TRENTON, N.J. – In an acceptance speech that reflected the humble and faith-filled character for which he is known, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. expressed profound gratitude and a renewed sense of purpose after receiving the Diocese of Trenton’s St. Thomas More Award during the fourth annual Red Mass and Professional Gathering June 24.
Sponsored by the diocesan St. Thomas More Society, the event is held for all lawyers, judges and government officials who reside or work in the four counties of the diocese – Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean and Burlington. The event began with Mass in the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption celebrated by Bishop John M. Smith and more than a dozen priests, and attended by Justice Alito and members of his family. Father William H. Stetson, a priest of the prelature of Opus Dei and director of the Catholic Information Center in Washington offered the guest homily, focusing on the importance of family and characterizing St. Thomas More as a family man.
Nearly 300 supporters of the St. Thomas More Society, along with family and friends of Justice Alito, attended the dinner that followed in the Lafayette Yard Marriott. Charles Waldron, Mercer County First Assistant Prosecutor, served as master of ceremonies. Joining the justice at the diocesan event were his mother, Rose; wife, Martha; son, Philip, and his sister, Rosemary Alito, who is a practicing attorney. His daughter, Laura, was unable to attend.
Given the task of introducing the evening’s honoree, U.S. District Court Judge John Hughes spoke of his long-standing connection with Justice Alito and the high regard in which the justice is held. He stated, “I can’t think of any other judge more respected in judicial circles than Justice Alito.” Judge Hughes added, “Any decision that Justice Alito will make will be based on the law and his own good conscience. And I think that’s the best that anyone can hope for from an independent judiciary.”
The award, which was presented by Bishop Smith, recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the state and country, and who has witnessed to the faith in both public and private life. In a letter informing the justice of the award, Bishop Smith had written, “The Catholic community of the Diocese of Trenton is very proud of your accomplishments both professionally and personally.” He added, “It is a great honor to the Diocese of Trenton to know that you celebrated the sacraments of Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation here. Your presence, dignity, integrity and professionalism during the confirmation hearings only increased our admiration.” In a brief address at the award dinner, Bishop Smith told Justice Alito, “Welcome home, come back soon. This will always be your home, where your roots are and where your mom lives.”
Upon receiving the St. Thomas More award, Justice Alito admitted to being overwhelmed by the tribute, both from the diocese and from the Hamilton and Trenton communities. Acknowledging the part that luck has played in many of the positive things that have happened in his life, the justice said that he often feels undeserving when being recognized in this way. But he expressed that he was particularly honored to be given the St. Thomas More award because of the man for whom it is named.
Historically, the Red Mass dates back to the thirteenth century in several European countries as the celebration of the opening of the judicial year. The name, Red Mass, is partly a reflection of the vestments worn by the clergy for the Mass; the red symbolizing the Holy Spirit and the need for its guidance. The name also represents the color of the robes worn by the assembled judges and scholars.
In the Diocese of Trenton, the Red Mass is celebrated in close proximity to June 22, the feast of St. Thomas More, the patron of statesmen. Thomas More had been an English lawyer and statesman, rising to power as Speaker of the House of Commons and Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII in the early 1500s. Differing with his king regarding issues of marriage and the supremacy of the pope, Thomas More resigned his post and was ultimately confined to the Tower of London when he refused to give allegiance to the king as the Head of the Church of England. Tried and convicted of treason, he was beheaded in 1535. His famous last words, while on the scaffold, were “I die the King’s good servant, but God’s first.” Thomas More was canonized in 1935 and made the Patron of Statesmen in 2000 by Pope John Paul II.
In his remarks, Justice Alito conveyed the inspiration that he has long found in the life of St. Thomas More. Because the patron saint was a family man, a statesman who did not back down from a noble cause and, above all, a man of great faith, Thomas More calls those in the legal and judicial professions to be mindful of the moral dimension of their positions, Justice Alito stated.
In addition to the St. Thomas More award, the justice was also presented with gifts from U.S. Congressman Chris Smith, R-Hamilton, who gave the honoree the U.S. flag that flew over the Capitol on the day the new Supreme Court justice was sworn in, and from Hamilton Mayor Glen Gilmore, who presented the justice with a copy of the street sign naming the street leading up to the township’s municipal complex as “Justice Samuel Alito, Jr. Way.”
Born in Trenton in 1950 to an Italian immigrant father and a mother who was a public school teacher, Alito went on to graduate from Princeton University and Yale Law School. After a substantial career as a lawyer and government servant, Alito was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to the Philadelphia-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, where he served for 15 years. On Oct. 31, 2005 he was nominated by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Supreme Court, filling the seat left vacant by the retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. He was confirmed by the Senate Jan. 31 and sworn in the following day. Justice Alito is the 110th associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and the 11th Catholic in the nation’s history to sit on the high court. His confirmation has resulted in a Catholic majority on the Supreme Court for the first time since the court’s establishment.
It can easily be said that Justice Alito’s roots in the Diocese of Trenton run deep. Baptized in Sacred Heart Parish, Trenton, he grew up in Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, where he received his First Holy Communion and Confirmation. He and his wife, were married in Our Lady of Sorrows Church, and his mother, at age 91, remains an active member there. The justice resides with his family in West Caldwell.
Formed in 2001, the St. Thomas More Society is an organization which seeks to provide opportunities for lawyers, judges and government servants to discuss common challenges to the faith experienced in the shared professions and to advance the importance of ongoing education about the Catholic faith. Citing its principal objective as “promoting and seeking justice for all,” the society’s mission statement calls members to “pursue truth even if the truth is contrary to contemporary society.”
Past recipients of the St. Thomas More award are U.S. Senior District Judge William G. Bassler; the late State Superior Court Judge Arthur A. Salvatore, and the late State Superior Court Judge Paul R. Kramer. This year’s award is a replica of the Carara marble statue of St. Thomas More carved in Italy by Leo Irrera. The seven-foot original statue is now a centerpiece at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minnesota.
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