Published every Monday by the Office of the Federal Register, The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is pub- tions prescribed by the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, approved by the President (37 FR 23607; 1 CFR Part Distribution is made only by the Superintendent of Docu- ments, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents will be furnished There are no restrictions on the republication of material ap- Week Ending Friday, September 29, 1989 Remarks at a Luncheon Hosted by the Catholic Lawyers Guild in Boston, Massachusetts September 23, 1989 Thank you all for that very warm reception. Barbara and I are just delighted to be with you. First, thank you, Judge Nolan. It's got to be the classic introduction. [Laughter] And I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. It gets me-I don't have to finish that high-calorie dessert. [Laughter] Thank you so much, sir. And I'm delighted to see Governor Mike Dukakis here today. Mike, thank you very much for being with us. Thank you very much. And we have many other distinguished guests. Chief Justice Liacos of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. I understand the attorney general is with us-Attorney General Shannon. And then of course my-I'll never convert him-but your senate president, Billy Bulger over here. I'm going to get in real trouble on this, but there is a certain nostalgia in the air. I understand that Police Commissioner Roche is with us somewhere out there. And former Chief Justice Hennessy and the former Mayor Collins. And then my friend, Ed King, the former Governor of this State, is here someplace. There he is. We'll cut it off there except to say again to all of you our sincere thanks. Barbara and I are especially pleased to be with our friend, the spiritual leader of the diocese, Cardinal Law. A great servant of God. For those of you way back in the back of this magnificent ballroom, I'll try to speak up. Cardinal Law warned me that the agnostics in this room are very bad. [Laughter] We've enjoyed visits by Cardinal Law to both Kennebunkport-down the road here, to our house-and the White House in recent months, and we're happy-very happy to accept when he conveyed your kind invitation to this very, very special luncheon. I told my staff to set it up for any Saturday this fall, so long as Holy Cross wasn't playing B.C. [Laughter] And one aide noticed that "Red Mass" was on the trip schedule. He pulled out a map and said, "Is that anywhere near Boston?" [Laughter] And lastly, we're pleased that Governor Sununu is with us today. Like many young Catholics, as a boy John dreamed of one day becoming Pope. [Laughter] It was only. after having eight kids that we got him to settle for Chief of Staff. [Laughter] And I'm glad it worked out that way. Yesterday, the first day of autumn, and it's the season of harvest, the season of change. It's the back-to-school and new beginnings. And it is with great respect and reverence that I come to you this day, the day of the red Mass, a stirring and deeply spiritual tradition. Today and tomorrow, men and women of the bar will join in solemn prayer across the country-our country-and around the world, gathering wherever civilization has been graced with the twin blessings of rule of law and faith in God. And the ancient roots of the red Mass are so intertwined with the earliest days of the law that its precise origins are, quite literally, lost in time. Some say that this beautiful and inspiring ritual was first observed in 13th century Rome. Others say it began in King Edward's London, beneath the Gothic arches of the Inns of the Court. And still others support the theory that it began in Paris. Wherever the red Mass was first observed, we can be sure of one thing: a tradition that spans seven centuries was started when one man with an idea-one lawyer or one priest-stepped forward to act with conviction. The red Mass is a celebration and a renewal, a reminder to every lawyer and judge-Catholic or Jew or Protestant or |