Red Mass 2025

The annual Red Mass to mark the opening of the new legal year in Scotland will take place on Sunday 21 September 2025 at 12 noon in St Mary’s R.C. Cathedral, Edinburgh. The liturgy will be celebrated by the Most Reverend Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh.

Following the liturgy, there will be an informal reception in the Cathedral Hall, to which all members of the profession, regardless of faith, their families, and friends are warmly invited.

Those wishing to take part should meet at the Cathedral House, 61 York Place, by 11.30 am. Traditional court attire is worn, but those without gowns are equally welcome to attend.

The Red Mass has become a well-established fixture in Scotland, recognised as an official Court of Session event since the 1930s. Its origins stretch back centuries further when the first recorded Red Mass was celebrated in Paris in 1245, with London following in 1310.

In recent years, the Edinburgh Red Mass has seen steadily growing attendance, with many regarding it as one of the highlights of the legal year that brings together the legal community in prayer and tradition.

For further information, please contact Jamie Kerr at [email protected]