The Gonzaga University School of Law will present the 2013 Red Mass for the Legal Profession at 5:30 p.m.,, Sept. 17 at the University Chapel in College Hall (502 E. Boone Ave.). A reception will follow from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Cowles Rare Book Reading Room, on the third Floor of the Foley Center Library.
Most Rev. Blase J. Cupich, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane, will be the principal celebrant. Gonzaga alumna Va Lena Curran (’58) will serve as cantor. At the conclusion of the liturgy, Gonzaga Law School will present the 2013 Distinguished Legal Service Award to Spokane Superior Court Judge Ellen Kalama Clark. A 1982 graduate of Gonzaga Law School, Judge Clark was appointed in 1999 and also serves as the chair of the Spokane County Superior Court Family Law Guardian Ad Litem Committee, according to a press release.
Also, the 2013-14 Washington Judges Foundation Lawless Memorial Scholarship will be awarded at the reception.
Originally held in 1310, Red Mass marked the beginning of the Michaelmas (fall term) of the King’s Bench during the reign of Edward of England. It was an occasion of pageantry and solemnity as judges, barristers and members of Parliament gathered to invoke God’s blessing and guidance for themselves and their profession, according to the release.
