The St. Thomas More Society of South Bend cordially invites you to the 2023 annual Roman Catholic Red Mass for judges, lawyers, lawmakers, and teachers and students of the law. The Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, October 5, at 5:15 p.m. at the University of Notre Dame’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The Red Mass is a Thirteenth Century European custom which gains its name from the color of the vestments worn by the priest, as well as the scarlet robes worn by the judges of the middle ages. The most famous Red Mass is celebrated annually in Washington, D.C. at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, where Supreme Court justices, members of Congress, the Attorney General, and other members of the legal profession routinely attend. We hope the annual Red Mass here in South Bend will be a similar event that will bring judges, practitioners, lawmakers, and students of our local community together.

The Notre Dame Law School will host a reception in Notre Dame Law School’s Eck Commons immediately following the Mass.

Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend Vicar General Fr. Mark Gurtner, J.C.D, will be the principal celebrate the Red Mass this year.