Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost celebrated the annual Akron Red Mass May 3 in St. Bernard Church in Akron. The celebration is part of the Akron Bar Association’s Law Week festivities. Retired Judge Patricia Cosgrove received the Sir Thomas More Award in recognition of her distinguished career as an attorney and judge in Summit County.
Cosgrove, who has been serving as a visiting judge in her retirement, recalled how she didn’t get much encouragement from a high school teacher when she announced her plans to pursue a career in law.
While a student at St. Mary High School (now part of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School), she said one of the religious sisters told her, “You should not consider a career as a lawyer because the law is a very difficult profession for women.”
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Father Paul Rosing, retired pastor of Holy Family Parish in Stow and a member of the Sir Thomas More Award selection committee, said fortunately, Cosgrove ignored the nun’s well-intentioned advice.
“It usually takes something akin to a papal conclave to select the honoree,” he quipped. “But not this year. When Judge Cosgrove was nominated, the decision was almost immediately unanimous.”
Father Rosing said he knew her parents years ago at St. Paul Parish in Akron and noted the many contributions Cosgrove has made to the legal profession
“It is my privilege to give you this award today,” Father Rosing told Cosgrove.
“Apart from my grandchildren and raising my stepchildren, serving as a judge has been the privilege of a lifetime,” Cosgrove added, noting she has known Father Rosing for more than 60 years, going back to her years as a student at St. Paul School. She also thanked Bishop Woost for celebrating the Mass, Bishop Edward Malesic for his role in the selection and Father Chris Zerucha, St. Bernard pastor, for hosting the annual Mass and award program.
Cosgrove noted she is recovering from recent heart surgery, but was thrilled to attend the liturgy with her family and so many friends and colleagues.
“I appreciate the words of kindness, especially from the criminal defense bar. They told me, ‘we didn’t know you had a heart under that robe,’” she quipped. “With the exception of my first job as a carhop, all my other jobs were steps in the direction of my chosen career in the law,” Cosgrove noted.
She began her career at the Summit County Sheriff’s Office Civil Division before becoming a law clerk for Judge Samuel Bell, Judge William Victor and Judge Edward Mahoney. In 1978, Cosgrove earned her law degree from the University of Akron School of Law and was admitted to the Ohio Bar.
She worked in private practice, then as an assistant law director for the city of Akron and a senior prosecuting attorney for the Summit County prosecutor before becoming the office’s chief counsel.
Cosgrove was appointed to the Summit County Common Pleas Court bench in 1993. She was elected in 1994 and reelected in 2000 and 2006, presiding over 10,000 cases and 1,500 jury trials.
After her husband, retired police detective Ronald Fuchs, was diagnosed with cancer in 2011, she retired from the bench to care for him. He died soon after, and she was appointed by the Ohio Supreme Court to serve as a visiting judge.
Before receiving the Sir Thomas More Award, Cosgrove was recognized for her service to the community and her profession with the Akron Bar Liberty Bell and Professionalism Awards.
Cosgrove thanked the Akron Bar Association for the honor, noting efforts of its members made her “a better person, a better lawyer and a better judge. We’re caretakers of the trust that people give us.” She has handled some high-profile cases, several that involved public corruption.
“I am truly humbled by this award. The fact that I can serve and help people is the joy of my life. God bless you all,” she said.
In his homily, Bishop Woost noted that the Red Mass is an ancient tradition that began in Paris, France.
“We are asking today for God’s grace and special blessings on members of the bench and bar, law enforcement and all associated with the legal field. We are blessed that Judge Cosgrove and her family are here today,” he added.
The bishop used an analogy of a tree stump when talking about the day’s readings. He said one of his brothers had a huge tree in his yard for many years. When the tree died, he said it was cut down and on one visit, he noticed large pieces of the tree stacked in the yard. When examining the stump, he noticed it was decayed inside. Had the tree fallen, it could have done a great deal of damage to nearby homes.
The imagery of the stump reminded him of the biblical reference by the prophet Isaiah to the monarchy of the chosen people. Isaiah used the stump image to comment on Jesse, who was chosen by God, to be king. He was promised his line would last forever. However, after David and Solomon, there were some kings who were not good leaders.
God called Isaiah to be a prophet and to comment on the conditions of his time, Bishop Woost said. “He pointed out the issues of society and was a messenger of hope,” he bishop said.
“He said a shoot would sprout from the stem of Jesse, which was not dead. There was a thin line of life still there,” he said, adding, “God never abandons his people.”
God promised to raise up new leadership imbued with his strength, providing faithful leaders who loved his people into peace, Bishop Woost said.
“As Isaiah promised in the first reading, they were provided with leaders who had understanding and could guide, direct and make judgments that will reflect wisdom, righteousness and peace. People look to us for guidance. People of faith are gathered here today. We ask the Holy Spirit to bless us and our leaders so that God’s word may be seen in us. We stand in faith and work for the good of one another. God says we must pick up our cross and follow him, an innocent man who laid down his life for the salvation of man. Nothing is impossible to do without God’s help,” he said.
“We are asking God today, with the Spirit’s help, to exercise our responsibility with wisdom, understanding, strength and awareness of who God is calling us to be. And we pray that God will give us what we need,” the bishop added.
After Mass and the award presentation, all were invited to a lunch in the parish hall. The meal was provided by Perantinides & Nolan Co., LPA, the law firm of Paul Perantinides, last year’s Sir Thomas More Award recipient.
Angelina Gingo coordinated the Red Mass.
Members of the 2024 Sir Thomas More Award selection committee were Judge Alice Batchelder, J. Dean Carro, Judge Deborah Cook, Susan Durr (non-voting), Jeffrey Heinz, Dean Emily Janoski-Haehlen, Judge Carla Moore, C. Allen Nichols (non-voting), Perantinides, Orville Reed III, Father Rosing, Terrence Steel (chairman), Christopher Teodosio (secretary, non-voting), Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio, Judge Thomas Teodosio, Lawrence Vuillemin, Jerry Whitmer and Father Zerucha (non-voting). Several members of the selection committee are past STM Award recipients.
The award is named for St. Thomas More, an English gentleman, lawyer, scholar, humanist, author, devoted husband, father, lord chancellor of England, a martyr and canonized saint. He was admitted to the bar in 1501, became a member of Parliament in 1504, was knighted in 1521 by King Henry VIII and served as speaker of Parliament in 1523. St. Thomas More was known as a man of deep integrity and spirituality in his personal and public life. When King Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church and wanted to divorce his first wife to remarry, St. Thomas could not concur and resigned as lord chancellor. He was charged with treason, imprisoned in the Tower of London and executed on July 6, 1535.
He was canonized in 1935 and is the patron saint of lawyers.