October 26, 2026

The St. Thomas More Society to honor four at annual Red Mass

REGIONAL
Staff report

SPRINGFIELD — The St. Thomas More Society of Western Massachusetts will sponsor its 25th annual Red Mass on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Springfield.

The Red Mass is a tradition within the Catholic Church invoking the blessing and guidance of the Holy Spirit upon the courts, dating back to the 13^th century when it officially opened the term of the court for most European countries. 

This tradition was introduced in the U.S. in 1928 in the Church of St. Andrew, located in New York City. 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. 

The St. Thomas More Society is made up of Catholic lawyers, paralegals, judges, clerks, law enforcement agents, and those committed to the administration of justice throughout western Massachusetts. The director of the society is Springfield Attorney Michael G. McDonough, a partner at the law firm of Egan, Flanagan and Cohen, P.C. and Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army Reserve.

 “It is a joy to celebrate these four individuals, all whom have given tirelessly of themselves to the community and exhibited the high ethics required of their profession, the justice system, their faith, and their community,” McDonough said. “These are four leaders who seldom seek praise – but they deserve it.”

Each year, the society honors members of the legal community who have distinguished themselves by acts of public service and commitment to the law. The honor is not limited only to Catholics. Any person who has demonstrated a commitment to their respective faith and the administration of justice in the community is eligible to receive the award. 

A brunch will follow at 11:30 a.m. at Twin Hills Country Club in Longmeadow. Brunch tickets are $60 and may be purchased by contacting Cloe A. Cummings by email at cac@efclaw.com. Please reply by October 30, 2026

The 2026 Red Mass honorees are: Attorney Elizabeth Dineen, chief executive officer of the YWCA of Western Massachusetts; Attorney Laura S. Gentile, Hampden County Clerk of Courts; Attorney Corrine P. Ryan, managing attorney of Community Legal Aid; and Msgr. Christopher Connelly, co-pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Springfield.

A brief biography of each honoree is provided here:

Attorney Elizabeth Dineen — Chief Executive Officer of the YWCA of Western Massachusetts. Elizabeth G. Dineen has served as Chief Executive Officer of the YWCA of Western Massachusetts since 2016. She leads a team of 150 employees whose work focuses primarily on assisting survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and homelessness. A strong advocate for women and children throughout her career, Dineen previously served Hampden County for 27 years as an Assistant District Attorney. As Chief of the Public Protection Unit, she prosecuted cases involving adult sexual assault, physical and sexual abuse of children, domestic violence-related murder, and child homicide. She later joined Bay Path University, where she served for six years as Chair of the Criminal Justice Department and taught in the Honors Program.

Dineen has served on numerous national, state, and local boards. She currently serves on the Massachusetts Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Human Trafficking; the Elms College Board of Trustees; the Board of Directors of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council; and the Board of Directors of the Springfield-Hampden County Continuum of Care, which works to address homelessness.

Her many honors include BusinessWest’s Women of Impact award; Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s Top Women of Law; the Governor’s Award for Service to the Commonwealth; the Massachusetts Bar Association Access to Justice Prosecutor of the Year Award, of which she was the first female recipient; the Elms College Distinguished Alumna Award; the United States Postal Service Women’s History Award; the YWCA Woman of Achievement Award; the Springfield Symphony Orchestra Fearless Woman Advocacy Award; the Pandemic Hero Award; the Zonta Club Woman Making a Difference Award; and the Justice Kent B. Smith Award for Criminal Law, of which she was the first recipient. Dineen has spoken at national, state, and local conferences and taught for many years at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. She has also published in Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education publications and taught at its seminars. She was among 83 women selected worldwide to attend The Women’s Campaign School at Yale University, one of three women chosen to represent Massachusetts at Vision 2020, and one of 40 individuals selected to attend the United States Army War College Strategic Implementation Seminar in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Raised in East Longmeadow, Dineen attended Cathedral High School before earning her undergraduate degree from Our Lady of the Elms College in 1977 and her Juris Doctor from Western New England College School of Law in 1984. She credits integrity, compassion, and social justice as guiding values throughout her life in public service. Among her proudest accomplishments is a lifetime spent mentoring, developing, and advocating for women and girls through her work as an attorney, professor, and chief executive officer of the YWCA.

Attorney Laura S. Gentile, Hampden County Clerk of Courts Laura Santaniello Gentile graduated from Cathedral High School in Springfield and earned a degree in English and teaching from Albertus Magnus College, followed by a Master of Public Administration from American International College. After serving as Assistant Director of Admissions at Springfield Technical Community College, she pursued a law degree at Western New England College and earned her Juris Doctor in 1991.

