Bishop Carl A. Kemme expressed gratitude to those in the legal profession during the annual Red Mass held on Thursday, Sept. 26, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita. In his homily, Bishop Kemme acknowledged the often thankless nature of their work and emphasized its importance for maintaining stability, order, and justice in society.

“Yours is often a thankless service, but one that is ever so necessary to provide stability, order, and justice in society,” he stated. “We thank you for providing this service and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you along the difficult paths you must walk in order to fulfill your duties.”

The bishop also reflected on a talk by Jesuit Fr. Robert Spitzer about the church's role as a beacon of truth and light amidst societal darkness.

“The church and by that, I mean the Christian faith, has a moral obligation to proclaim the truth in spite of the many voices in our society that are intent on silencing it. Moreover, it is the responsibility of the church to work for a more just society, where all are treated with dignity and all who are human are endowed with certain inalienable rights.”

Referencing Fr. Spitzer's speech to members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher, Bishop Kemme encouraged them “not be afraid to stand for truth and to work diligently to enact just laws as well as to work to free our society from unjust laws. For as St. Augustine once said, an unjust law is no law at all.”

He urged participation in societal affairs through voting and civil service:

“So that endowed with a thoroughly Christian worldview, the world and her societies would become more and more communities of life, liberty, and justice reflecting God’s will for us."

Quoting from Vatican II’s document The Church in the Modern World:

“Whatever truth, goodness, and justice is to be found in past or present human institutions is held in high esteem by the Council... The Council exhorts Christians...to perform their duties faithfully in the spirit of the Gospel.”

Bishop Kemme described working toward a just society as daunting due to skepticism towards objective truth:

“This is why Pope Benedict so wisely and so courageously described our times as a dictatorship of relativism."

He called upon attendees to uphold values like marriage between one man and one woman:

“This is why we must proclaim...that marriage which is a substantial good for our society...can only be between one man and one woman."

Concluding his homily with St. Thomas More’s example:

“He combined an equal love for God and country...to always speak and act according to his properly formed conscience no matter what that would cost him..."

Following Mass was a banquet featuring former Illinois Congressman Dan Lapinski as speaker.