Lawmakers and those in the legal profession were reminded Oct. 4 that the law should be practiced with caritas (charity) because “the Lord makes it clear that there is a link between love and respect for the commandments.”
“So often a rule is interpreted as a restraint or a limit that somehow restricts my liberty,” Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA said. “In the mouth of Jesus Christ, it becomes clear that my respect for the commandments is an expression of my response to the loving God who has given me these precepts to ensure my happiness or my respect for my neighbor.”
Archbishop Broglio was the homilist at the 74th annual Red Mass that was celebrated Oct. 4 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. The Mass is offered each year to invoke God’s blessings on those responsible for the administration of justice as well as on all public officials, and is a tradition that dates back many centuries to Rome, Paris, and London.
Washington Cardinal Robert W. McElroy was the principal celebrant of the Mass. Concelebrants included Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the apostolic nuncio to the United States; Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, bishop of Arlington, Virginia; Washington Auxiliary Bishops Gary R. Studniewski and Robert P. Boxie III; retired Washington Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr., and 10 priests.
Among the close to 1,000 people in attendance at the Mass were John G. Roberts Jr., the Chief Justice of the United States; Associate Justices Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett of the U.S. Supreme Court ; retired Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy; members of the diplomatic corps; Dr. Peter K. Kilpatrick, president of The Catholic University of America; Eduardo M. Peñalver, president of Georgetown University; the deans of local law schools; and law professors.
The Red Mass is sponsored by the John Carroll Society, which is marking its 75th year since its founding in 1951 in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. The John Carroll Society is named for Archbishop John Carroll, who in 1789 became the nation’s first Catholic bishop, leading the new Diocese of Baltimore which then included the territory of all 13 original states. The John Carroll Society includes men and women from all areas of professional and business life in the metropolitan Washington area, and its members are dedicated to the service of the archbishop of Washington, including as volunteers in the pro bono legal and healthcare networks of Catholic Charities. They also participate in spiritual, educational and social activities during the year.
In his homily, Archbishop Broglio said it was his prayer that “our understanding of God’s presence and His commandments will inspire integrity, devotion to duty, and the promotion of harmony.”
“Caritas certainly has a place in the law school just as it has a place in every angle of society,” Archbishop Broglio said. “If we come to beg the Father to send the Holy Spirit upon the members of the legal profession this morning, we do so with confidence in His care and in the fervent hope the caritas will be a part of the gift.”
The archbishop stressed that “liberty in the Christian context is not from, but rather for. We have been redeemed, freed from sin, so that we might give witness to the Gospel, so that we might meet our neighbor’s needs, or so that we might respect his rights.”
“Keeping the Lord’s word also means that the Triune God dwells with us and we draw on His presence to move forward. Gradually, we learn that we are not the center of existence,” Archbishop Broglio said. “If we all took that to heart we probably would need fewer courts and smaller police forces.”
The Red Mass is traditionally offered on the Sunday before the first Monday in October, the day on which the U.S. Supreme Court reconvenes after its summer recess. The name comes from the color of the liturgical vestments worn by the celebrants and the color of fire, a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
“How appropriate that we gather at the traditional beginning of the judicial year to beg divine blessings on our human endeavors by invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit and entrusting our cares to a loving God who brings consolation to us,” Archbishop Broglio said. “It is good to invoke the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit to guide our endeavors and bring us to the fullness of our potential in all our activities.”
Archbishop Broglio also reminded lawmakers that “if more of us directed our thoughts in the ways of peace, we would discover and develop a more civil society and learn to live in harmony with our neighbors.”
“In the midst of the challenges and anxieties of the contemporary world, we seek the presence of God. We know that the marks of the presence of God are consolation, peace, and that serenity that tells us we are in the right place and engaged as we should be,” he said. “When we look at the cross we are reassured, because we know that Almighty God can bring good even from evil.”
Noting that he himself is a canon lawyer, Archbishop Broglio told those at the Mass who are in the legal profession that their “service to order and the virtue of justice is deeply appreciated.”
During the Mass, Cardinal McElroy asked the faithful to pray “for our nation and for all those who administer justice under God.”
