Auxiliary Bishop Rutilio del Riego celebrated the annual Red Mass on Oct. 16 at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Riverside. The Red Mass is held every year to honor judges, attorneys and other members of the legal community.
Bishop Gerald Barnes celebrated the Blue Mass honoring police, firefighters and emergency responders on Oct. 17 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Ontario.
This year Clem Roggenback, a Chaplain for the Riverside County Fire Department and Kerry Smith, a Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation were recognized with the Chief Patrick G. Crowe Award during the Blue Mass.
The award is given to a public safety professional who exhibits exceptional service to the community, department or church in some way.
Roggenback has been a Riverside County Fire Chaplain since 1999 and has been a chaplain for the Banning Road Camp and Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley for several years. As a chaplain he has responded to many incidents offering spiritual care to department family members, civilians and volunteers.
Smith has been in law enforcement for 32 years and is a 28-year veteran of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A parishioner at St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Corona for 32 years, Smith serves in several parish ministries and is very active in the Knights of Columbus Corona Council #3687.
Through his leadership as a Grand Knight, the council has been able to raise funds for several charitable organizations and needy causes.
This year the St. Thomas More Award was presented to attorney Michael Scafiddi. The St. Thomas More Award is given at the Red Mass to a legal professional who shows service and devotion to church, community and justice.
Scafiddi is a parishioner of St. Adelaide Parish, Highland and St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Loma Linda, and is a member of the President’s Advisory Board for Aquinas High School in San Bernardino.
He serves on the Board of Directors of the San Bernardino County Legal Aid Society. In 2008, he became the president of the San Bernardino County Bar Association. During his term as president, he and the other Bar Association Officers initiated the “We Care Mentoring Program” for area lawyers.