Amarillo—Bishop Patrick J. Zurek will be the principal celebrant and homilist for the 13th Red Mass tonight at 6:30 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1200 South Washington.
Priests of the Diocese of Amarillo are invited to concelebrate with Bishop Zurek, with diocesan deacons assisting.
Following the concluding hymn, George R. Diaz-Arrastia, president of the St. Thomas More Society in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, will offer the keynote address.
After the Mass, a reception with heavy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails will follow in the Monsignor Smyer Reception Room. Judges, lawyers, public officials, law faculty members and the community are invited to the Mass and reception. There will be a youth corner, with food provided by Chick-Fil-A.
George R. Diaz-Arrastia is a founding partner in Schirrmeister Diaz-Arrastia & Brem LLP in Houston. His practice concentrates on civil litigation, including business and commercial litigation, products liability litigation, real estate litigation, construction litigation, international litigation and arbitration and appeals. Diaz-Arrastia’s clients range from Fortune 500 companies to individuals. He was admitted to practice in Texas in 1983 and is also admitted to practice in all Federal courts in Texas, the United States Courts of Appeal for the Fifth, District of Columbia and Federal Circuits and the United States Supreme Court.
Born in Havana, Diaz-Arrastia is fluent in Spanish and has considerable experience representing clients based in Latin America. He has been elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, Texas Bar Foundation and the Houston Bar Foundation. Diaz-Arrastia has served on the governing councils of the international law and construction law sections of the Houston Bar Association and as co-chair of the litigation section of the Hispanic National Bar Association. He also serves on the boards of directors of the Houston Lawyer Referral Service, the Houston Hispanic Bar Association and the Institute of Hispanic Culture of Houston.
Diaz-Arrastia is a graduate of Rice University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and the University of Chicago Law School. He has been married for 40 years and has three adult children, including a set of twins.
The history of the Red Mass dates back to the 13th century in England during the reign of King Edward I, according to Brad Howard, a parishioner at St. Thomas the Apostle Church and a director in the law firm of Brown and Fortunato in Amarillo.
“The Mass was celebrated at Westminster Abbey and served as the official opening of the judicial year,” he said. “It received its name from the fact that the celebrants wore red vestments, and the Lord High Justices were robed in brilliant scarlet.
“The Red Mass was first celebrated in the United States in 1928 and is now observed in many cities throughout our country. The Red Mass promotes the unity of the judiciary and the legal profession.”
The Red Mass is celebrated in honor of the Holy Spirit as the source of wisdom, understanding, counsel and fortitude. The Mass is open to anyone and everyone with a concern for justice, according to Howard.
Recommended dress is judicial robes or business attire with red accents. Any member of the judiciary wishing to participate in the opening procession should be present at 6:20pm.
For additional information about the Red Mass, please contact Brad Howard at 806-345-6310.