By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Diocesan theologian Father Marc Alexander will be the speaker at the annual Red Mass which marks the opening of the Hawaii State Legislature, at 9 a.m., Jan. 20, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in downtown Honolulu. Diocesan administrator Father Thomas L. Gross will preside at the liturgy.
Father Alexander’s topic will be “Assisted-Suicide and Euthanasia: Final Right or Ultimate Assault?”
State legislation under the title “death with dignity” that would legalize physician-assisted suicide has been introduced unsuccessfully several times over the past few years and is expected to be brought up again this year.
A synopsis of Father Alexander’s talk included in the Red Mass invitation describes assisted suicide and euthanasia as “the ultimate assault.”
“It is an assault on the physician-patient relationship, on family relationships, on authentic end-of-life care, on the physically and mentally challenged, and on some of the most vulnerable members of our society,” the summary reads.
Father Alexander is the pastor of the Manoa-Punahou Catholic Community, which includes Sacred Heart Parish in Punahou and St. Pius X Parish in Manoa.
He has worked in public policy, serving as founding executive director of the Hawaii Catholic Conference from 1993 to 1999.
He holds a doctorate in sacred theology from the Gregorian University in Rome and a master’s degree in religious studies and license in sacred theology from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.
He is a member of the Liliha Medical Center’s Ethics Committee and the System’s Organizational Ethics Committee at the St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawaii. He is also a Fellow of the St. Francis International Center for Healthcare Ethics.
The Red Mass, celebrated in Hawaii each January during the week the state legislature convenes, has been an island tradition since 1955. This public liturgy is the church’s prayer to the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance for the state’s public servants.
A 700-year-old tradition in Europe, the Red Mass was introduced in the United States in the early 1900s and has become an annual event in Washington, D.C., and other major mainland cities.
The Mass is named for the color of the vestments generally used for a Mass of the Holy Spirit.
Invitations to the Red Mass have been sent to all state executive, legislative and judicial officials, city and county officials, military leaders and religious leaders.
A reception will follow on the mauka mall outside the cathedral after the Mass.