the color red is a call for all those who act in the decision of the lives of others to do so in a Christian way.
The first Red Mass was celebrated in Paris in the 13th century and its popularity spread to other European countries in the early 14th century. For a time, especially during the Protestant Reformation, the Mass fell out of fashion, but was revived in Sydney, Australia in the 13th. The United States would not hold its first Red Mass until the 1914s.
Today, about half of all U.S. states hold an annual Red Mass, and the tradition has revived in a plethora of countries. The largest Red Mass held in the United States is the annual Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, located in Washington D.C. Many people who work in Congress or the justice system attend this mass, which is always held on the first Sunday in October . Furthermore, many of the participants are not Catholics, but they certainly are aligned with the idea that guidance is needed in their profession. Attendance at this mass is not mandatory, and anyone working as a government official or in any level of the justice system attends mass as a private individual, specifically to emphasize that they are not trying to combine church and state.
Some politicians purposely avoid attending Mass, as it would appear to contradict the separation of church and state, and would prefer Catholic viewpoints on a variety of fundamental issues. Many others feel that participation is only a spiritual relief, and while they don’t share all Catholic viewpoints on political matters, they humbly feel that a little divine guidance isn’t such a bad thing when it comes to creating public policy, making judgments, defend others or decide the fate of individuals.
Many of the larger Red Mass gatherings are not held to make a political point, but to help politicians and lawyers think about what drives them to make decisions. These masses tend not to solicit new members of Catholicism, but to honor man’s sacred role in dispensing justice, which many Christians (and many other religious groups) believe to be one of God’s gifts to his people.
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