Upcoming Events

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The Cathedral of St. Matthew, Washington, DC


The Red Mass is celebrated annually at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, traditionally on the Sunday before the first Monday in October, which marks the opening of the Supreme Court's annual term. Its purpose is to invoke God's blessings on those responsible for the administration of justice as well as on all public officials.

Most Rev. Mario Dorsonville
Auxiliary Bishop of Washington
Principal Celebrant

Rev. Msgr. Peter Vaghi
Chaplain of the John Carroll Society
Past of the Church of the Little Flower
Homilist

To learn more about the history of the Red Mass, please click here.

We will honor several individuals and law firms for the pro bono support of the Catholic Charities Legal Network at a brunch immediately following the Mass.

2018 Pro Bono Legal Services Awardees
Ari Fitzgerald, Gerard Mitchell, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, Jones Day

The brunch is at the Mayflower Hotel (1127 Connecticut Ave NW) this year. Brunch tickets are $60 each or you may purchase of table of 10 for $700. Priority seating is given to table purchases.

Register for the brunch here.

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Mount St. Mary's Seminary, Emmitsburg, MD


Retreat Director: Msgr. Michael Heintz, Ph.D.

Retreat Theme: "Living as Sons and Daughters of the Light."

Bus transportation to the retreat at Mount St. Mary's is available. If you are taking the bus, please meet at St. Ann's Church (4001 Yuma St., NW, Washington DC) at 8:00 am. Parking is available at St. Ann's. The bus will return to St. Ann's by 5:30 pm.

If you are driving on your own, please arrive at Mount St. Mary's (16300 Old Emmitsburg Rd., Emmitsburg, MD) by 9:30 am.

The cost of the retreat is $55 (includes light breakfast, buffet lunch, and round-trip bus).


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Catholic Charities (924 G St NW, Washington, DC 20004)

The John Carroll Society partners with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. to serve hot meals to homeless men and women through the dinner van program.

Members of the John Carroll Society volunteer certain evenings to serve food and beverages to about two hundred of the hungry in downtown D.C. outside of Catholic Charities.

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Church of the Little Flower

The Feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated the first Sunday in December at the 5 pm Mass at the Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda, MD.

Immediately following Mass, there is a reception in the Parish Hall. Food and drinks are served and St. Nicholas makes a special appearance!

Unwrapped toys or gift cards for our annual toy drive are welcome.

The event is free and no registration is required.

Mission Statement

The John Carroll Society is an organization of Catholic professionals united in their desire for an ever deepening and enriching knowledge of their Faith and in service to the Archbishop of Washington.


News & Information

Facts about Cardinal Wuerl's Record in Pittsburgh

Over the past ten days, there has not been an opportunity to share in a constructive manner a response regarding Cardinal Wuerl's record as Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006. The attached documents – a fact sheet and a timeline – are intended to start that process. These documents provide facts on Cardinal Wuerl's record during his tenure in Pittsburgh that were either mischaracterized or simply not included in the report.

While there will always be context, the basic facts are incontrovertible. Cardinal Wuerl between 1988 and 2004 dealt with allegations against 32 priests with claims of child sexual abuse against them.

  • 18 priests were removed from ministry.
  • 13 priests were either dead or removed from ministry when Bishop Wuerl arrived in 1988.
  • 1 priest had a claim against him that was nonphysical in nature and anonymous and not found to be credible.
  • There was never a policy or process to transfer priests with claims against them, and Cardinal Wuerl denied numerous requests by priests withdrawn from ministry to return.
  • In the end, while there may be individual cases that might have been evaluated differently today, Cardinal Wuerl did his best to do the right thing and always worked to ensure children were never harmed.

The facts confirm that he removed priests from ministry upon claims of abuse, was a leader in child protection and took significant steps to assist survivors.

St. Maria's Meals

Catholic Charities (924 G St NW, Washington, DC)

The John Carroll Society partners with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. to serve hot meals to homeless men and women through the dinner van program.

Members of the John Carroll Society volunteer certain evenings to serve food and beverages to about two hundred of the hungry in downtown D.C. outside of Catholic Charities.

Upcoming opportunities to volunteer are posted on our calendar. Come join us!
Msgr. Vaghi's Thursday Reflections

Our Chaplain, Monsignor Vaghi, will offer his thought-provoking spiritual reflections during his First and Third Thursday talks.

The theme this year, inspired by the writings of St. Francis de Sales, is "The Devout Life: A Snapshot".