Join Us
44th Annual
Red Mass
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
5:30 PM
Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels
555 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
A Tradition of Faith, Justice, and Service
For more than seven centuries, the Red Mass has brought together members of the legal profession at the beginning of the judicial year to seek God’s guidance, wisdom, and strength in the pursuit and administration of justice.
The Red Mass is a centuries-old tradition with roots dating to Paris in 1245. Today, judges, attorneys, legislators, public officials, law students, and other members of the legal community gather in a spirit of reflection and shared purpose. In Los Angeles, the annual Red Mass is presented by the St. Thomas More Society of Los Angeles in honor of St. Thomas More, the patron saint of lawyers and a lasting example of conscience, integrity, and service.
While rooted in the Catholic tradition, the Red Mass is ecumenical and welcoming to people of all faiths and traditions. All members of the legal community—and those who wish to join us in prayer for wisdom, justice, and ethical public service—are warmly invited to attend.
Following the Mass, guests are invited to gather for a post-Mass reception, providing an opportunity for fellowship and conversation with members of the clergy, bench, bar, and greater legal community.
The St. Thomas More Society of Los Angeles is a nonprofit organization, and the Red Mass and post-Mass reception are made possible through the generosity of our donors and supporters. Their contributions help us continue this meaningful Los Angeles tradition and bring the legal community together in a shared commitment to faith, justice, and service.
Hon. Sergio C. Tapia II
Los Angeles County Superior Court
Closing Speaker
Hon. Sergio C. Tapia II serves as the presiding judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, the largest trial court in the nation. Appointed in 2013, he has held multiple leadership roles within the court and the Judicial Council, and he currently advises Governor Gavin Newsom through the Judicial Selection Advisory Committee. Before joining the bench, Judge Tapia worked as a public defender, an AmeriCorps attorney, and an adjunct law professor. A first‑generation college graduate and the son of Mexican immigrant parents, he has dedicated his career to public service, mentorship, and expanding access to justice.
Key Roles & Service
- Former Assistant Presiding Judge and Supervising Judge of the Criminal Division
- Member, Judicial Council committees and statewide advisory groups
- Leadership in judicial and legal organizations, including California Latino Judges Association (President)
- Longtime mentor and supporter of civic education programs
- Degrees from UC Berkeley and the University of Iowa College of Law
- Married to Superior Court Judge
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 the 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 he 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.
Most Reverend Matthew G. Elshoff, O.F.M., Cap., D.D., V.G.
Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles
Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region
Celebrant
Bishop Elshoff was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but grew up in the Los Angeles area,
attending St. Bede the Venerable Church and school in La Canada Flintridge. After graduating St. Francis High School, also in La Canada Flintridge, he entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order in 1973 and was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Timothy Manning in 1982.
As a Capuchin, he served as Vice Master of Novices, and was soon elected for leadership as a Definitor from 1999 to 2005 and then as local Provincial from 2008 to 2014. Within the Archdiocese, he has served as educator, campus minister, then President of St. Francis High School. He has also served as Pastor of Old Mission Santa Ines in Solvang, and most recently as Pastor in 2018 at St. Lawrence of Brindisi in Los Angeles. Archbishop Gomez appointed him as Episcopal Vicar for Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region on September 26, 2023, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
Fr. Dan Lackie
Pastor of the Mission Santa Barbara California
Homilist
Father Dan Lackie is a Franciscan Friar and currently serves as pastor of the Mission Santa Barbara California. Ordained to the priesthood at the Mission in 1994, Fr. Dan began priestly ministry in San Francisco at St. Anthony Parish, later serving as chaplain at St. Anthony Dining Room and Foundation and as Board member at St. Francis Center in Los Angeles. In a recent message to us he wrote, “To be invited to serve as preacher at the Annual Red Mass is a great honor for which I am very grateful, especially in representing my fellow friars and our shared tradition during this significant Jubilee Year.”
While R.S.V.P. is not required, it does help in our planning of the post-mass reception. Thank you