The Akron legal community gathered for the 48th annual Red Mass on May 2 in St. Bernard Church, Akron. Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost was the celebrant. Concelebrants were Father Chris Zerucha, St. Bernard pastor, Father Paul Rosing, pastor emeritus of Holy Family Parish in Stow, and Father Frank Basa, retired parochial vicar from St. Bernard. Judges from Summit County, wearing their black robes and a red sash, processed into the church and sat together in front during the Mass.
Judge Marvin Shapiro, who retired in 2008 from the Summit County Common Pleas Court bench, was the recipient of the 2025 Sir Thomas More Award. The honor is presented annually at the Red Mass by the Akron Bar Association. The Akron Red Mass traditionally takes place during Summit County Law Week, which is observed during the first week of May.
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Bishop Woost offered a greeting in Hebrew at the beginning of Mass, noting Judge Shapiro’s Jewish faith. He said Father Rosing offered the option of having an interfaith prayer service instead of the traditional Red Mass, but the judge declined.
“He was most gracious and said, ‘Do what you always do,’” Bishop Woost explained.
In his homily, the bishop recalled what his brother and sister-in-law would say to their children when they acted out: “Love you, wish you would listen.” He said as the children got older, they started saying the same thing to their parents when they felt they weren’t listening to them.
Bishop Woost said this also applies to all of us, because we should be listening to God and building a relationship – a covenant – with him.
“We say to God that we need him, we need his wisdom, guidance and direction. And God tells us to listen and he will provide what we need,” the bishop said, adding our covenant with God and our obedience are acts of love.
This also applies to the legal community he said, noting that first responders, including police, are called to listen to the public with love. “Listening can be an important part of your job,” he said. “Hopefully, the community and our lives are becoming better with listening – by listening and obeying, which are acts of love. You are seeking to improve the human condition,” he told those attending the liturgy.
Bishop Woost, who has taught at the diocesan seminary for 26 years, said he received a book of Jewish prayers as a gift from a seminarian who had worked at a synagogue. The prayer he offered at the beginning of Mass came from the book.
“We have a common foundation,” he said, referring to the Catholic and Jewish faiths. One prayer from the book – an evening prayer – asks where God is.
“We may not see him, but he is always there. How do we find him? God is revealed when justice burns like a flaming fire. Judge Shapiro, we see justice burning within you, through your acts on the bench and your activities in the community with your wife and family, when you give of yourselves to others. The members of this community have seen that in you. You believe that truth and righteousness will triumph always. This is why we honor you today. With your wife and family, your life witnesses your faith, justice and community service and we are better because of it,” he added.
J. Dean Carro, a previous recipient of the Sir Thomas More Award and a retired professor at the University of Akron Law School, introduced Judge Shapiro.
“You do more for others than you do for yourself, like St. Thomas More. You have the same principles he did,” Carro said, noting the judge served the public while attending law school at the University of Akron. He was a deputy sheriff during law school, experiencing things on both sides – in the jail and in the courts – even before he earned his law degree.
Judge Shapiro was admitted to the bar in 1965 and began his judicial career in 1991 when he was elected to a judgeship on the Akron Municipal Court. He was elected to Summit County Common Pleas Court in 2003, serving until his retirement in 2008. After that, he served as a visiting judge, mediator and arbiter through 2015. In addition, before his career on the bench, Judge Shapiro was assistant law director for the city of Akron, an assistant Summit County prosecutor, a special trial counsel for the city of Akron, an assistant Ohio attorney general representing the University of Akron and he was in private practice.
The judge has been involved with numerous professional, religious and community organizations, often serving in leadership roles. He and Judi, his wife of 51 years, have three daughters, a son and six grandchildren.
“I am honored to join the other esteemed winners of the Sir Thomas More Award,” Judge Shapiro said. “I have been very fortunate in life to have a caring, close and loving family, committed Jewish religious instructors, dedicated teachers in the Akron Public Schools and at both the University of Akron and its law school, as well as those I encountered in private practice, with the sheriff’s department and on the bench,” he said.
“We began and continue a journey in service, both personal and professional,” he said, noting his Jewish roots provided a solid foundation of hope, compassion, love, truth, respect, responsibility and holiness. “I tried to have the same qualities in my legal career,” he added, noting his goal was “to be committed to a life of service while seeking justice for all.”
After Mass, the judges in attendance at the Mass posed with the bishop and Judge Shapiro on the church steps for a group photo before moving to the church hall for a luncheon.
Criteria for the Sir Thomas More Award include membership in the bar and/or bench in Summit County, a record of public service, a high degree of professional competence, a demonstrated concern for the needs of the community, an exemplary private life and public career in accord with the religious traditions of the country and community. The award is named after St. Thomas More, a devout Catholic, a lawyer, scholar, humanist, author, family man, lord chancellor of England, a martyr and a canonized saint. He was admitted to the bar in 1521, was knighted, served in Parliament, was a judge and an ambassador. He refused to approve King Henry VIII’s divorce from his first wife so the king could remarry. As a result, he was charged with treason, imprisoned and executed in 1535. He was canonized in 1935 and is the patron saint of lawyers.
The Red Mass is presented by the Akron Bar Association and is coordinated by Angelina Gingo.
The Sir Thomas More Award selection committee includes several previous recipients of the award, members of the bar and community members.