ATLANTA—The 2014 Red Mass and the associated awards banquet, organized by Atlanta’s St. Thomas More Society, will be held on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 11 a.m. at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, located at 353 Peachtree St., NE, in Atlanta. The celebrant will be Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory.

The Red Mass tradition began more than 750 years ago in Europe. Its name refers to the scarlet robes of the judges who attended the Mass centuries ago, as well as the color of the vestments worn by those celebrating the Mass. At the Red Mass, the community publicly invokes God’s blessings upon those entrusted with the administration of justice. Ecclesiastical canon lawyers and students, judges, and other legal professionals of all faiths are invited to attend.

Since 1995, Atlanta’s St. Thomas More Society has embraced this tradition. This year, the society will present the St. Thomas More Award to the Honorable William H. Pryor Jr. from the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Honorable Horace Ward from the United States District Court for the northern district of Georgia.

The awards banquet will be held immediately following Mass at the downtown Capital City Club, at 7 John Portman Blvd., formerly Harris Street. For St. Thomas More Society members who have paid 2013 dues, the lunch is free of charge. The fee for all other attendees of the awards luncheon is $40.

Please RSVP to the banquet on or before Sept. 29 by visiting http://stm-atlanta.org. For more information, contact Carter Stout at cstout@SKHlawfirm.com or 770-349-8201.