Lawyers and Judges from Ventura County Expected at Mass & Reception on Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Contact: Celeste Berrington or John Lockhart; both with St. John's Seminary Advancement Office, 800-600-7111, ext. 225, advancement@stjohnsem.edu

CAMARILLO, Calif., Sept. 25 /Christian Newswire/ -- In Washington, D.C. you'll find the Supreme Court Justices attending. In Los Angeles the Cardinal, Federal and State judges and many of the city's top lawyers gather at the Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels. And now, for the first time, lawyers, judges and members of the legal community in Ventura County will gather at St. John's Seminary on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 for the first Red Mass ever held in this area.

"We are pleased to bring this annual tradition to Ventura County and to our beautiful campus in Camarillo. This is a great opportunity for our many friends in the legal community, be they Catholic or not, to gather and celebrate the great tradition of the Red Mass," says Monsignor Craig A. Cox, Rector/President of St. John's Seminary. Monsignor Cox is a canon lawyer and holds a doctorate in canon law from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. where he regularly attended the Red Mass there.

All members of the legal community are invited to gather by 5:15 p.m. Mass begins promptly at 5:30 in the beautiful St. John's Seminary Chapel followed by a reception in the seminary's courtyard. To RSVP please call St. John's Seminary Advancement Office at (805) 386-2035 or email advancement@stjohnsem.edu by October 3. Bishop Thomas J. Curry will be the Celebrant and Bishop Sylvester D. Ryan the Homilist, assisted by Monsignor Craig Cox and other members of the St. John's Seminary community.

The Advisory Committee for the Red Mass at St. John's Seminary includes Suzanne L. Austin, Esq., Mr. David P. Bender Jr., Esq., The Honorable Paul H. Coffee, The Honorable Manuel Covarrubias, Glenn J. Dickenson, Esq., David E. Edsall, Esq., James M. Farley, Esq., Michael Ford, Esq., Kay Ford, Esq., Patrick T. Loughman, Esq., The Honorable Vincent O'Neil, Richard A. Regnier, Esq., Ms. Mary C. Sullivan, Esq., Tony Trembley, Esq., Kendall A. Van Conas, Esq., Louis J. Vigorita, Esq.

The Red Mass was first celebrated in Paris in 1245 and began in England about 1310 during the reign of Edward I. The entire Bench and Bar would attend the Red Mass together at the opening of each term of Court. The priests and the judges of the High Court wore red robes, thus the Eucharistic celebration became popularly known as the Red Mass.

The tradition of the Red Mass has continued in the United States. Each year in Washington, D.C. the members of the United States Supreme Court join with members of Congress, other government officials, judges, members of the legal profession and others committed to the cause of assuring justice in our society in the celebration of the Red Mass.

For interviews or photographs, please contact John Lockhart or Celeste Berrington at St. John's Seminary at (805) 389-2036 or email advancement@stjohnsem.edu

St. John's Seminary is a multicultural community of seminarians pursuing advanced professional degrees leading to ordination and pastoral ministry (Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry) and teaching Catholic theology (M.A.). Seminarians come from diverse backgrounds, ages and professions. The St. John's Seminary campus includes the Edward Laurence Doheny and the Carrie Estelle Doheny Libraries, providing seminarians with excellent access to research materials and services. For more information on St. John's Seminary please call the Office of Advancement at (805) 482-2755 ext 2035 or write advancement@stjohnsem.edu.