Washington DC Red Mass This Sunday- Let The Controversy Begin

I love the Red Mass. If you have a change go to one . They are open to the general public. It is a wonderful Mass to take kids too and often their are activities surrounding it that are of interest.

Anyway the Big Red Mass In DC is this Sunday. Whispers in the Loggia has a good post on it at This Weekend in Washington: The Reddest of 'Em All

Here is a part of his post:

Begun in the 14th century as the church's moment to invoke the Holy Spirit's blessing and help on the judiciary, the celebration -- suspended in Britain at the time of the Reformation, but revived there in 1891 -- had its American introduction in New York in 1928. In the years since, however, its focus increasingly geared beyond judges to the entire community of lawyers and public officials, the most-prominent Stateside celebration of the "Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit" has come to be celebrated in the capital, where this year's liturgy awaits on Sunday morning.

First held at St Matthew's Cathedral in 1954, recent rounds of the Washington Red Mass have taken on a consistently higher profile, with the congregation led by the first Catholic chief justice in eight decades and a POTUS with close ties to the church often in attendance. Always timed for the day prior to the opening of a new Supreme Court term, last year's Mass lacked President Bush, but drew six justices (including the five who form the Court's first-ever Catholic majority).

Organized by the capital's John Carroll Society, the liturgy's become one of the tougher tickets of official Washington's rites of fall, and given the octane of officialdom present in its front pews, a security check of attendees now stands among its traditions (along with the requisite demand for the enforcement of Canon 915). Its choice of preacher always closely watched, this year the pulpit honors'll fall to none other than John Cardinal Foley, the grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

Needless to say because this is an election year this will be closely followed to see what the Homily is like (especially with what Bishops have been saying lately and the fact it is also Pro-Life Sunday) and who goes to communion.

As mentioned people are calling for Canon 915 to be involved.

Also this time of year there are always a few interesting blogs post and such from a segment of concerned Catholics about all the Flags and gasp Soldiers with guns (I suspect unloaded) and singing horrible things as the Star Spangled Banner and other vestiges of our Civic culture. Somehow this is now been viewed as very Un Catholic but of course has been going on forever and is very proper.

For an example of this see last years entry on the Red Mass in DC at Vox Nova RED MASS LITURGICAL ABUSE.

So it shall be fun. But please offer a prayer in Union with the Red Mass that the Holy Spirit bless our Judicial system a and indeed our Government.

Among things I hope the Holy Spirit does is give a Long Life for Justice Scalia, the overturning of ROE V Wade, and perhaps gives us good second amendment cases, and a more proper reading of the Commerce Clause :) .