“Why are there so many Catholics on the Supreme Court?” asked Most Reverend Robert J. McClory, Bishop of Gary, as he began his homily at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame for the Red Mass on Sunday, October 1. He cited some of the popular responses, then carefully laid out his own answer: those rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition realize that human law must be grounded in transcendent Truth. No wonder they understand the law, love the law, and so often choose professions devoted to the common good. The Red Mass has been celebrated before the beginning of the judicial term since the 13th century as a way of seeking God’s blessing and guidance for everyone in the legal profession. It takes its name from the red vestments worn by the celebrants as a way of invoking the Holy Spirit. Three priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross assisted Bishop McClory with the Mass: Father Brian Ching, rector of the Basilica, Father William Dailey, a professor at Notre Dame Law School, and Father Matt Kuczora, an attorney working in Notre Dame’s General Counsel office. Photos by Kasia BalsbaughFather Mark Gurtner, a canon lawyer and the Vicar General of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, celebrates the annual Red Mass at Notre Dame on Thursday, October 5 in 2023. Invited guests at the Red Mass were law students, law professors, attorneys, judges, and political officeholders, who received a special blessing at the end of Mass. As they entered their reserved front pews, there were many handshakes and warm greetings. Four law students were the gift-bearers: Abraham Arun, Amanda Garcia, Maria Lake, and Michael Love. A sizable crowd ranged from young families to elder statesmen – and a few students who came for the usual 5:15 p.m. Mass. “I didn’t know it was the Red Mass,” confessed one, “but it’s appropriate, since my father’s an attorney.” Although there was a large picture of St. Thomas More under the lectern and several of his prayers in the worship aid, Bishop McClory also found the feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux appropriate since hers is the way of humility. “That may not be the first attribute that comes to mind when you think of attorneys,” he admitted, but he cited St. Augustine’s advice when a young law student asked him to name the three most important virtues for a lawyer. Augustine said humility was the first, humility was the second, and humility was the third. Without that, pride swiftly snatches away the value of any good deed. The day’s readings in honor of St. Thérèse all emphasized humility, concluding with Jesus’ admonition from Matthew 18:1-4 that the greatest is the one as humble as a child. The lector was Federal Magistrate Judge Michael Gotsch. A native of Detroit, Bishop McClory earned his J.D. from the University of Michigan and spent three years practicing civil law before entering the seminary. He was ordained in 1999 and served the Detroit archdiocese as a pastor, canon lawyer, and chancellor before being named Bishop of Gary five years ago. He still pays his dues to maintain his standing as an attorney, convinced that his discernment to study law wasn’t just because it was something he thought he’d be good at, but an obligation, a vocation laid upon him. Bishop Rhoades got to know him at meetings of the Indiana Bishops and suggested him as celebrant of the Red Mass while our own Bishop is at the Synod in Rome. Returning to that initial question, on the Supreme Court there are currently six Catholics, one Jew, and two Protestants, one raised as a Catholic. 100 years ago, most Justices were Protestant, with one seat traditionally reserved for a Catholic and another for a Jew. Why are so many Catholics drawn to the law? One popular answer, besides the love of learning fostered in these cultures, is that Catholic and Jewish immigrants experienced religious prejudice and wanted to safeguard their own peoples’ rights. However, Bishop McClory emphasized that the Judeo-Christian tradition profoundly respects the rights of every human being, not just one’s in-group. This unique understanding inflames a deep love of the law. God’s Law comes with promises as well as precepts. Even though much of the day-to-day work of an attorney is tedious, he or she can never lose sight of those deeper universal meanings. Bishop McClory concluded his homily by citing two misguided judicial or legislative decisions a century apart. In Buck vs. Bell in 1927, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 to uphold forced sterilization of those deemed “unfit” to procreate – a decision the Nazis later cited to justify their medical “experimentation.” The lone dissenter was Pierce Butler, the only Catholic on the Court. Last year, the Indiana legislature ruled that women on Medicaid must be offered free long-acting contraceptives right after childbirth, a very similar utilitarian judgment about who is unworthy. Attitudes that undermine the dignity of every human life persist. Resisting them requires courage. The Red Mass was organized by the St. Thomas More Society of South Bend under the direction of President Christian Matozzo, an attorney practicing religious nonprofit law. The post Gary Bishop Robert McClory Celebrates Red Mass at Basilica appeared first on Today's Catholic.