~\ /
-
--
('
\ FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
\
"'--
VOL. 41, NO. 37 •
Friday, September 26, 1997
FALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
•
$14 Per Year
"Red Mass" to honor those w'orking in legal system An Associate J ustic(~ of the Massachusetts Appeals Court, an Associate Justice of Superior Court, a longtime lawyer and former assistant district attorney, and a clerk magistrate with over 35 years of service have been chosen as the first recipients of the St. Thomas More Awards to be given by the Fall River Diocese in recognition of distinguished service to justice and the common good. The presentations will be made at the first diocesan "Red Mass," which is set for 10 a.m. Saturday, October 18, at Holy Name Church in New Bedford. Bishop Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap., will be principal celebrant. lb(~ "Red Mass" is the popular name for the Mass of the Holy Spirit offen:d to invoke God's blessings on those working to provide justice throughout the judicial system. Rev. Mark R. Hession, chairman of the "Red Mass" planning committee, announced that the four awards, which will be given annually, recognize a judge, a lawyer, a court worker, and an ecumenical, honoree serving within the justice system. This year's recipients are Massa-
chusetts Appeals Court Associate Justice George Jacobs of South Dartmouth, (ecumenical honoree); Superior Court Associate Justice Elizabeth 1. Dolan of West Harwich, (Judge honoree); Attorney Peter B. Gay of Taunton, (La""yer honoree); and Clerk Magistrate Thomas E. Kitchen of Westport Point, (Court Worker honoree). The recipients were nominated for the awards by their co-workers and peers in the legal community, Father Hession explained, and a nomination committee composed of a regional cross section of judges, attorneys, court personnel and priests made the final selection from all submitted names. The awards are named for St. Thomas More, a 16th century Catholic layman lawyer and martyr who refused to compromise principle though pressured by outside sources. Each is a three-inch circular bronze medallion with enamel colors bearing on the front side an image of St. Thomas More and on the reverse side an engraving of the recipient's name and the date of presentation. They were designed for the diocese by the Terra Sancta Guild of
Broomall, Penn. Bishop O'Malley will present the awards after each recipient is introduced to the congregation by diocesan chancellor Rev. Michael K. McManus at the conclusion of the Mass. Those working within the justice system, along with their staffs and families, are invited to attend the Mass and the luncheon which will follow at the adjacent Holy Name parish center. Rev. 1. Bryan Hehir, Th.D., of the Harvard Center for International Affairs will speak at the luncheon on "The Gospel Law and Public Policy." Please contact Father Hession at (508) 824-5435 for information on attending. The Award Recipients Justice George Jacobs is a native of Milan, Italy, and a graduate of New Bedford public schools. After graduating from Harvard University with a bachelor of arts degree, he went on to Harvard Law School where he earned a juris doctor degree. He served as Associate Justice in Massachusetts Superior Court from 1981 to 1989 and from 1975 to 1981 was an Associate Justice of the Pro-
I
Cardinal Medeiros to be celebrated St. Anthony's parish in Taunton will be the host parish for this year's Association for the Development of the Catholic University
of Portugal (AD.C.U.P.) celebration. Every year since its foundation by the late Cardinal Humberto Med,eiros,' the
HUMBERTO CARDINAL MEDEIROS
AD.C.U.P. has held a fund-raising banquet benefiting the Catholic University of Portugal. Since the death of Cardinal Medeiros, the former cardinal archbishop of Boston, his successor, Cardinal Bernard Law, has continued the work of AD.C.U.P as its president. Each year around the time of Cardinal Medeiros' birthday, Cardinal Law concelebrates a Mass in prayerful remembrance of his predecessor, usually joined by Bishop Sean O'Malley, OFM, Cap. and other priests from the Fall River, Providence, and Boston areas. This year's annual Mass and banquet will be held on Sunday, October 5, at 5:30 p.m. at St. Anthony's and everyone is cordially invited to participate. The Catholic University has been in existence for more than 25 years and has graduated thousands of men and women as future leaders and educators. The Association for the Development of the Catholic University of Portugal was founded at the request of Cardinal Patriarch Dom Antonio Ribeiro soon after the communist revolt in Portugal. It continues to help people each year. Joining its Oct. 5 celebration will help the work of Cardinal Medeiros continue. For banquet ticket information, contact an area Portuguese church.
THE ST. THOMAS More Award will be given to outstanding workers in the legal system within the diocese during the Red Mass to be held Oct. 18. (Anchor/Mills photo) bate and Family Court of Massachusetts. Prior to these posts he was an assistant attorney general for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; New Bedford city solicitor; and general counselor for the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority. He also maintained a private practice for many years. Since 1988 he has been an adjunct professor at Southern New England School of Law and taught for six years before that in a similar capacity at Suffolk Law School. Throughout his career he has lectured at many Boston law schools and legal education seminars. Judge Jacobs is married to Lois B. (Meyer) Jacobs and they are the parents of three children. He and his wife are members of the Tifereth Israel Synagogue in New Bedford. Justice Elizabeth J. Dolan, a native of Arlington, Mass.. attended Emmanuel College where she received a bachelor of science degree in business administration. She earned a juris doctor degree cum laude from New England School of Law, graduating third in her class. After graduation, she had a private law practice in Arlington and Boston until 1975 when she was appointed Associate Justice of the Probate and Family Court. Four years later she was appointed to her present position at Massachusetts Superior Court. She has guest lectured at the Flaschner Judicial Institute for judicial education, the Kennedy School of Government and several area law schools and was on the faculty of the Cardinal Cushing College in Brookline from 1959 to 1971. In addition, Judge Dolan has been a prolific lecturer before the Massachusetts Bar Association, numerous county bar associations and professionallegal associations. She has received many awards and honors throughout her career, including the 1988 Distinguished Jurist Award from the Massachusetts Association ofWomen Lawyers and the Judicial Merit Award from the Massachusetts Academy of Trial
Lawyers in 1986. She is an active member of HoIy Trinity parish in West Harwich. Attorney Peter B. Gay was bom and raised in Taunton. He began a law practice in that city after earning a law degree from Boston University. In 1949 he was elected to the Massachusetts General Assembly where he served as a state representative for ten years. Following that he became the first assistant district attorney in Bristol County until 1969, returning to that work in 1973 as a special district attorney for two additional years. He has written books for law enforcement officials based on his prosecutorial experience and has lectured at legal seminars on criminal law. He was also a special professor of criminal law at Northeastern University. Gay has been actively involved in many civic and fraternal organizations, notably the Order of Sons of Italy of which he was elected national president in 1973. He and his wife Laura have seven children and are parishioners of St. Joseph parish in Taunton. Thomas E. Kitchen is a graduate of B.M.C. Durfee High School and the Bradford Durfee Technical Institute, both in Fall River. He has served as Clerk Magistrate for the Fall River Second District Court since 1960. In 1986 he was recognized as the outstanding Clerk Magistrate by the Bristol County Bar Association. From 1950 to 1960 he was a Massachusetts state representative and during his tenure served as a member of the House Ways and Means Conmiittee. Kitchen is a member of Sacred Heart parish in Fall River and a fourth degree Knight of Columbus. He received the Order of the Purple Heart military award from the U.S. Armed Forces and is a member of the Disabled American Veterans association. He is married to Virginia (Messier) Kitchen. They are the parents of seven children.