From the G.R. Press, via How Appealing:
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr. made his first visit to the city Monday, making time to tour the area before renewing the Lawyer’s Oath for a group of Catholic lawyers during the annual Red Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew.
“I enjoyed it very much,” Alito said of his trip to Grand Rapids.
He said the Red Mass teaches judges and lawyers there are “solemn responsibilities” that come with the job.
Members of the Catholic Lawyers Association of Grand Rapids and the diocesan Canon Lawyers gathered Monday night for the Mass, celebrated by Bishop Walter Hurley.
The Red Mass — named for the color of the robes historically worn by jurists — is held near the onset of every Supreme Court session.
The invitation to Alito was extended on the group’s behalf by Peter Secchia, an East Grand Rapids resident and former U.S. ambassador to Italy.
Paul Brandenburg, judicial law clerk to federal Judge David McKeague, said Monday he has been to two Red Mass ceremonies in the past year.
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