A tradition in the legal community has returned to Windsor for the first time in 29 years.
Members of the region's legal community celebrated the Red Mass Thursday at Our Lady of the Assumption Church. The Red Mass is an interfaith celebration to kick off the legal year. Windsor-Essex lawyers and judges were among the attendees.
The Red Mass returned to Windsor for the first time since 1993. It was organized by Assumption University and celebrated by Bishop Ronald Fabbro of the Roman Catholic Diocese of London, who is also the chancellor of Assumption University.
"The Red Mass is a special liturgy that calls upon the Holy Spirit to ensure that justice will be the defining feature of the new legal year," read a release from Assumption University. "It is a time for all people, regardless of religious or spiritual affiliation, to pray or reflect on the new legal year. We also remember those who have passed during the previous legal year."
During the Mass, the first St. Thomas More Gold Medal was presented to Chief Justice Bridget McCormack of the Michigan Supreme Court. McCormack has been on Michigan's highest court since 2013 and has been its Chief Justice for three years. McCormack also teaches at the University of Michigan Law School.
The liturgy's history can be traced back hundreds of years to Europe. The colour red is associated with the Holy Spirit and is also the traditional colour of judicial robes in Canada. The first Red Mass in Canada was celebrated in Quebec City in 1896.
