Calgary's Annual Red Mass

The Saint Thomas More Lawyers' Guild of Calgary is pleased to invite all judges, lawyers, paralegals, assistants, clerks, and other members of the legal profession and related professions, as well as family and friends, to Calgary’s annual Red Mass, to be held on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Bishop William McGrattan will preside, with a reception to follow in the St. Mary’s Cathedral Hall.

Our featured guest speaker for the reception will be His Eminence Cardinal Thomas Collins. Cardinal Collins served as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto from 2007 to 2023, the Archbishop of Edmonton from 1999 to 2006, and the Bishop of St Paul from 1997 to 1999. He was elevated to the rank of Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI on February 18, 2012, and served as a cardinal elector in the papal conclaves that elected Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV.

Cardinal Collins will be speaking about lessons from the life and thought of St. Thomas More. A synopsis of the talk provided by Cardinal Collins follows: “St. Thomas More lived in a stormy time of massive social and technological change, but wrote that one must not abandon ship just because one cannot control the winds. We can learn a lot from him.”

The schedule for the evening is as follows:

• 4:30 p.m. Gowning of judges and lawyers (Note: gowning is not necessary to attend or join the procession)

• 5:00 p.m. Mass (open to all)

• 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Catered reception featuring His Eminence Cardinal Thomas Collins

The Red Mass is a Mass celebrated in honour of the legal profession as a vocation in the service of justice and the common good. It is an occasion for people employed in the administration of justice as judges, lawyers, paralegals, assistants, civic leaders, and law students of all faiths to celebrate the beginning of the new judicial term and ask for blessing, strength, and enlightenment in the pursuit of justice for all.

The tradition of the Red Mass began in the Cathedral of Paris in 1245. The Red Mass was first celebrated in England around 1310, where it is still celebrated annually at Westminster Cathedral. The Red Mass was first celebrated in Canada in 1896, and was re-instituted in Calgary in 2015.

The Mass is free and open to all to attend, including the general public. However, a ticket is required for those members and invited guests who wish to attend the catered reception following the Mass. Each ticket to the reception comes with one complimentary drink ticket.

If you have any questions about the event, or require financial assistance to purchase a ticket to the reception, please contact us using the link below or by sending us an email at .

We hope to see you there!

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