43nd Annual
Red Mass
October 14, 2025
at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels
First Celebrated in Paris in 1245, the Red Mass is an annual tradition at the opening of the Judicial Year, in line with that of the U.S. Supreme Court each October. Judges and lawyers attend, joined by public officials and law faculty members. The Red Mass received its name from the celebrant’s red vestments, and the Lord High Justices’ robes of brilliant scarlet. In Los Angeles, this annual tradition is sponsored by The St. Thomas More Society of Los Angeles, a non-profit association of Catholic legal professionals. In our community, the Red Mass is offered in prayer for judges, lawyers, legislators, and legal professionals of all faiths and traditions.
The Mass is followed by a hosted reception with members of the clergy, bench and bar. We hope you will be able to attend our 43rd celebration this coming October 14, 2025 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles.
While an R.S.V.P. is not required, it is requested in helping us plan for the hosted reception.
Most Reverend José H. Gomez
Archbishop of Los Angeles
Principal Celebrant
Most Rev. José H. Gomez is the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest Catholic community. For nearly two decades, Archbishop Gomez has been a voice of compassion and reason on moral and spiritual issues in American public life and culture. He has played a leading role in the Catholic Church’s efforts to promote immigration reform and is author of the 2013 book, Immigration and the Next America: Renewing the Soul of Our Nation.He served a three-year term as President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, a post that concluded on November 2022. He was papal appointed to the 2012 Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization and in 2015 was selected to represent the U.S. Catholic Bishops at the Synod on the Family. He holds a doctorate degree in theology (S.T.D.), as well as undergraduate degrees in accounting, philosophy and theology. He speaks and writes often on issues in the Church and American society. His writings have been published in the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, The Wall Street Journal,CNN.com, Huffington Post, Vital Speeches of the Day, Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy, La Opinion, First Things, The New York Post, National Catholic Register and elsewhere.
The Honorable Martin J. Jenkins
Closing Speaker
Justice Martin J. Jenkins will be the closing speaker at this year’s annual Red Mass on October 14, 2025. With a distinguished career in state and federal courts, he exemplifies dedication to justice, ethics, and public service. His insights will provide a compelling and inspiring conclusion to this significant event.
Fr. Barnaby Johns, O.S.A.
Homilist
A convert at sixteen, Fr. Barnaby Johns attended The Oratory, a school founded by St. John Henry Newman. As an Augustinian, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Robert Barron in October, 2020 on the campus of Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai.
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