This year’s Red Mass will be celebrated on Monday, October 5, 2026, at 12:00 noon at Saint Patrick Cathedral, 212 State Street, Harrisburg. Bishop Timothy Senior will be the principal celebrant. Rev. Msgr. Dr. William J. King, J.C.D., a priest of the Diocese of Harrisburg and Assistant Professor of Canon Law at Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington D.C., will be the homilist. All who attend the Red Mass are invited to a reception after the Mass in the Cathedral’s social hall.
At the Red Mass, lawyers, judges, lawmakers, law students, and public officials gather together to pray for God’s wisdom and guidance in their pursuit of justice. The Red Mass originated in medieval England at the time of King Edward I, when the twelve judges of the High Court attended Mass as a group on the opening day of the judicial calendar. Today, the Red Mass generally coincides with the time period in which the U.S. Supreme Court begins its new term.
The Saint Thomas More Society of Central Pennsylvania, an organization of Catholics in the legal profession, sponsors the Red Mass and reception each year. All are welcome and encouraged to attend!
