Lawyers are uniquely placed at society's vital "intersection" of idealism and realism, Archbishop George Niederauer of the Archdiocese of San Francisco told more than 400 attorneys, judges and other members of the local legal profession at the 26th annual Red Mass Oct. 2 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angeles.

"It seems to be that my sisters and brothers in the legal profession are uniquely placed at the intersection of idealism and realism," the archbishop, who was born in Los Angeles and went to Long Beach's St. Anthony High School, observed during his homily. "Law and lawyers stand at the intersection of idealism and realism. You try to avoid the two extremes of cynicism and utopianism.

"Your patron, St. Thomas Moore, wrote a book entitled Utopia. And he certainly prized both realism and idealism. But he is your hero and mine because he knew which of those 'isms' was at the service of the other. So he died for his faith. May St. Thomas More intercede for us and inspire all of us as we meet at the intersection of realism and idealism day by day."

Members of the archdiocesan Office of Tribunal and the diplomatic corps, papal knights, faculty members from Loyola Law School, state and federal judges, followed by priests, Auxiliary Bishop Edward Clark and Cardinal Mahony, who presided at the Red Mass, maintained the tradition of processing into the Cathedral wearing scarlet cloaks and vestments.

The solemn liturgy in honor of the Holy Spirit is celebrated annually at the opening of the judicial year to invoke divine strength and guidance, a custom that originated in Europe during the 13th century. It is also identified with the opening of the Sacred Roman Rota, the highest appeals court of the Catholic Church.

In the United States, the Red Mass began in New York City in 1928. Today, it's offered in more than 25 cities each year in honor of the Holy Spirit as a source of wisdom, understanding, counsel and fortitude. (A Red Mass was celebrated Oct. 7 at St. John's seminary, Camarillo, for Ventura County lawyers and judges.)

The Los Angeles liturgy is sponsored by the St. Thomas More Society. The English saint has become a model for lawyers trained in the heritage of the common law. When he wouldn't sign an act to make Henry VIII head of the Church of England, the lawyer, author and statesman was beheaded in 1535.

Msgr. Charles Chaffman, judicial vicar of the Los Angeles Archdiocese's Tribunal, agreed that lawyers and judges were in a special societal position when it came to dispensing justice. "Both are essential qualities," he told The Tidings after the Red Mass. "But realism could sometimes just be pessimism: 'Life stinks! Let's be realistic.'

"And idealism could be totally impractical in the extreme. When you combine the fact that we are called to be idealistic in the real world, those who are involved in law are right at the center of that struggle. And to find perfect justice in the world is very difficult."

Thomas Patrick Beck, who chaired the 2008 Red Mass executive committee, also believes that today's lawyers are best located at the junction between the two ideological extremes. "Additionally, because of their education and standing in the community, they are uniquely placed in our society where they can do greater good or greater harm," he said.

"The lawyers that I know are for the most part leaving our society a better place due to their contributions," he added. "They are middle age and at an intersection. They are leaving a life of success and moving on to a life of significance."