Age-Old Red Mass Is Geared to Legal Profession

The Red Mass, a special service for judges and lawyers that had its beginnings nearly 800 years ago, will be celebrated Monday at 6 p.m. at Holy Family Cathedral in Orange. Bishop Tod D. Brown will preside at the liturgy--the Mass for Peace and Justice--which will be followed by a dinner and reception. Guest homilist will be Bishop Joseph McGrath of the Diocese of San Jose. The invitation is extended to the public, especially those in the legal community and their families. The cathedral is at 566 S. Glassell St. (949) 347-0447, Ext. 100.

Special Events

* Catholic Charities of Orange County will celebrate its 25th anniversary today with an open house, including refreshments, from 1 to 5 p.m. Children’s activities will include a bounce house, clowns and face-painting. Guests may have their photos taken for the “Faces of Caring” wall. Reservations are requested. Catholic Charities is at 1506 Brookhollow Drive, Suite 112, Santa Ana. (714) 957-4656.

* University Synagogue, a Reconstructionist synagogue, will hold its groundbreaking and consecration ceremony Sunday from 11 a.m. to noon at its new location, 3400 Michelson Drive, on the corner of Harvard Avenue and Michelson in Irvine. Rabbi Arnold Rachlis and Cantor Ruti Braier will be joined by congregation President Dennis Klarin in conducting the ceremony. The synagogue is scheduled to move into the building in the fall of 2002. Since 1992, University Synagogue has been at 4519 Alton Parkway, where it has shared a facility with Irvine United Church of Christ. (949) 553-3535.

* St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Tustin will offer the traditional Anglican service of Evensong on Sunday at 5 p.m. The quiet rite combining spoken and sung prayer will be dedicated to the Rev. Robert L. Bonhall, who is retiring from St. Paul’s. The priest ranks second in seniority of clergy serving the 90,000-member Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. Bonhall is the former rector of the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Santa Ana, and rector emeritus of St. George’s Laguna Hills. An informal reception will follow the service.

The church will also host a “Global Acts, Local Consequences: How God’s People Respond to Inhumanity,” a Nov. 5 panel discussion. Guests include Sayed Moustafa al-Qazwini, founder of the Islamic Educational Center in Costa Mesa; Donald Will, professor of peace studies at Chapman University; and Paul Levesque, assistant professor of Christianity and world religions at Cal State Fullerton. The free event will begin at 7 p.m. The church is at 1221 Wass St. (714) 838-4119.

* Rabbi Shmuel Miller of Los Angeles will begin writing a Sefer Torah for Congregation B’nai Tzedek of Fountain Valley at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Several months ago, the congregation engaged the services of Miller to fulfill one of the 613 Commandments, which instructs every Jew to write a Torah Scroll in his or her lifetime. Miller will visit the congregation throughout the year to share his knowledge with members of the congregation and students in the religious school.

Also, the congregation, in conjunction with the Anti-Defamation League, will present “The Challenges of Religion in Our Public Schools,” a five-part interactive workshop discussing the legal, practical and moral issues of religion in public schools, at 7 p.m. Tuesday evenings through Nov. 13. The workshop will provide participants with skills to identify breaches in the separation of church and state. Reservations are requested. Congregation B’nai Tzedek is at 9669 Talbert Ave. (714) 963-4611.

* Dr. James A. Sanders will revisit his historic 1961 unrolling of the Psalms Scroll and the controversial events that followed during a lecture Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Temple Beth El in Aliso Viejo. Sanders is founder and president of the Ancient Biblical Manuscript Center, professor of biblical studies at Claremont’s School of Theology, and professor of religion at Claremont Graduate School. Long a leader in the fight for access to the Dead Sea Scrolls, he is the author of hundreds of articles and more than a dozen books. The synagogue is at 2A Liberty (at Laguna Hills Drive). (949) 362-3999.

* “Caring for Creation IV,” an interfaith coalition for the environment, will hold its annual conference Oct. 21 at Santiago de Compostela Roman Catholic Church in Lake Forest. The all-day conference features a wide array of workshops, including “Mass Extinction, Religion and You” and “Unity With Nature: Spiritual Dimensions of Our Concern for the Earth.” The keynote speaker will be Father Jim Conlon, author and director of the Sophia Center at Holy Names College in Oakland. The cost is $20 and includes continental breakfast and lunch. The church is at 21682 Lake Forest Drive. (949) 951-8599.

* Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi and the Islamic Society of Orange County will host a program on the basics of Islam on Oct. 21 from 3-5 p.m. at the society’s mosque in Garden Grove. This program will include an overview of Islam, an analysis of current events and a Muslim perspective on Orange County’s reaction. Siddiqi, an internationally recognized Islamic scholar, presented the opening prayer at the National Cathedral interfaith event recently in Washington. Refreshments will be served. The event is free, but reservations are required. The Islamic Society of Orange County is at 9752 13th Street. (949-442-2814).

* Chapman University and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange will co-sponsor “Living In Peace As Children of Abraham: An Evening of Discussion Among Jews, Christians and Muslims” on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. at Chapman University. Among the panelists at the free event will be Sayed Moustafa al-Qazwini of the Islamic Educational Center of Orange County; Suzanne Butnik of the American Jewish Committee; the Rev. Thomas Raush of Loyola-Marymount University; Dr. Zakiyyah Muhammad of the Crescent School in Garden Grove; and the Rev. Diane Jardine Bruce of St. Clement’s by the Sea Episcopal Church in San Clemente. The event will take place at Chapman University’s Bush Conference Center in Orange.

Music

* A “Hallelujah! for Hospice” benefit concert, featuring the Michael Skidgel Singers, will be held tonight at 7:30 at the St. Joseph Center in Orange. The program will range from Broadway show tunes to patriotic songs. The concert will help raise community awareness of the care provided to terminally ill patients by the St. Joseph Hospice. Proceeds will support special services for hospice patients. Tickets are $15 and tax-deductible. St. Joseph Hospice is part of St. Jude, St. Joseph and Mission hospitals, as well as Children’s Hospital of Orange County and the St. Joseph Health System. The center is at 480 S. Batavia St. (714) 786-7691.

* The Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove will host a “Concert of Healing” at 7 p.m. Sunday. Performers will include Larry Kimpel, Everett Harp, Rick Braun and Robin McKelle. Proceeds will support the Red Cross. Tickets are $15. Reservations are suggested. The church is at 12141 Lewis St. (714) 544-5679.

* Mission San Juan Capistrano will present religious singer John Michael Talbot tonight at 7:30. Proceeds benefit Franciscan Mercy Care, Mission Basilica families in need and a Trinity College scholarship fund. The cost is $20, or $17 for seniors and $12 for children. The mission is at 31522 Camino Capistrano. (866) 468-3399 or https://www.missionsjc.com.

* Jim and Jean Strathdee will present an evening of “Ministry Through Music” at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Garden Grove United Methodist Church. The Strathdees formed the recording company Caliche Records and publishing company Desert Flower Music in 1976. The couple have written more than 300 songs, and produced 13 songbooks and albums. Tickets for the concert are $5. Child care will be provided. The church is at 12741 Main St. (714) 534-1070.

* Religious event notices of countywide interest may be sent to Gena Guisar at The Times’ Orange County edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa 92626. They also may be faxed to (714) 966-7711 or sent by e-mail to gena.guisar@latimes.com.