Red Mass

2018 Red Mass, Sept. 19

September 14, 2018

The Garaventa Center invites all faculty and staff to this year’s Red Mass, which invokes the gifts of the Spirit upon those entrusted with the law in our nation, on Wednesday, September 19, at 5:30 p.m., in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. The Mass is also open to the public. Archbishop Alexander K. Sample will be the principal celebrant and Fr. Charlie Gordon, C.S.C., will offer the homily.

What is the Red Mass? The annual Red Mass invokes gifts of the Holy Spirit – wisdom, understanding, counsel and fortitude – upon the members of the legal profession to aid them in carrying out their profound responsibility to administer justice with mercy. The Mass takes its name from the red vestments worn by the clergy, representing the tongues of fire associated with the Holy Spirit, and from the scarlet robes that were traditionally worn by judges. The first documented Red Mass was celebrated in the Cathedral of Paris in the year 1245.

For ADA accommodations or more information: garaventa@up.edu or x7702.

2017 Red Mass, Sept. 18

September 11, 2017

The Garaventa Center invites all faculty and staff to this year’s Red Mass, which celebrates those entrusted with the law in our nation, on Monday, September 18, at 5:30 p.m., in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. The Mass is also open to the public. University president Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., will be the principal celebrant and Rev. Gerry Olinger, C.S.C. university relations, will offer the homily.

The Red Mass is an ancient tradition in the Catholic Church, going back to medieval times, wherein the Holy Spirit is invoked at the beginning of the legal season to guide all those administer the law. The red vestments worn by the priests symbolize the Holy Spirit who descended on the Apostles in the form of tongues of fire on Pentecost and whose wisdom is implored to guide the Church and the Nation.

For ADA accommodations or more information: garaventa@up.edu or x7702.

Annual Red Mass, Sept. 28: All are Invited

September 23, 2016

absample295-copy All members of the campus community are invited to attend the annual Red Mass on Wednesday, September 28, at 5:30 p.m., in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. Red is a traditional color associated with the Holy Spirit, and the Red Mass is celebrated each fall to honor and invoke the gifts of the Holy Spirit on all those associated with the practice and administration of law, a custom dating back to the Middle Ages. The first Red Mass in the U.S. was celebrated in 1859.

Archbishop Alexander K. Sample (pictured) will be the principal celebrant and Fr. James Gallagher, C.S.C., Campus Ministry, will offer the homily.

For ADA accommodations or more information: garaventa@up.edu or 7702.

Annual Red Mass, September 30

September 21, 2015

All members of the campus community are invited to attend the annual Red Mass on Wednesday, September 30, at 5:30 p.m., in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. Red is a traditional color associated with the Holy Spirit, and the Red Mass is celebrated each fall to honor and invoke the gifts of the Holy Spirit on all those associated with the practice and administration of law, a custom dating back to the Middle Ages. The first Red Mass in the U.S. was celebrated in 1859.

Portland archbishop Alexander Sample will be the principal celebrant, with a homily preached by Fr. Gerry Olinger, C.S.C., vice president for student affairs. The Red Mass is free and open to all.

Following the Mass will be a dinner with a keynote speech by Fr. David Link, founding dean of the Notre Dame Law School and now chaplain at Indiana’s Maximum Security Penitentiary. Dinner tickets are $55 per person and may be ordered by calling the Garaventa Center at 7702. The Garaventa Center has coordinated this event for Portland’s legal community for the past ten years.

Red Mass & Lecture, Oct. 20

October 20, 2014

The Garaventa Center will host Carlos T. Bea, a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the annual Red Mass on Monday, October 20, at 5 p.m., in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. The Red Mass is free and open to the public. Portland Archbishop Alexander K. Sample will be the principal celebrant for the Mass, with Bishop Peter L. Smith offering the Homily.

Following the Red Mass, a private dinner and law lecture will be held at 6 p.m. in the Executive Boardroom in Bauccio Commons. During the lecture, Bea will examine the use of religious art in public spaces. Tickets to the dinner and lecture are $55 per person. Please RSVP to Jamie Powell, Garaventa Center, at powell@up.edu.

The Red Mass is celebrated as a prayer for those entrusted with the law and for those who administer justice. The practice of the Red Mass dates back to the thirteenth century in Paris and London and has been celebrated in the United States since 1938.

For more information about the Mass or dinner, please contact Powell at 7702 or powell@up.edu.

Clarence Thomas, Red Mass

September 13, 2013

The University of Portland and the Garaventa Center will host U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and the annual Red Mass on Thursday, September 19. Thomas will appear at 4 p.m. in the Chiles Center for “A Conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas,” and will answer questions from political science professors Gary Malecha and William Curtis.

The University’s Red Mass will follow at 5:30 p.m. in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. Presiding at the Mass will be Portland archbishop Alexander Sample. Both events are free and open to the public. There will be general seating, and tickets are not required. Attendees are asked to arrive early to allow time to clear security, and large bags or backpacks will not be allowed. Following the public events, a private dinner for the law community will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Bauccio Commons. Tickets to the dinner and lecture are $100 per person or $1,000 for a table of ten. RSVPs for the dinner are requested by September 10, and can be made by calling Jamie Powell, Garaventa Center, at 7702 or powell@up.edu.