We are proud to announce that our law partner Lawrence (“Larry”) McDonough has been named as the Attorney Honoree for the 2015 Red Mass by the St. Thomas More Society of Southern Arizona. The Red Mass was held on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 at St. Augustine Cathedral, 192 S. Stone Avenue in downtown Tucson. Historically, the Red Mass originated in England and was offered as an opportunity to bless, strengthen and guide the members of our legal community in their efforts to achieve justice and freedom for society. The color red is associated with the Holy Spirit which is often represented in early imagery as fire. Scarlet red robes were worn by high priests as well as presiding judges while performing their duties, which also relate the Mass to the Bench and Bar.
Each year, the St. Thomas More Society honors a judge, attorney, legal student or public official who exemplifies the sacrifice and principles of St. Thomas More, the patron saint of lawyers. Its primary purpose is to promote the virtues of commitment to church, scholarship, integrity and courage. Larry certainly shines as an example of such character with almost 30 years as pro-bono counsel for Salpointe Catholic High School in addition to volunteer work for the Diocese of Tucson and chairing the Finance Council for St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church.
Since Larry moved his family to Tucson from Kansas in 1978, he has dedicated many volunteer hours to our local community, including serving on the Board of Directors for the Tucson Symphony Society, the Southern Arizona Division of the American Heart Association and the United Way of Tucson. He was a member of the Arizona Supreme Court’s Committee on Character and Fitness for seven years, as well as sitting for several years on the Pima County Bar Association’s Board of Directors in different capacities. Larry remains an active volunteer, while dividing his time assisting his grandson’s swim team and supporting his wife’s many creative pursuits.
This is a truly exceptional honor for our firm since last year, another law partner, Anne Terry Morales, was named the Attorney Honoree for the 2014 Red Mass. Along with Anne and Larry, the entire staff at Monroe McDonough Brent & Morales is committed to serving our local community.