Q: Not long ago, I saw a newspaper
article about a “Red” Mass in some
city. Later I heard about people attending
a “Blue” Mass. What are these?
A: A “Red” Mass is a Votive Mass of
the Holy Spirit, celebrated for
judges, lawyers and other members of
the legal profession, to ask God’s blessing
upon their work. In Washington,
D.C., this Mass is celebrated on the
Sunday before the U.S. Supreme Court
begins its term on the first Monday of
This liturgical custom has more
recently led to annual Masses for at
least two other occupational groups: “Blue” Masses for police officers and
others engaged in public safety, as well
as “White” or “Rose” Masses for doctors,
nurses and other health-care professionals.
According to the St. Thomas More
Society, the first Red Mass was celebrated
in 1245 at La Sainte Chapelle in
Paris. This custom spread to England in
1310. In some places, judges once wore
or still wear red robes. The Mass celebrant
wears red in honor of the Holy
The first Red Mass in the United
States was celebrated in New York City
in 1928. The 2007 Washington, D.C.,
Mass at St. Matthew Cathedral was the
54th annual Mass in that city. Archbishop
Donald Wuerl presided, and
Archbishop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee
preached. Six U.S. Supreme
Court justices attended, including five
who are Catholic and Stephen Breyer,
who is Jewish.
Archbishop Dolan began his homily
by recalling the witness given in 2002
by a 24-year-old woman at World
Youth Day in Canada. Addicted to alcohol
and other drugs, she was considering
suicide. Friends convinced her to
attend a World Youth Day event where
she heard Pope John Paul II say that
God loves each person, that every person
is God’s work of art and known
individually by God. “I now want to
live,” she told a group in Toronto.
Later in his homily Archbishop
Dolan said, “Ideas have consequences,
and perhaps a way to view our participation
in this annual Red Mass in our
nation’s capital is as our humble prayer
for the red-hot fire of the Holy Spirit,
bringing the jurists, legislators and
executives of our government the wisdom
to recognize that we are indeed
made in God’s image....”
The archbishop closed his homily
by quoting from a prayer that Bishop
John Carroll of Baltimore wrote in
1789: “God, we pray for all judges,
magistrates and other officers who are
appointed to guard our political welfare,
that they may be enabled by Thy
protection to discharge the duties of
their respective stations with honesty
In recent years, Red Masses have
seen increased ecumenical and interfaith
participation. At last September’s
Red Mass in Atlanta, Rabbi William
Rothschild proclaimed the first reading,
from the Book of Haggai.
“It’s a wonderful way to recognize
the serious, serious responsibility we
carry out every day,” said Judge Doris
Downs, chief judge of Fulton County
Superior Court. “The judiciary does
need the prayers.”
Catholic Standard, the newspaper of
the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.,
and The Georgia Bulletin, the newspaper
of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, gave
full coverage to their Red Masses, as
did other diocesan papers regarding
local Masses for occupational groups.
Women and men distinguished for
their public or community service are
often honored at these Masses.
Occupation-related Masses remind
us that faith touches all aspects of life.
The feast of St. Joseph the Worker, celebrated
on May 1, was introduced into
the Church’s worldwide liturgical calendar
in 1956 to stress a similar theme:
One’s work can be part of—and not an
obstacle to—growing in holiness.
‘No Word and Communion Services
Q: I have a question that is driving me
crazy. Because of a shortage of
priests, several parishes in my city no
longer have daily Mass. My parish has
Word and Communion services twice a
week. Sometimes these are led by a deacon
but other times by laypersons, including
women. All the prayers for the Mass are
said, except the consecration prayers.
I absolutely refuse to participate. Am I
being old-fashioned in not accepting this?
A: I suspect that someone may not
be accurately reporting what
is happening there. The Church’s
Congregation for Divine Worship
approved a 1973 document entitled
“Holy Communion and Worship of the
Eucharist Outside Mass.” That instruction
indicates who may lead these services
(priests, deacons, those designated
to bring Holy Communion to the sick
and those whom the local bishop may
designate) and what such a service
includes (an introductory rite, followed
by one or more readings from Scripture,
the general intercessions, the Our
Father and the rest of the Communion
That omits the offertory and the
eucharistic prayer, a sizable and key
section of the Mass. If your parish is not
following that Instruction, that is an
abuse that should be reported to your
local bishop. Anyone doing so needs
first to be sure of the facts.
The National Conference of Catholic
Bishops (now the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops) published a booklet
in 1976 providing the text of this
Instruction and appropriate biblical
The Eucharist is the Church’s celebration;
whoever leads the Word and
Communion service that you have
described is acting in the Church’s
name. By choosing not to participate,
you are depriving yourself of a valuable
opportunity to reverence the Body and
Blood of Jesus and receive help in your
growth as a disciple of Jesus. I would
call such a decision not “old-fashioned”
but rather “shortsighted.” I hope you
will reconsider your decision—even as
we work and pray to celebrate Mass
Q: In a few months, my grandson, who
is not Catholic, and his fiancée will
be married on a cruise ship. We fly into
Florida on a Saturday and board the ship
the next morning. It looks as though I
won’t be able to attend Mass that Sunday,
something that I always do. Is it O.K.
to miss under those circumstances?
A: I see two possibilities in this situation.
First, there might be a
Saturday evening Mass at a church near
where you are staying that night. If
you go to www.MassTimes.org, you
can check out locations and possibilities.
This Web site also offers maps to
the churches listed.
Second, the cruise line might already
have arranged for a priest to celebrate
Mass on that ship. Check with the
cruise line beforehand or with the staff
after you board.
If neither of these possibilities exists
in this situation, then you have done
your best under the circumstances.
Q: I know that the months of May and October are dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin Mary, the month of June to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
and the month of July to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus. Are there
dedications for the other months?
A: Yes, there are. The Catholic Source Book (2007) gives the following
list: January (Holy Childhood), February (Holy Family),
March (St. Joseph), April (Holy Spirit/Holy Eucharist), May
(Mary), June (Sacred Heart), July (Precious Blood), August
(Blessed Sacrament), September (The Seven Sorrows of Mary), October
(Holy Rosary), November (Souls in Purgatory) and December (Immaculate
Father Stanley Rother (1935-1981), a
priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma
City, was murdered at his rectory in
Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala. He is
regarded by many people there and in
the United States as a martyr.
On October 5, 2007, the cause for
his canonization was formally begun
at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in
Okarche, Oklahoma, where he was baptized.
Archbishop Eusebius Beltran has
appointed Deacon Norman Mejstrik as
coordinator. Father Rother was the subject
of our July 2006 cover story, which
is posted at www.AmericanCatholic.org.
Thomas Rice, a Patrician Brother working
at the Franciscan Mission in Aitape,
Papua New Guinea, seeks picture books
for children (ages five through eight),
novels for teens and writing supplies, as
well as statues of Mary and other saints.
These can be sent to him at P.O. Box
179, Aitape 553, Sandaun Provice,
Papua New Guinea.
If you have a question for Father Pat, please submit it here.
Include your street address for personal replies enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope, please. Some answer material must be
mailed since it is not available in digital form. You can still send questions to: Ask a Franciscan, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202.