'God's amazing plan' highlights 2023 Red Mass

By Marlene Quaroni - Florida Catholic

MIAMI | Every year, the Miami Catholic Lawyers Guild gives an award to a legal professional who exemplifies the Catholic faith in their lives. By tradition, the previous winner presents the award to the current winner. This year, the tradition took an unusual turn.

“This is a revelation of God’s amazing plan and sense of humor,” said William Castro, last year’s Lex Christi, Lex Amoris awardee, as he presented the award to this year’s winner, John J. O’Sullivan, during the annual Red Mass for members of the legal profession, celebrated Dec. 11, 2023, at Gesu Church in downtown Miami.

The twist: O’Sullivan had criminally prosecuted Castro in the 1990s during what became known as Operation Court Broom, when attorneys were found to be paying state judges for court assignments. As a result, Castro went to federal prison for almost three years and lost his Bar licenses.

“Almost three decades later, John testified in support of that disbarred attorney’s reinstatement to the Bar. In great part due to John, that attorney is an abogado again,” said Castro, who has since transformed himself into someone who helps others, mainly through the Catholic Church.

“John’s hallmarks have been fairness, patience, and a respect for everyone in the pursuit of justice,” said Castro. “John believed everyone had redemptive value and deserved respect and mercy. John testified in support of that disbarred attorney’s reinstatement to the Bar. I asked John why he did that. He said it was the right thing to do.”

O’Sullivan is a former prosecutor and retired Chief Magistrate Judge for the U.S. Southern District of Florida. When he was informed that he had been selected for the 2023 Lex Christi, Lex Amoris award, O’Sullivan gave his typical response, said Castro.

“John responded matter-of-factly, I’m not worthy,” said Castro. “Today, we acknowledge John’s decades-long selfless service to our legal community and the faith with which he performed it.”

O’Sullivan graduated from the State University of New York in Albany with a degree in accounting and took a job with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as a bank examiner in New York City. While working there, he took the Treasury Enforcement Agent Exam and was offered a job with the Internal Revenue Service in its intelligence division.

The IRS had an opening in Miami and O’Sullivan accepted it. He originally planned to work a few years in Miami and then transfer back to New York. But the warm weather, lower cost of living and cultural diversity appealed to him, so he stayed in South Florida. As an IRS special agent, he worked closely with assistant U.S. attorneys and criminal defense lawyers, which inspired him to attend law school. In 1985, he received a Juris Doctorate degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Miami.

“Anyone who knows John is aware that he is a big Canes fan and bleeds green and orange. He became a member of the Florida Bar getting the highest score on the Bar exam. He is a co-founder of the UM American Inn of Court (an organization dedicated to promoting the highest levels of professionalism in the practice of law).”

O’Sullivan was an associate with the Fowler, White, et al. law firm, then joined the U.S. attorney’s office in the Southern District of Florida in 1986. He served as chief of the Narcotics Section, senior litigation counsel and as deputy chief and acting chief of the Economic Crimes Section. He prosecuted several significant public corruption cases including Operation Court Broom. He was appointed Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Florida in 1999, eventually ascending to Chief Magistrate Judge before retiring in January 2022.

O’Sullivan credited the women religious at his Catholic elementary school in New York City for teaching him the importance of helping those in need.

“That’s how I got on my path to government service,” said O’Sullivan.

As an Irish Catholic in New York, he recalled, he thought there were only a few things he could do: “You become a priest, go into law enforcement, become a politician, or a criminal. I picked law enforcement.”

The Red Mass of the Holy Spirit is a tradition in the Catholic Church dating back to the 13th century when it officially opened the term of the court for most European countries. The celebrants would proceed into church dressed in red vestments signifying the fire of the Holy Spirit, which guided all who pursue justice in their lives.

Before introducing Castro, Frank Sexton, Jr., president of the Miami Lawyers Guild, prayed that the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit would descend upon those present: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.

“Please send down to us all the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” Sexton said. “We promise to use these to your service.”

Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who celebrated the Mass, told the legal professionals that the Red Mass honored their dedication and devotion to the rule of law.

“We pray that you follow the example of Sir Thomas More, whom we invoke as St. Thomas More,” he said. “Filled with the wisdom and courage of the Holy Spirit, may you stand alongside of your fellow citizens as counselors, advocates, helpers and comforters.”