Gentile began her legal career at Santaniello, Posnick & Basile, P.C., practicing with her father, Robert M. Santaniello, and her brother, now Judge Robert T. Santaniello. In 1996, she joined the Hampden County Superior Court Clerk’s Office as an assistant clerk. After 16 years in that role, she was elected Hampden County Clerk of Courts in 2012 and began her tenure in 2013, a position she continues to hold.

Gentile has served on the boards of Saint Michael’s Academy and Dress for Success and volunteered with the Magic Bullet Foundation. For 15 years, she has participated in the Springfield Public Schools read-aloud program. She is also a member of the Springfield Chapter of UNICO and was the first woman to receive its former “Man of the Year” award, now known as the Italian American Person of the Year.

Gentile was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1991. Her community involvement reflects a charitable spirit marked by humility rather than a desire for recognition. Whether helping women prepare to enter the workforce, supporting people who need assistance obtaining cancer treatment, or reading to Springfield schoolchildren, she approaches service with generosity and genuine concern for others.

Gentile and her husband, Tom, are the parents of Thomas Jr. (“TJ”), who married Sofia in 2025. Their rescue dog, Lena, completes the family.

Attorney Corrine P. Ryan, Managing Attorney of Community Legal Aid. A graduate of the College of the Holy Cross (2010) and Georgetown University Law Center (2013), Corrine Ryan decided to pursue public interest law largely inspired by her Jesuit education. She joined Community Legal Aid (CLA), the free civil legal aid provider for low-income and elderly residents of Central and Western Massachusetts, one week after sitting for the bar exam in 2013. After practicing in disability benefits and education law, she was promoted in 2020.

As Managing Attorney of Community Legal Aid, Ryan now oversees CLA’s Hampden County operations, including more than 40 attorneys, paralegals, and support staff who provide free civil legal assistance to people facing homelessness, at-risk students, survivors of domestic violence, elders facing threats to their safety or autonomy, and people seeking access to unemployment benefits, food assistance, and Social Security or SSI benefits.

Ryan’s public service does not end with Community Legal Aid. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Hampden County Bar Association and is the immediate past Board Chair of Square One, formerly the Springfield Day Nursery, a leading provider of early education and family support services.

Born and raised in Ludlow, Ryan graduated from Ludlow High School. She lives in Longmeadow and belongs to Sacred Heart Church. Ryan is proud to work alongside “a group of smart, mission-driven advocates who come to work every day because they want to help folks who otherwise would not be able to afford an attorney.” She added, “The fact that I am from this community makes it all the sweeter.”

Ryan was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 2013. Her advancement from representing clients in disability-benefits and education matters to supervising Community Legal Aid’s Hampden County operations reflects a career devoted to using her legal training in service to others. Through that work, she has helped ensure that low-income and elderly residents of Central and Western Massachusetts can obtain counsel when facing problems involving housing, personal safety, education, and access to essential public benefits.

Monsignor Christopher Connelly, Co-Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Springfield. Msgr. Christopher D. Connelly was born and raised in Springfield’s East Forest Park neighborhood and attended Cathedral High School and Wilbraham & Monson Academy. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Providence College in 1989 and then entered Saint John Seminary in Brighton. The late Bishop John A. Marshall ordained him to the priesthood in June 1993. After five years as parochial vicar at Holy Name Church in Springfield, he served at Saint Thomas the Apostle Church in West Springfield as parochial vicar.

Msgr. Connelly later served the Diocese of Springfield as ecclesiastical secretary and master of ceremonies to the bishop, vice-chancellor, co-chancellor, rector of Saint Michael’s Cathedral, and vicar general. He earned a Licentiate in Canon Law from The Catholic University of America in 2007 and was appointed a canonical judge in the Diocesan Tribunal that same year. In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI named him a Chaplain to His Holiness with the title Reverend Monsignor in recognition of his service to the Church. Since July 2024, he has served as co-pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Springfield with Msgr. George Farland. Throughout more than 33 years of priestly ministry, he has brought both fidelity to canon law and pastoral compassion to his service, particularly in assisting people affected by failed marriages.

For many years while serving at St. Michael’s Cathedral, Msgr. Connelly also provided valued assistance to the St. Thomas More Society by hosting and coordinating its annual events. His longstanding support helped the Society continue its mission of bringing together members of the legal community in service to faith, justice, and the common good.