By Amy White
The Texas Catholic
Streaming through the rose windows of the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, rays of sunlight fell upon the lawyers, judges, and other legal professionals gathered in the pews below, as they asked the Holy Spirit to illuminate their hearts and minds during a Red Mass on Sept. 26. Among the worshipers was United States Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, who that evening was honored with the 2026 St. Thomas More Award.
The Red Mass, which in Washington, D.C., is traditionally held near the opening of the U.S. Supreme Court’s term, is an opportunity for all who work in the legal field to call upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the year ahead. The tradition spans centuries: The first recorded Red Mass took place in Paris, France, in 1245.
This year’s Red Mass in Dallas was sponsored by the St. Thomas More Society of the Diocese of Dallas. Bishop Edward J. Burns celebrated the Mass, joined by Bishop Michael F. Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth, concelebrant, and Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, who served as homilist.
“The name ‘Red Mass’ comes from red vestments that are often worn to symbolize the fire of the Spirit,” Bishop Paprocki said to those gathered, “as we pray that our hearts may be inflamed by the desire to pursue justice and truth in our work as members of the legal profession, with the inspiration, guidance, and wisdom of the Holy Spirit.”
Addressing the hundreds of legal professionals in attendance, Bishop Paprocki warned of the ethical dangers of euthanasia, or assisted suicide, in his homily. As the deliberate killing of a human being, he cautioned, euthanasia is a grave violation of God’s divine law and an affront to the dignity of each human life.
“My purpose here is not to get into the legal arguments of the lawsuits but to address the moral and ethical issues that flow from our deeply held religious beliefs,” the bishop, a civil and canon lawyer, said. “First and foremost, a principal tenet of our Catholic faith is a firm belief in the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.”
He continued, “In today’s Gospel from St. Matthew, Jesus reminds us that we do God’s will not with words but with our actions. We would do well to keep these truths in mind as we deal with the issue of assisted suicide.”
A community of believers
During a banquet reception held at JW Marriott Dallas Arts District immediately following the Red Mass, Bishop Burns called upon God to bless those serving in the legal field.
“For all those who labor each day to uphold the law and serve the common good,” the bishop prayed, “grant them wisdom in their judgments, integrity in their work, and courage to pursue what is right and just.”
The banquet reception, along with the Red Mass, marked the culmination of the 11th annual Catholic Bar Association Conference and General Assembly, which brought Catholic legal professionals from cities across the nation to Dallas for the weekend.
The conference featured speakers who are or have been in high levels of government, both in the executive and judicial branches, as well as speakers who have found success in academia and the public policy arena. Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr was among the presenters, as were four federal judges.
“It’s a really wonderful experience to see all the different Catholics across the field of law and up to the Supreme Court,” said Dominique Tomaino, associate general counsel of Human Coalition, a pro-life nonprofit organization, “and to recognize what an important duty we have in our position as lawyers and members of the legal field.”
Honoring service and faith
During the banquet reception that concluded the weekend, the Catholic Bar Association and the St. Thomas More Society of the Diocese of Dallas jointly honored Kavanaugh with the 2026 St. Thomas More Award in recognition of his service in pursuit of justice.
“The St. Thomas More Award we give out annually to a Catholic lawyer or judge or public official who is a good example of practicing their faith in their workplace, as a way of honoring them for their example,” explained Bennett Rawicki, president of the St. Thomas More Society of the Diocese of Dallas.
Past honorees include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, then a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, who received the recognition in 2018; and Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court, who was honored in 1990.
Kavanaugh was selected as this year’s honoree in acknowledgment of his devoted service to his local parish and to underprivileged members of his community, as well as his commitment to civility in his work, according to Steve Rasch, whose term as president of the Catholic Bar Association concluded at the CBA conference.
“We honor Justice Kavanaugh tonight not only for his remarkable professional accomplishments, his devotion to his family, and his fidelity to the Constitution, but also for his lifelong commitment to the tenets of the faith that we share,” said Rasch, who cited Kavanaugh’s involvement in Catholic Charities’ St. Maria’s Meals program, which provides meals to unhoused individuals, as an emblematic example of the justice’s commitment to living out his faith.
Speaking to the approximately 400 attendees of the banquet reception during a moderated discussion, Kavanaugh noted the impact that Catholic education had in fostering his commitment to service.
“I went to Georgetown Prep for high school, and the motto of that Jesuit school,” Kavanaugh said, “was to be ‘men for others.’”
That message of servant leadership has stuck with him through his long career, the justice shared, as has another lesson from his school years: Be not afraid.
“Be not afraid to do the right thing. Be not afraid to practice your faith, to live your faith,” he said. “Those lessons of be not afraid, service for others, stick to your principles — all those I’ve learned at Catholic school.”
Alexis Berry, a first-time attendee of the Red Mass and banquet reception, said she was moved by the role that Catholic education played in the justice’s life.
“As a fellow high school Jesuit grad,” said Berry, who is a business development coordinator at a law firm in Dallas, “it is so true that the teachers at Catholic schools, and especially Jesuit Catholic schools, just really lay such an incredible foundation to living a good life of pursuing the good, true, and beautiful.”
In his remarks, Kavanaugh also reflected on his responsibility to both faithfully interpret the law according to the U.S. Constitution and collaborate collegially with those whose opinions differ from his own.
“We have to know what our principles are — based on the Constitution, the original meaning, the laws passed by Congress — and then be consistent in how we apply them to everyone,” he shared. Underscoring the importance of remaining civil toward those with opposing opinions, he added, “When you listen, you learn. When you listen, you make better decisions. When you listen, you show respect for other people.”
To the warm applause of those gathered, Kavanaugh accepted the St. Thomas More Award. The award, he said, will have permanent placement in his chambers.
Cutline for featured image: Judges, attorneys, and other legal professionals attend the annual Red Mass, sponsored by the St. Thomas More Society of the Diocese of Dallas, at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Sept. 26. (KEVIN BARTRAM/Special Contributor)
