Justices attend Red Mass

Cardinal John Patrick Foley said Sunday at the annual Red Mass before the start of the new Supreme Court session that the law is a guide to an orderly society.

Cardinal Foley told the five Supreme Court justices in attendance - along with government officials, ambassadors, academics and members of the capital’s legal community - about his decision to attend seminary rather than law school.

Cardinal Foley said he never regretted the decision, particularly because he gets to teach religious studies to special-education students. But he sees many similarities between his work and the legal profession.

“We both seek to challenge people to recognize their dignity and to live according to it,” he said at the service at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Northwest. “We both consider law as a guide to a well ordered society. We both see law as a means in which people can be educated to perceive what is good and to strive for it.”

The four of the five Roman Catholics on the high court who attended the Mass were Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy and Clarence Thomas.

The fifth, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., did not attend. The four were joined by Justice Stephen G. Breyer, who is Jewish.

The cardinal also related a story about a visit from Justice Scalia and his wife, Maureen. Cardinal Foley said he explained the legal subject of his dissertation to the justice, who disagreed with his theories.

The cardinal said the argument ended when Justice Scalia’s wife said, “Oh, admit it Nino, the archbishop is right.”

In his remarks, Cardinal Foley expressed a wish that “all of us may see law as a reflection of God’s loving care.” He also prayed for people doing the “extremely important work of formulating and applying law.”

The Red Mass long has been held at the cathedral by the John Carroll Society, a group of D.C. professionals who are Catholic.

The name of the service, which dates back centuries and is conducted to ask for guidance for those who seek justice, comes from the red vestments worn by the celebrants. The service traditionally is held the day before the Supreme Court’s new term.