Red Mass set in Fall River Diocese; five to be honored with St. Thomas More Medallion

FALL RIVER — The 25th annual Red Mass in the Diocese of Fall River will be celebrated on Saturday, October 14, at 4 p.m. in the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Fall River.

The Red Mass is the popular name for the Mass of the Holy Spirit offered to invoke God’s guidance and strength on those working in the areas of law and justice. Its origins go back to 13th-century Europe, and its name is derived from the color of the vestments customarily worn by the celebrants. Today, the Mass is widely celebrated in dioceses throughout the U.S. and beyond.

Judges, attorneys, court personnel and others working in the justice system throughout Southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands are invited to attend.

Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V, will be principal celebrant and homilist at the Mass.

In a tradition unique to the celebration in the Diocese of Fall River, the Red Mass will conclude with the presentation of the St. Thomas More Medallions to members of the area legal community in recognition of dedicated service.

Selected to receive the award this year are, as distinguished jurist, Judge Thomas J. Perrino, Massachusetts Superior Court; as distinguished attorney, Maryclare Cushing, Assistant District Attorney Superior Court, Bristol County District Attorney’s Office; as distinguished court employee, Jennifer A. Sullivan, Clerk of Courts, Bristol County Superior Court; as distinguished recipient of the ecumenical award, Attorney Aaron J. Bor, New Bedford; and as distinguished recipient of the Joseph P. Harrington Founder’s Award, Attorney Daniel M. Rich, Norton.

Award recipients were nominated for the recognition by the Red Mass planning committee, headed by New Bedford attorney Michael J. Harrington.

It was then Bishop of Fall River now Cardinal Archbishop of Boston Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap., who inaugurated the Red Mass in the Diocese of Fall River in 1997 and expressed his hope that it would become an annual tradition.

All are welcome at the Red Mass. A reception and dinner will follow for which a ticket is required. For more information about the Red Mass and reception, please contact Red Mass Committee Chairman Attorney Michael J. Harrington at 508-994-5900 or by email harringtonpc@aol.com.

St. Thomas More Medallion Honorees

Judge Perrino is an Associate Justice in Barnstable and Bristol County Superior Courts where he presides over both civil and criminal trials. He was appointed to the bench in 2018 by Governor Charlie Baker.

He previously served as the First Clerk Magistrate at the Barnstable County Superior Court Clerk’s Office and prior to that was in private law practice on Cape Cod. He is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School.

He has been actively involved in his community, serving on the Town of Dennis Board of Health for over 20 years, as a past president of the Harwich Dennis Rotary Club and as an officer of the Cape and Islands Council, Boy Scouts of America. He is a past president and board member of the Barnstable County Bar Association.

He and his wife, Anastasia Welsh Perrino, reside in Dennis and are parishioners of Our Lady of the Cape Parish in Brewster. They are the parents of two adult children.

Attorney Cushing is a career prosecutor; she has served for over 20 years prosecuting the most serious crimes in Bristol County Superior Court. For her work, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly named her “Lawyer of the Year” in 1917.

Prior to becoming an assistant district attorney, she worked for over a decade at Massachusetts Citizens for Life, the state’s largest right to life group, as its executive and legislative director. In that post, she worked closely with members of the legislature and the public to help educate on and promote pro-life initiatives.

She received her law degree from Southern New England School of Law.

She lives in Sandwich with her husband Kevin and their children and is a longtime member of Corpus Christi Parish in East Sandwich.

Ms. Sullivan was appointed the eighth Clerk of Courts for Bristol County in July 2022 and has the distinction of being the first woman to hold the office.

She began her legal career right out of high school, first with part-time work in a law office then full time as a paralegal for various area law practices. In 2007, she became a case specialist in Bristol County Superior Court and, while employed there, attended the University of Massachusetts Law School and earned a law degree. In 2013, she became Assistant Clerk/Magistrate for Bristol Superior Court.

She and her husband Brian reside in South Dartmouth, and they have two daughters. She is a longtime parishioner of St. Bernard Parish in Assonet.

Attorney Bor maintained a general practice of law in the firm of Falk and Bor in New Bedford for 54 years. He dedicated much of his legal work to the youth of that city and practiced for many years in New Bedford Juvenile Court.

After graduation from Boston University School of Law in 1961, he served in the U.S. Army for two years and then remained in the Army Reserve, attaining the title of Lieutenant Colonel and a Judge Advocate General. He completed his service with the Army in 1996.

He and his wife Susan are residents of Dartmouth, and they have one daughter and two grandchildren.

He is a lifelong member of Tifereth Israel Synagogue in New Bedford.

Attorney Rich is a solo practitioner with a law office in his hometown of Norton.

During his service overseas in the U.S. Army, he was a legal clerk for various military officers and upon his discharge decided to pursue a law degree. He graduated from New England School of Law in 1982 and established his practice, mainly centered in the courts in Bristol County.

In 1982, he also joined the then newly established Bristol County Bar Advocates, becoming one of its first attorneys to provide legal representation to indigent clients. He continues to this day to be a leading attorney for that organization.

He is a parishioner of St. Mary Parish in Norton.