May 15 is our annual JOINT lunch meeting with the J. Reuben Clark Law Society and BYU Management Society.
Registration is at https://byums.byu.edu/events/details/byu-us-sacramento-presents-resolving-our-differences-short-of-trial/
*** Save the evening of June 13 for our annual Feast Day reception. See the Spring Newsletter for Details.
Monthly Events
Join us for our monthly meetings as we gather in prayer and listen to invited speakers discuss various topics related to faith, the law, service, and community involvement. We usually gather (either virtually or in-person) on the second Wednesday of the month. All are welcome!
Special Events
STMS hosts special events each year to engage, support, promote, and recognize our members and the work done within our community. These events are open to all. We hope to see you there!
meet & greet
Come join us for an opportunity to mingle with fellow attorneys and judges. Sponsorships available for this event.
red mass
The Red Mass is an annual event at which lawyers, judges, and public officials invoke the aid of the Holy Spirit in their work and deliberations in the year to come. This unique Mass for the bench and the bar has been celebrated for many centuries all over the world, with its roots traced back to France and England in the early 13th century. The first Red Mass in the United States was held at Saints Peter and Paul Church in Detroit in 1877. Today, the Red Mass is celebrated in Washington, D.C., and most other state capitols and major cities throughout the United States, including Sacramento.
The current incarnation in Sacramento has ties to Bishop Quinn’s 1985 request to resume the practice of holding an annual Red Mass – a tradition of requesting that the Holy Spirit bless public officials and members of the legal community with guidance and understanding in their work. Because the traditional color of the Holy Spirit is red, priests would wear red vestments, and the lawyers and judges, who wore court robes, also switched to red for the occasion.
Joint J. reuben clark & stms luncheon
Our annual joint lunch meeting with the J. Reuben Clark Law Society and BYU Management Society.
April 2023: Defining Ethics, Civility, and Professionalism in the Practice of Law
Speaker: Judge Culhane (ret.)
May 15, 2024: Resolving Our Differences Short of Trial
Speakers: Judges (ret.) David Brown and Ben Davidian
Flyer: https://www.sacstms.org/s/STMS-JRCLS-BYUMS-MCLE-luncehon-flyer-2024.pdf
Register at: https://byums.byu.edu/events/details/byu-us-sacramento-presents-resolving-our-differences-short-of-trial/
STMS continuing legal education Event
STMS offers special events that qualify for State Bar of California continuing legal education credit. Examples of previous events include:
The Comparison Between Canon Law and Civil Law (2016)
Is Catholic Lawyer an Oxymon? (2019) Speaker: Judge James Mize
Bringing Justice to Those Suffering from Mental Illness (2023) by Judge Brown
saint thomas more feast day event: fr. mcdermott integrity award
The Father McDermott Award for Integrity recognizes persons of high integrity who can often go unnoticed in this hustle and bustle world. The first award was given in 2011 to Bishop Emeritus Francis A. Quinn, under whose auspices the Society was revived and encouraged, and who has been for STMS members a model of principled conviction. In 2012, attorney Ronald Blubaugh received the award in recognition of his career of public service and his advocacy and legal service with the Tommy Clinkenbeard Legal Clinic at Loaves and Fishes. The 2013 recipient was Sister Jeanne Felion, in recognition of her work of over 30 years for youth and seniors in Sacramento through the Stanford Settlement, of which she is the Executive Director. In 2014, STMS honored Vicki Jacobs, managing attorney at the Voluntary Legal Services Program, for her tireless pursuit of equal access to justice for those that might “slip through the cracks.” STMS was proud to add Judge James Mize to this group in 2015, for his lifelong involvement with the Voluntary Legal Services Program and the Sharing God’s Bounty program at St. Philomene’s Parish. The 2016 recipient was Sister Libby Fernandez of Loaves & Fishes for her dedication to the teachings of the Church. In 2017 the award was bestowed on Sacramento attorney Paul Starkey for his long career of work with legal aid and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. In 2018, Fr. Thomas Piquado, S.J., earned the Society’s Integrity award for his pastoral work with diverse communities, including the elderly, and with the Korean Catholic Community in Sacramento. Fr. Tom is a consistent visiting priest for STMS, performing well over a dozen masses for the Society in the last ten years. In 2019, Sergio Diaz was honor for his commitment to social justice by ministering to inmates at Folsom Prison’s “Bridges to Life” Outreach Program with Chaplain Humberto Gomez, and volunteering with the “Lawyers in the Library” Program, co-sponsored by Voluntary Legal Services Program VLSP and the Sacramento County Public Law Library. Judge Jaime René Román received a combined 2020-2021 award for his public service and devotion to justice and fairness. The 2022 award was presented to Bishop Jaime Soto for his leadership of the Sacramento Diocese, especially during the pandemic.
For 2023, the award was presented to Fr. Tom O’Neill, S.J., for all the in-person and virtual STMS events that he has participated in, assisted with, or presided over through the years. STMS members are inspired by his creative talents and his ability to infuse the sublime into the secular and wish him well in his next assignment in Los Angeles.
Save June 13, 2024 for our next reception, held at Cristo Rey High School.
See the Spring Newsletter (top of page) for details!