In remarks at the end of the Mass, Cardinal McElroy thanked all “guardians and practitioners and lovers of the law.” Speaking directly to the Supreme Court justices at the Mass, the cardinal thanked them for all they do “in the foundational, burdensome and glorious mission that you have in our nation and in our society.”
He also thanked men and women in the judiciary “who carry out the very task of bringing justice also in difficult and complex situations to the lives and hearts and souls of men and women … you are asked always to bring the justice that is due to them – justice which is in the heart of God.”
In thanking all prosecutors and defense lawyers, Cardinal McElroy remarked on the “wondrous system that we have in our nation – a system we always need to keep improving upon; it is one with men and women of dedication filled with the Holy Spirit who do wonders in service on behalf of men and women and children and families in great need.”
With a word of thanks to those who practice civil law, the cardinal noted they make sure that “no man, no woman, no child in our nation is left bereft without the recourse to justice.”
Prior to offering the final blessing, Cardinal McElroy also had special words of encouragement for law students.
“In your study of the law, come to love the law and the sacredness of justice which is behind it. May your hearts soar with the beauty of what law can accomplish at its best,” the cardinal urged them. “May you always be advocates for life and never lose the resoluteness to do justice and bring it forth especially to those who have little of this world’s goods. May you never lose your ideals in what brought you to the law and guide you forth and lead you to greatness in the service of our country.”
Following the Red Mass, the John Carroll Society hosted its annual brunch. At the brunch, the society each year confers its Pro Bono Legal Service Awards to thank and honor lawyers and law firms that have provided outstanding service to the Catholic Charities Legal Network. Founded in 1989 as the Archdiocesan Legal Network by Cardinal James Hickey, then the archbishop of Washington, the Catholic Charities Legal Network assists low-income families and people in the District of Columbia and surrounding Maryland counties of Montgomery, Prince George’s, Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s.
For Fiscal Year 2026, volunteers worked 2,675 pro bono hours, valued at more than $2.2 million, and served 1,363 low-income individuals.
The 2026 Pro Bono Legal Service Awards were presented to Andrew N. Cook, Esq.; Paul Edward Gleason, Esq.; and the law firm of Steptoe LLP. The award was also presented posthumously to Carol Elizabeth Dinan.
Andrew N. Cook is a partner with the law firm of K&L Gates LLP. He is a past president of the John Carroll Society and served the last three years as chair of the Advisory Council for the Archdiocese of Washington’s Pro Bono Legal Network. Cook is also past president of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia, is presently co-chair of the Food from the Bar campaign, the Washington legal community’s effort to support the Capital Area Food Bank and is pro bono legal services coordinator at his law firm.
Paul Edward Gleason began conducting in-person telephone intake and consulting with the Catholic Charities Legal Network’s staff about its cases in 2000. After relocating from New York to Washington, D.C., he worked for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington as director of its Specialized Services Network, overseeing the network’s operations. After leaving Catholic Charities in 2004 and holding various positions in the U.S. government, he continued to provide professional support to the network’s staff about difficult family law cases. After his retirement from the government in 2023, he has been representing a pro bono client for the network as well as mentoring a young attorney on the case in court.
The law firm of Steptoe LLP has conducted telephone client intake for the Catholic Charities Legal Network on a weekly basis for about 10 years. The lawyers at the firm conduct client intake consultations, and two Steptoe lawyers – Barbara Kagan and Steve Fennell – have served on the Advisory Council since the Legal Network’s early days. Steptoe has been a regular financial supporter of the network throughout the years, including at its annual golf tournaments which is the program’s primary fundraiser. Paul Lee, Steptoe’s pro bono partner, has continued the firm’s support for the network for the past seven years, and while a former law student at Georgetown Law, he was a valuable intern at the network.
Also honored posthumously at the brunch was Carol Elizabeth Dinan – a longtime nonlawyer volunteer at the Legal Network who was the sister of Msgr. John Enzler, former president of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. She died on Dec. 27, 2025. After retiring following 27 years as a mathematics teacher at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, Dinan volunteered with the Catholic Charities Legal Network, assisting with essential administrative tasks at a time when the program had no administrative assistant. She also volunteered at Catholic Charities DC’s St. Maria’s Meals, was a member of the Basilica of St. Mary in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, and taught religious education classes at three parishes.
