Montreal Red Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, September 5, 2024, at 8:30AM in the magnificent Chapelle du Sacré-Coeur of Notre-Dame Basilica, 110 Notre-Dame Street West in Old Montreal, by Archbishop Christian Lépine.

The Red Mass is a solemn mass traditionally celebrated each year to mark the start of the new judicial year for all members of the legal profession, regardless of their religious affiliation: judges, lawyers, notaries, law professors, court officers and law students.  

The Red Mass dates back to the time of the Parlement de Paris in the 13th century. The annual opening of this High Court in November began with a Solemn Mass of the Holy Spirit at the Sainte-Chapelle. Judges, lawyers and prosecutors wore their ceremonial gowns, the red colour of which identified this celebration in the popular mind. This ancient name has been preserved to this day. 

The first Red Mass in Montreal was celebrated in September 1944, and this tradition of a moment of personal prayer and reflection at the start of a new judicial year has continued every year since then at Notre-Dame Basilica. The Catholic nature of the celebration and tradition in no way excludes the participation of people of other faiths. 

For the past 80 years, the Montreal legal community has joined forces with jurists in Canada, the United States, Australia, France and England to maintain a tradition dating back to the year 1245. It retains all its ancient significance, turning a personal, modest gesture into a broader, communal sign that makes sense in our milieu and is open to all who wish to participate. 

Organized since 2023 by the Société Saint-Yves de Montréal, this year's Montreal Red Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, September 5, 2024, at 8:30 AM in the magnificent Chapelle du Sacré-Coeur of Notre-Dame Basilica, 110 Notre-Dame Street West in Old Montreal, by Archbishop Christian Lépine. 

The entire legal community, as well as family and friends, is warmly invited to attend. For more information, please visit www.ssym.ca.