Dear Friends, 

For more than eight centuries, members of the legal profession and their supporters have held an annual Red Mass to pray that the Holy Spirit will lift them up as they seek to fulfill their serious obligations to serve their clients and communities. In Scripture, the Holy Spirit is actually named  “the Advocate,” an exalted position reserved for truly just counselors who spread the bright winged spirit of hope by providing consolation and wisdom to those in need.  

Last week, we carried on this great tradition by conducting the Red Mass for our own legal community in the Mission Church. In his thoughtful homily, Bishop Oscar Cantú inspired us to be true Advocates who provide care and healing in the service of and with others. 

The Red Mass also offered us an opportunity to lift up our alumnus, Raul Ray J.D. ‘85, who received the St. Thomas More Award, honoring him for his decades of transformative legal work and volunteer services on behalf of immigrant families from over 88 countries who have faced inhumane separation and deportation. 

As Father Matthew Carnes, our university’s Vice President for Mission and Ministry, beautifully suggested at the conclusion of the service, Raul Ray’s example inspires us all to use the privilege of our legal education to make the world a bit more just and loving. 

After the Mass, as the congregants broke bread together, our wonderful alumni Christopher J.D. ‘08 and Kristin Boscia ‘03, J.D. ‘08, announced the creation of a new scholarship in the name of our magnificent former Dean Gerald F. Uelman and his wife Martha, who were in attendance. The scholarship funds will provide invaluable support to our law students, staff, faculty, and new alumni engaged in pro bono work, who wish to experience the silent retreat for members of the legal profession that takes place in the spring at the Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos. Fr. Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orabator, S.J., Dean of the SCU Jesuit School of Theology, will facilitate this year’s retreat, which will focus on the principles of Ignatian leadership. For more information, visit the retreat registration page.  

In that same loving spirit, Professor Bradley W. Joondeph, the Jerry A. Kasner Professor of Law, also presented to the congregants his contemplations on his personal journey to discovering Ignatian spirituality, on his vocation as a law professor, and on our nation’s constitutional history— from the framing to the serious challenges we are facing today. 

With Brad’s permission, I am going to share all of his remarks with you here, and I invite you to reflect upon his message in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

With tremendous gratitude to Professor Brad Joondeph, Kristin and Chris Boscia, Raul Ray, the St. Thomas More Society, Bishop Oscar Cantú, Deacon Richard Noack, Father Matthew Carnes, and all of the concelebrants at the Red Mass, I hope and pray that we continue to join together as true Advocates who “find ourselves by losing ourselves” and bring about a more just, kind, hope-filled, and loving world.

 

Michael J. Kaufman (He/Him/His)
Dean and Professor of Law
Santa Clara University School of Law
mjkaufman@scu.edu