Red Mass Brunch 2023 – Commissioner Xavier L. Suarez

The Catholic Lawyers’ Guild of the Ardiocese of Boston, Inc. held its annual Red Mass on Sunday, October 1, 2023, at 9:30 AM at the Seaport Shrine of Our Lady of Good Voyage in Boston, with a brunch reception immediately following the Mass at the Seaport Boston Hotel Lighthouse Room, which is a few blocks from the church.

The Catholic Lawyers’ Guild of the Archdiocese of Boston annually presents the Honorable Joseph R. Nolan Award to a member of the legal profession who best exemplifies Justice Nolan’s devotion to the faith, excellence in the law, dedication to family, and unwavering compassion for all. The 2023 Nolan Award was presented to Attorney William F. Kennedy, Jr.  Bill began his legal career in private practice in 1980. Since 1982 he has been a member of the adjunct faculty of Suffolk University Law School, teaching evidence, ethics, legislation, administrative law, criminal procedure and legal writing. He was the founder and associate director of the Suffolk University Legal Assistance Bureau. Bill is a former member of the Judicial Nominating Committee, and former chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners, the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees, the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Association and the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable. He is also a trustee of the Emmanuel College, the University of Massachusetts Building Authority, Project Bread and Pope John Paul Academy. Bill is also a member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) commission on Higher Education. Bill is also a member of the Boston Red Sox Foundation Advisory Council. He was honored in 2003 by the Children’s Trust Fund at the organization’s 2003 gala for his many years of service. Bill has also been recognized as the “Crusader of the Year” by Holy Cross College and “Father of the Year” by the American Diabetes Association. Bill was selected for Massachusetts Super Lawyers by Boston magazine.

The guest speaker was Commissioner Xavier L. Suarez, Miami-Dade County Commission, District 7. Commissioner Suarez was born in Las Villas, Cuba in 1949 and has lived in Miami since 1975. He attended Villanova University on a Presidential Scholarship where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and graduated summa cum laude in 1971. Subsequently, in 1975, he received joint degrees: a Juris Doctor and a master’s degree in Public Policy, from Harvard Law School and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. He published a law review article on congressional immunities and performed a consulting study for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the issue of performance standards for new sources of pollution.

Suarez served as Mayor of the City of Miami beginning in 1985 and was subsequently reelected in 1987 and 1989. During his tenure, he worked diligently towards the construction of affordable housing, prioritized community neighborhood improvements and received national praise for his effective handling of civil disturbances.

Suarez joined the Miami-Dade County Commission in 2011 and has focused on the issues of affordable housing and job creation by fostering a positive and supportive environment for current and future entrepreneurs and workers in various high-demand trades. Understanding that the children are our future, Commissioner Suarez also has spearheaded a number of innovative youth programs such as the Miami-Dade Youth Pre-Apprenticeship Career and Technical Training program, the Youth Summer Jobs Program, and the Envelopes of Safety afterschool program offering free STEAM activities to District 7 students.

Suarez also is the author of six books. The first, A Unified Theory of God: Mind and Matter, was published in 2005 by AuthorHouse. He is married to Rita Suarez and is the father of four children: Miami Mayor Francis Xavier, Olga Marie, Anna Teresita, and Carolina.

(Photos by CLG Boston)