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On October 20th, at the invitation of the Catholic Priest Father Alexei Smith, Venerable Huize, the representative from Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple, participated in the 39th Annual Red Mass of the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The ceremony was held in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, the largest Catholic church in Los Angeles County.
Red Mass is an annual blessing ceremony held by the Catholic Church for judiciary personnel such as judges and lawyers. It is also traditionally symbolized the beginning of a new judicial year for the government. In addition to the judiciary, police and charity organizations, representatives of various religions such as Buddhism, Islam and other Christian denominations were invited to participate in the ceremony. Among them, Buddhism was represented by Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple.
At the beginning of the ceremony, the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles José Gómez led all the bishops and clergy into the venue solemnly. The Red Mass began with the accompaniment of beautiful hymn and pipe organ of the church.
The ceremony first invited Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America, to give a speech at the Red Mass. The archbishop said that the highest value of religion is to inspire people's wisdom. Wisdom can help us distinguish between good and evil, as well as make our lives more colorful. Wisdom can also complement the indifferent and rigid legal procedures, so that the court can be filled with warmth and justice.
The ceremony was followed by a Mass Prayer with the public participating in the Eucharist ceremony. The people attending the mass came to the priest to receive the sacrament in an orderly manner. Before the end of the ceremony, Archbishop José Gómez greeted all religious representatives who attended the ceremony, shaking hands and greetings one by one, making everyone feel welcomed!
