Red Mass honors judges, lawyers; focuses on families
By Joanne Ward
Associate Publisher
The day was dedicated to those who serve in the legal profession and judicial system, but families were the focus of the diocese’s reinstituted Red Mass held Nov. 6 in the chapel of the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway.
Homilist Father William Stetson, a Harvard Law School graduate, told the 100 judges, lawyers and their families that “a major change is now underway in family law in the United States and in other countries.”
He said family law is headed in one of four directions: towards affirming that marriage and cohabitation are equal; redefining marriage as a couple-centered bond; “disestablishment” — the separation of marriage and the state, and even polygamy.
According to Father Stetson, families are in crisis because marriage is in crisis. He attributed the crisis to “a fading of the wisdom of the ages regarding the selfless love that must be at the heart of marriage for the benefit of the spouses and particularly of the children, the fruit of their mutual love.”
Reflecting on St. Thomas More, the patron of lawyers, Father Stetson said, “Let us take him as a model in our efforts to create and sustain a culture of life, based upon unwavering respect for the dignity and sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death, and upon acceptance of the traditional values of marriage and the family.”
At the brunch which followed the Mass, Benjamin Bucca, Esq., chairman of the Red Mass Committee, announced that the diocese is establishing a St. Thomas More Society which will not only continue to sponsor the Red Mass, but also offer seminars and lectures throughout the year.
Principal celebrant Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski said he hopes that the St. Thomas More Society will take off, so that lawyers will have the opportunity to get more involved with the Church.
He said it was beautiful to see so many families at the Red Mass, calling them “so very important to the richness and background of our society,” and added his hope that the Red Mass continue as a family affair.
One family the Bishop singled out for recognition was the Hoagland family, whose patriarch, John Hoagland, Esq., retired senior partner of Hoagland, Longo, Moran, Dunst & Doukas in New Brunswick, was the recipient of the diocesan 2005 St. Thomas More Award.
Hoagland was accompanied by his wife, children and grandchildren.
In introducing Hoagland, Susan O’Connor, a member of the Hoagland law firm, said a lawyer prays that “St. Thomas More will stand beside him so that today he shall not, to win a point, lose his soul.”
She characterized Hoagland as “a role model who best exemplified the character, grace and goodness that each lawyer prays for.”
Noting that he had been chosen for the St. Thomas More Award for his years of commitment to the legal profession, community and Church, O’Connor said Hoagland represented the best in all lawyers.
In accepting the award, Hoagland said, “We as Catholic lawyers have a unique responsibility and that is to lead our Church, created by our Lord through his first disciples, through the maze of laws created by men.
“This responsibility has never been more important than now, as our legal system becomes more and more complex, and our Church comes more and more under attack from the outside.”
He reminisced about the legal work he had provided for parishes, his children’s schools and the diocese, but said he was most proud of his 40 years of service to St. Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick, where he served as counsel and eventually a board member.
His work at the hospital, Hoagland said, was pro-bono at first and then for fees, but well below those charged other clients.
Hoagland said he hoped his work for St. Peter’s “would stand as a testament to what our diocese can and should expect from Catholic lawyers — a loyalty, a dedication that go beyond the usual client-attorney relationship.”
The award presented to Hoagland was an 18 inch marble statue of St. Thomas More, a replica of a 7 foot statue created by sculptor Leo C. Irrera at the St. Thomas More Law School, Minneapolis, Minn.
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law