Invoking the Holy Spirit, Bishop Frank J. Dewane recently placed in prayer under the care of God’s grace and providence the legal professionals within the Diocese of Venice. Bishop Dewane made these remarks during two Red Masses, the first on Oct. 16, 2024, at St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Naples, and the second on Oct. 22, at St. Martha Parish in Sarasota.
The name for the Red Mass comes from the red vestments worn by the celebrants, and for the calling of grace and guidance from the Holy Spirit to come upon all who seek and serve justice.
The history of the Red Mass dates to the mid-1200s when Pope Innocent IV celebrated a Mass in the Cathedral of Paris for the Ecclesiastical Judicial Court. Pope Innocence invoked the Holy Spirit as a source of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude and strength for the coming term of the court.
During the Masses, Bishop Dewane spoke about the rapport between Church and State, between one’s religious convictions and civil commitments, a topic which has recently been particularly heated. The Bishop suggested a few simple and illuminating observations about a right relationship between the secular and religious in our lives.
The Catholic Lawyers Guild of the Diocese of Venice sponsored the Mass in Sarasota. It was this organization that brought the first Red Mass to the Diocese of Venice in 2008 to emulate similar, more well-known Masses. These Masses take place each year for the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., and by the Florida Bishops for the Florida Legislature in Tallahassee during the annual Catholic Days at the Capitol.
Guild members thanked Bishop Dewane for his continued unfailing support and prayers for the legal community in the area. A reception followed in the Parish Hall.
The Catholic Lawyers Guild of the Diocese is a not-for-profit corporation formed exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, to promote the spiritual, intellectual and social welfare of its members, who serve the cause of justice consistent with Roman Catholic moral teaching.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Lawyer’s Association of Southwest Florida sponsored the Mass in Naples in what is hoped to be an annual event for legal professionals in the area. Among those attending this Mass were law students and faculty from Ave Maria School of Law in Naples.
