The 73rd Annual Red Mass, sponsored by the John Carroll Society, will be held at the Cathedral on Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 9am. The Red Mass is open to the public but with limited seating. Doors open at 7:45am.

Rhode Island Avenue from 17th Street to Connecticut Avenue will be closed. 

Security will be screening all attendees, and no bags will be allowed inside the Cathedral.

The Archdiocese of Washington will livestream the Mass. You can find the link HERE.

Note that the 7am Mass is canceled on the day of the Red Mass.

Red Mass 

The Red Mass is celebrated annually at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, traditionally on the Sunday before the first Monday in October, which marks the opening of the Supreme Court's annual term. Its purpose is to invoke God's blessings on those responsible for the administration of justice as well as on all public officials.

His Eminence, Cardinal McElroy, will be Principal Celebrant.

To learn more about the history of the Red Mass, please click here.

Doors open at 7:45am. Music begins at 8:45 a.m.

Mass begins at 9:00 a.m.