Local chapter of the Catholic Bar Association established

A group of western North Dakota attorneys aspiring to blend the best of their faith with the ideals of justice seeks to create their own branch of the Catholic Bar Association.                 

Conor Kennelly, Bismarck resident and president of the local affiliate of the St. Raymond Catholic Bar Association, hopes to garner approval by early February in the application process. “We are almost formalized,” he said. 

Bishop David Kagan, an early advocate of the group, has already signed a letter of approval as required by the National Catholic Bar Association application and charter process.
 
A key component of the Catholic Bar Association is to encourage the formation, growth and influence of local associations of Catholic attorneys. The national organization aims to have at least one affiliate in every diocese in the United States.

“Our goal is to promote the Red Mass in October. It is a Mass that celebrates and prays for lawyers and lawmakers,” Kennelly explained.

According to Kennelly, the origins of the Red Mass date back to the 13th Century. In 1245, the first was held at the Cathedral of France. The first in the United States was celebrated in 1877 at the Saints Peter and Paul Church in Detroit.

Bishop Kagan also has appointed Fr. Josh Ehli, rector of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, as the organization’s chaplain. “My job is to provide spiritual benefits and ecumenical counsel.”

Father Ehli was ordained a priest for the diocese in 2009 and went on to earn his canon law degree in Rome. He likened the Red Mass to others celebrating special professions such as the Blue Mass honoring those in law enforcement.

“It’s always good to get Catholic professionals together,” Fr. Ehli said.

Participants within the Catholic Bar Association already strive to be moral in justice matters within their jobs and as good Catholics, according to Fr. Ehli. “It encourages accountability,” he said. “They can be a sounding board to one another.”

Kennelly echoes that sentiment and said there is no conflict of interest when it comes to faith. “North Dakota’s Rules for Professional Conduct for lawyers are quite broad and fortunately give a lot of freedom to attorneys to conscientiously practice faith and law.”

Kennelly’s interest in the group was sparked when he was contacted by another local attorney, Ryan Norrel, about its startup. Norrel serves as the new group’s vice president. Organizers began meeting in November.

“Our goal is to be better lawyers, to integrate our faith into our law practices,” Kennelly said.

The local affiliate of the Catholic Bar Association is inspired by St. Raymond of Penyafort, a patron saint of canon and civil lawyers.

Membership of the Catholic Bar Association involve licensed attorneys, judges, those in private practice, civil attorneys, prosecutors, in-house consultants, law makers, law professors and law students.

“It’s an organization to help bring Catholic lawyers, where we can come together as Catholics and be enriched by the Catholic faith,” Kennelly said. “If questions arise between living the Catholic faith and our profession, we can bounce ideas off each other.”

At publication, the new group had six members, but Kennelly said more are being sought throughout the diocese in central and western North Dakota.

Long-term goals for the group are still being considered. The main emphasis for now is the importance of the Red Mass and Jesus Christ being the center of the group, Kennelly said. “Spiritual nourishment is our primary goal.”

For more information about the Catholic Bar Association, contact  bismarckredmass@gmail.com or visit  https://catholicbar.org/.