Annual diocesan Red Mass honors ill and deceased members of the legal profession

Intermountain Catholic

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The Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, opens the Red Mass on Sept. 21 at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, with numerous members of the legal profession in attendance. IC photos/Marie Mischel

SALT LAKE CITY — Ill and deceased members of the legal profession were honored in a special way at the fifth annual Red Mass celebrated at the Cathedral of the Madeleine Sept. 21.

The Red Mass is traditionally celebrated for judges, attorneys, police officers and others in the legal profession. The local Mass is modeled after the Mass celebrated annually in Washington, D. C. just prior to the convening of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Among those honored were attorneys Sheldon Carter and Brian Barnard, who died this year; and Ogden Police Officer Jared Francom, who was killed this year in the line of duty. The officers shot in the same incident as Francom also were honored: Shawn Grogan, Kasey Burrell and Michael Rounkles, all with the Ogden Police Department; Sgt. Nate Huthinson, Weber County Sheriff’s Office and Jason VanderWarf, Roy Police Department. Also honored were Utah Federal Defender Steven Killpack and Attorney Bob Archuleta.

Among those in attendance were Salt Lake Police Chief Chris Burbank, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, Utah Federal Judge David Sam, Utah Federal Defender Catherine Nestor, Salt Lake Legal Defender Patrick Anderson and Utah Senior Criminal Defense Lawyer D. Gilbert Athay.

The Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake, concelebrated the Mass with Cathedral of the Madeleine priests Monsignor Joseph M. Mayo, rector and pastor; and Father Eleazar Silva, parochial vicar; and also Father Langes Silva, J.C.D., diocesan Judicial Vicar and Vice Chancellor.

Bishop Wester expressed appreciation and gratitude to those in the legal arena and added that the Church in Utah prays for them throughout the year.

"The Red Mass stands eight centuries in our Catholic tradition in which we invite Catholic and non-Catholic members involved in the legal profession and system of justice to come together to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit," Bishop Wester said.

The law protects and guards, and no matter the circumstances, is there to help people live together in harmony and peace, Bishop Wester added in his homily. "We honor all of you for your service day in and day out, and for sacrificing so much. We are grateful and we thank you."

Ronald J. Yengich, a criminal defense attorney and Cathedral of the Madeleine parishioner, helped organize the Saint Thomas More Society, which sponsors the local Red Mass each year.

The society is an ecumenical group of judges, attorneys, police officers, and others who work in the legal field.

"The effort of the society in Utah is to bring concepts of justice and various religious background into a society where we accentuate what are our common goals and not what differentiates us from one another," Yengich said.

"I feel that simply by bringing legal people of all faiths or no faith together, that we can’t help but increase understanding in our system of justice," he added.

Christine Decker, Third District Juvenile Court Judge and Cathedral of the Madeleine parishioner, said the great thing about the Red Mass is that "we can bring together people of all faiths joined by our common profession of administering the law and justice. It is so wonderful that we can come together in this single purpose without those divisions."

Marea Doherty, Duchesne Civil Deputy County Attorney, was impressed that those in the legal profession might be of different ethnic and faith backgrounds and on different sides of the legal fence but that "we all work together," she said. "This Mass is how I recharge my batteries."

Jeff Itami, Saint Ambrose parishioner and retired Salt Lake County Sheriff officer, said the Mass was poignant for him because people are still being victimized and are in need of justice.

"It is great to see the judges, prosecuting and defense attorneys, the police and law enforcement together during a Mass as a reminder that it is because of them we have comfort, safety and security in our communities," Itami said.