74th Annual Red Mass

The Catholic Bishops of Louisiana and the St. Thomas More Catholic Lawyers Association invite all members of the Bench and Bar to the 74th Annual Red Mass for Monday, October 5, 2026, at 9:15 a.m. at St. Louis Cathedral. The purpose of the gathering is to mark the opening of the judicial year and to seek a divine blessing of God’s Holy Spirit upon our Courts and its legal proceedings. Archbishop James F. Checchio will be the principal celebrant and homilist. A reception will follow at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel, preceding the annual memorial service in the Supreme Court commemorating all members of the Bench and Bar who died last year. 

All members of the Bench and Bar, their families and friends are cordially invited to attend.

The Red Mass is an ecumenical celebration attended by members of the Bench and Bar of all denominations. The tradition dates back many centuries to Rome, Paris, and London. The first US Red Mass was held in 1929 in New York by the Guild of Catholic Lawyers. It's now celebrated on the first Monday in October in Louisiana, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Georgia, and the District of Columbia. Persons of all faiths and from all branches of government, US Supreme Court Justices, and foreign diplomats and other distinguished guests have attended Red Masses in Washington, D.C.

In New Orleans, the Red Mass was first held in 1953 and has been celebrated in the city annually with the exception of 2005 when the Red Mass — a Mass of Thanksgiving — was held in December in Baton Rouge due to Hurricane Katrina. There are also Red Mass celebrations held in various dioceses in Louisiana — including Houma, Shreveport, Lafayette, and Lake Charles — to commemorate the opening of the judicial year.