Villanova Law Celebrates Red Mass
On Friday October 15, 2010, Villanova Law School celebrated the 54th annual Red Mass at St. Thomas of Villanova Church on the University campus. A reception was held following the Mass in the Law School Commons. The Reverend Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., University President, was the Celebrant, and the Reverend Reginald Whitt, O.P., Professor of Law at The University of St. Thomas School of Law, delivered the Homily. The Red Mass traces its origins back centuries to Rome, Paris and London, and takes the name Red Mass from the vestments worn. The first Red Mass celebrated in the United States occurred in 1928 at St. Andrew’s Church in New York. Later, the tradition of Red Mass was brought to Washington D.C., and now each year Supreme Court Justices, legislators and judges attend Red Mass at St. Matthew’s Cathedral to mark the opening of the October Term of the U.S. Supreme Court. Villanova Law School first celebrated Red Mass on the morning of October 10, 1957.
