Bishop gives thanks for the gift of law at Red Mass

IC photo by Marie Mischel

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From left, Deputy Chief Tim Doubt and Police Chief Chris Burbank of the Salt Lake City Police Department chat with Bishop John C. Wester after the Red Mass.

SALT LAKE CITY — Judges, lawyers, police officers and other legal professionals joined the Most Rev. John C. Wester, bishop of Salt Lake City, in the diocese’s third annual Red Mass, celebrated Sept. 17 in the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

The local Red Mass is modeled after the event in Washington D.C., which is celebrated each fall right before the United States Supreme Court convenes.

The Red Mass is in the centuries-old tradition of invoking the Holy Spirit on all who seek justice, Bishop Wester said in his greeting to those present: Utah State Supreme Court Chief Justice Christine Durham, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, Salt Lake County District Attorney Lohra Miller, Salt Lake City Attorney Ed Rutan and Salt Lake Police Chief Chris Burbank and members of his command staff, among others.

“As one of the shepherds in Utah I assure you of my respect, gratitude and admiration for your respective vocations and your efforts on behalf of the citizens of Utah,” Bishop Wester said.

During the Prayers of the Faithful, Bishop Wester offered the Mass “for those law enforcement officers who lost their lives this year here in Utah. We pray for their families, for their support and consolation. And we pray again for the safety of all our police officers — and our firefighters as well — who put their lives on the line for all of us.”

The law is necessary so we can live together in harmony, Bishop Wester said in his homily. Jesus “was very clear to say that he did not come to abolish the law but that we must hold the law dear, but in its proper place,” the bishop said. He gave thanks for the gift of the law and for the gift of all of those who have dedicated their lives to its enactment, its enforcement and its adjudication.

There are many challenges to dealing with other professionals, the general public, and friends and enemies alike, Bishop Wester said, and “we pray at this Mass that God will help us to treat one another with respect and dignity as each of us in his or her own way seeks to uphold the law — the law of the land and the law of God.”

Bishop Wester’s comments that the law is necessary for safe communities struck home for Durham. “I liked what he said about being faithful to the laws of man and the laws of God,” she said, adding that she attended the Mass at the invitation from the Saint Thomas More Society, which sponsors the event. “On behalf of the Utah State court system I really appreciate the effort of the bishop to do the Mass and I think it’s important to support it,” she said.

Likewise, Burbank said he appreciated the invitation, as well as the sentiments that Bishop Wester expressed. To have his officers “in the prayers of all the people is so important,” he said. “We’ve lost some officers in the state of Utah (this year) and it’s been very difficult. What a lot of people don’t realize is no matter where that officer works it’s a part of each and every one of us, and so it’s very nice to have those individuals recognized for their service.”

Gary Koehn, a Saint Olaf parishioner and sergeant with the Bountiful Police Department, attended the Mass with his wife, Tammy, a police dispatcher, both of whom had the day off work. “I thought the Mass was extremely spiritual,” Gary Koehn said. “I just felt the spirit.”

For Tammy Koehn, the bishop’s homily reinforced the message she always brings from Mass, she said. “I always come out trying … all around to treat people better and be a better person myself.”