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Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger, who has civil and canon (Church) law degrees, will celebrate a Red Mass for lawyers and judges Oct. 6, 10:30 a.m., at St. Mary's Church in Albany.

The Red Mass - so named for the red vestments of the presiding clergy and the scarlet robes worn by high judges and law professors in 13th-century England - invokes the blessing of the Holy Spirit on the work of the judicial system. It became an annual tradition in the United States in 1928.

The Albany Diocese celebrated its first Red Mass in the mid-1980s and its most recent at the turn of the millennium, according to Rev. Kenneth Doyle, diocesan chancellor for public information.

"It draws together people who share spiritual and moral values," Father Doyle said, "and can address the intersection of ethical values with the practice of law."

Oct. 6 is the start of the U.S. Supreme Court's fall term, when U.S. bishops commonly celebrate Red Masses. Organizers of the Mass in the Albany Diocese are reaching out to judges, public officials and every bar association in the Diocese's 14 counties. Father Doyle estimates there are several hundred Catholic lawyers in the area.

Bishop Scharfenberger has encouraged the revitalization of the Mass and of the Catholic Lawyers Guild, which was last active in the late 1970s. The group provided "spiritual refreshment" and fostered fellowship among Catholic lawyers and law students, Father Doyle said.

"I think it's helpful to feel the support of other people who share your moral and ethical values," he noted. "[Faith informs] the way you exercise your professional responsibilities and the way you try to treat people - [in] a decent, fair and compassionate way."

Peter Kehoe, an attorney who serves as executive director and counsel to the New York State Sheriffs' Association, has helped get the word out about the Red Mass. He said the guild would provide opportunities for discussion, training, service to those in need and outreach to law students "to encourage them to see their faith as an important part of their profession.

"Hopefully," Mr. Kehoe said, "faith informs everything they do. [We should] keep the Church's moral tenets in mind in daily life. Sometimes we fail, but that's why an organization like this will be helpful."

Father Doyle pointed out that there are periodically White Masses in the Albany Diocese for health professionals; there is an active St. Luke's Guild of Catholic Physicians.

Bishop Scharfenberger earned a law degree from Fordham University in 1990 and was admitted to the bar in New York in 1991. In a statement, he said, "I look forward to joining with my sisters and brothers in the legal profession in observing this time-honored tradition of praying together."

(For more information on the Red Mass or the reorganization of a Catholic Lawyers Guild, contact Peter Kehoe at 271-6061 or [email protected].)[[In-content Ad]]

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