The Mass for World Missions and the Red Mass took place on Oct. 1 and 2
By Elizabeth Landry
Staff writer
Sun photos
The first two days in October were the occasion for two annual Masses held in the Diocese of Syracuse: the Mass for World Missions was held on Oct. 1 and the Red Mass was held on Oct. 2. Both celebrated by Bishop Douglas J. Lucia, the Mass for World Missions begins the celebration of October as World Mission Month, and the Red Mass begins the court year and recognizes and blesses members of the legal profession.
Present at the Red Mass were representatives from the Onondaga County Bar Association, the Syracuse Police Department, and the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office. Several law students from Syracuse University were also in attendance, and three of the students served as gift bearers during the Mass.
Jacob Buckendorf, one of the gift bearers, shared that although he’d always been Catholic, he only learned about the Red Mass this year. “It was just a really great opportunity to come with a lot of classmates, both Catholic and non-Catholic alike,” he said, adding that their professor, Mary Szto, encouraged them to be a part of the Mass to help represent law students along with the rest of the judiciary.
