Washington Auxiliary Bishop Juan Esposito gives his homily at the annual Red Mass on Oct. 1, 2023 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in the nation’s capital. The 71st annual Red Mass in Washington, D.C., was sponsored by the John Carroll Society. The Red Mass seeks God’s blessings and guidance on those who work in the administration of justice. Bishop Esposito, who has degrees in civil and canon law, serves as the Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. (John Carroll Society photo by Christopher Newkumet)
Speaking at the annual Red Mass that seeks God’s blessing and guidance on the administration of justice, Washington Auxiliary Bishop Juan Esposito encouraged those who work in law to be good stewards of their profession and offer generous service to others, like the son from the parable in that day’s gospel who carried out his father’s will by working in the vineyard.
“We are all charged with fostering a good and just civil society. Lawyers and judges and civil servants are entrusted to be good stewards of that portion of the vineyard that is the law and legal system,” Bishop Esposito said Oct. 1 at the 71st annual Red Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the John Carroll Society.
Being servants of the rule of law means holding to “the principles of justice, of fairness, of authentic equity even when it is difficult. We will strive to know and to hold to the truth as we understand it… It is the truth, the Scriptures teach us, that sets us free,” said the bishop, who serves as the Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
Bishop Esposito, the main celebrant and homilist at the Mass, has degrees in both civil and canon law. Before becoming a priest, he earned a law degree in his native country of Argentina, at the Catholic University of Cuyo in San Luis. After being ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Washington in 2008, then-Father Esposito earned a licentiate and a doctorate in canon law from The Catholic University of America. He served as a parish priest, in the archdiocese’s Metropolitan Tribunal and as an official with the Vatican’s Dicastery of Bishops before being ordained as an auxiliary bishop of Washington in February 2023.
Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington who normally serves as the principal celebrant of the Red Mass in the nation’s capital, sent a greeting to the participants at the Mass, noting that he was in Rome participating in the Oct. 4-29 Synod of Bishops.
An estimated 900 people, including judges, lawyers, diplomats and government officials attended the Mass.
Dignitaries attending the 2023 Red Mass included two current justices and one retired member of the U.S. Supreme Court who are Catholic – John G. Roberts Jr., the Chief Justice of the United States; Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett; and retired Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy.Also attending the Mass were Dr. Peter K. Kilpatrick, the president of The Catholic University of America; and
John J. DeGioia, the president of Georgetown University. The opening procession included deans and professors from law schools at local universities, and the offertory gifts were brought up by law students from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University, the Georgetown University Law Center and the Howard University School of Law.
