The Lawyers Guild of The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland serves the counties of Ashland, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit and Wayne.  The Guild fosters spiritual growth and fellowship within the legal community, encourages observance of high ethical standards, and calls attention to legal and societal issues that affect morality, justice and faith.

The 2010 Red Mass and Luncheon will be held on Friday, October 15th.  The day begins with Mass celebrated by Bishop Richard Lennon at 10:30am at the Cathedral of St. John the Evengelist at East Ninth and Superior.  Immediately following the Mass, luch will be served at the Crown Plaza Hotel, located at 777 E. St. Clair Ave.  The Honorable Leo M. Spellacy, Sr. will be presented with the 2010 St. Thomas More Award at the luncheon.  For more information, please contact Mary Gagen at 216-696-6525, ext. 1042 or mgagen@cdcf.org.

The Red Mass

Each year, the Lawyers Guild hosts a Red Mass followed by a luncheon at which the St. Thomas More Award is presented. The special liturgy invokes the blessing and guidance of the Holy Spirit upon the courts of the State. This year's Red Mass and St. Thomas More Award Luncheon will be held on Friday, October 16, 2009.

The Red Mass has a long history. It is thought to have originated in the Cathedral of Paris in 1245 to invoke the guidance of the Holy Spirit on the judges of the Ecclesiastical Courts. The name "Red Mass" refers to the red robes worn by the judges and the red vestments worn by the priests, since red is the liturgical color associated with the Holy Spirit. They are still worn today. The Red Mass was introduced into the United States in 1928 at St. Andrew's Church in the shadows of the federal, state and municipal court buildings near Foley Square in New York City.

The St. Thomas More Award

St. Thomas More (1478-1535) was an English statesman who served as Chancellor under the reign of Henry VIII. More opposed the King’s attempt to divorce his wife and refused to renounce the authority of the Pope. For that he was beheaded. In 1935, Sir Thomas More was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church and is considered the patron saint of lawyers.  The St. Thomas More Award is named in honor of this Catholic statesman who served with integrity and held on to his values in spite of fierce resistance.

Nominations for the St. Thomas More Award are due by April 1st for that year.

A printable St. Thomas More Award nomination form is available here.

Father Kammer's Address to the City Club - September 15, 2009 "Pope Benedict XVI and the Church in Public Square"

The 2009 Red Mass and St. Thomas More Award Winner

The 2009 Red Mass was held on Friday, Oct. 16, at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. The St. Thomas More Award Luncheon followed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel located on St. Clair.  This year's recipient was Geralyn M. Presti, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for Forest City Enterprises, Inc.

Geralyn Presti is employed as general counsel, senior vice president and secretary at Forest City Enterprises, Inc.  Her areas of law practice include real estate development and financing, corporate and securities law.  Presti received her Bachelor of Music degree from Ohio University, where she majored in Music Therapy, returning to graduate school at Case Western Reserve University, where she received the joint Master of Social Science Administration and Juris Doctor program degrees from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences and the School of Law.

Presti was elected to the Society of Benchers by the Board of Governors of the CWRU Law School.  She is among the first Corporate General Counsels, nationally, to receive the Burton "Legends of the Law" award for legal achievement.  She is a recipient of the 2008 American ORT Jurisprudence Award, selected by the local ORT America Chapter,  In 1996, Geralyn was awarded the YWCA "Women of Achievement Award for Professional Excellence" recognition.

Presti was inducted into the Sovereign Order of St. John and participates in their mission to serve the poor and the sick.  She raises funds to benefit various charitable and educational organizations, including the United Way, the Ohio Kidney Foundation, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Lawyers Guild Membership Directory Online (Please click here...)

Lawyers Guild Membership -- Annual Dues

$50 Lawyers
$20 Students

Printable Membership Form
Lawyers Guild Bylaws
Daily Reading from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Daily Inspiration from dailyword.com

For More Information

For information regarding membership in the Lawyers Guild of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, the Red Mass or the St. Thomas More Award and/or luncheon, contact Mary Gagen at (216) 696-6525, ext. 1042, or via e-mail at mgagen@cdcf.org.