September 16, 2018

St. Thomas More Society to hold annual Red Mass and brunch on Sept. 30

REGIONAL
Staff report

SPRINGFIELD – The St. Thomas More Society of the Springfield Diocese will sponsor the 17th Annual Red Mass and Brunch on Sunday, Sept. 30, beginning with a 10 a.m. Mass celebrated by Springfield Bishop Emeritus Timothy A. McDonnell at St. Michael’s Cathedral, 260 State Street, here. Massachusetts.  A brunch will follow at 11:30 a.m. at the Log Cabin restaurant in Holyoke.   

The Red Mass is a historical tradition within the Catholic Church invoking the blessing and guidance of the Holy Spirit upon the courts, dating back to the 13th century, when it officially opened the term of the court for most European countries.  The tradition was introduced in the United States in 1928 at the Church of St. Andrew in New York City. It was presided over by Cardinal Patrick Hayes, who strongly encouraged and supported the involvement of the legal community in spreading the word of God. 

The Red Mass is currently celebrated in dioceses throughout the United States to invoke God’s blessing upon the members of the bench, bar, legislature, law enforcement, governmental agencies, and all protectors and administrators of the law. 

Each year, the St. Thomas More Society honors members of the legal community who have distinguished themselves by acts of public service and commitment to the law. This year’s honorees are Kathryn Y. Callahan, Atty. Martin J. Dunn, Msgr. George A. Farland, Atty. Michael J. Moriarty, Sister of St. Joseph Julia M. Sullivan, and Judge Ariane D. Vuono.

Callahan, of South Hadley, served for many years at the Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction as community outreach coordinator. She is being cited in particular for her leadership role in the Parent/Child Program that enables inmates to receive in-person visitation with their children.

Dunn, of Holyoke, currently a practicing attorney, is being cited for his years of service in local and state government successively as city councilor, mayor, state senator, and legal counsel to the state Senate where he worked in the budgetary process and in the drafting and analysis of proposed legislation.

Msgr. Farland, of Springfield, has served his entire 50-year priestly ministry at Sacred Heart Church in Springfield. He is being cited for his 40-plus years of service as a chaplain to the Springfield Police Department and for his more recent service as a psychological assessor at the Springfield Diocesan Tribunal, which has as its ministry the review of marriages at the request of one or both parties to determine sacramental validity.

Moriarty, of Holyoke, is currently executive director of HolyokeOne Community Development Corporation, a mission-driven nonprofit that works to enable every Holyoke resident to live in a dignified home and a safe, attractive neighborhood. He is being cited for this along with his service as a member of the Holyoke School Committee and his service as a member of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Sister Sullivan, a native of Worcester, Mass., has been a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield since 1961. She is being cited for her many years of religious ministry, first as a parochial school teacher, later as principal of the former St. Joseph Central High School in Pittsfield, and more recently in direct service to inmates at Berkshire County Jail and House of Correction.

Judge Vuono, a native of Stamford, Conn., is being honored for her long career in the public sector. Initially a law clerk to the justices of the Superior Court, she soon rose to be chief of the appellate division of the District Attorney’s Office for the Northwestern District and served in that role for seven years, followed by 11 years as an assistant U.S. attorney. In 2006, she was appointed by Gov. Mitt Romney as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court.

All are welcome to attend the Red Mass and brunch. For brunch tickets or more information, please contact William Kern at 413-262-2905 or Michael McDonough at 413-737-0260.

Judge Ariane D. Vuono

Sister of St. Joseph Julia M. Sullivan

Atty. Michael J. Moriarty

Kathryn Y. Callahan

Atty. Martin J. Dunn

Msgr. George A. Farland