Red Mass to honor legal professionals.

• Position: Local

Byline: TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER -- The St. Thomas More Society of Worcester County will honor five people from the area legal community as part of its 57th annual Red Mass on Oct. 19 at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 38 High St.

Alex Zequeira, president of the Nativity School, will give the keynote address at the 10:15 a.m. religious ceremony, which is named after the color of the vestments traditionally worn by the celebrants and judges attending the King's bench in Westminster, England.

Those being honored this year are:

Distinguished Jurist Award -- Judge Maura K. McCarthy, presiding justice of the East Brookfield District Court. First appointed to the District Court bench in 2012, Judge McCarthy initially served in Leominster District Court. In 2014, she became presiding justice of the East Brookfield District Court.

Previously, she enjoyed a career in the Worcester district attorney's office. Throughout much of her prosecutorial career, Judge McCarthy handled cases involving the abuse and mistreatment of children, earning a reputation as a tough but fair prosecutor.

She is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and Southern New England School of Law. She and her husband, Donald Naber, are active in the parish at St. John's Church in Worcester. They were early supporters of the Rev. John Madden's efforts to open the St. Francis Xavier Center, a state-of-the art facility that serves meals to thousands of needy people.

Distinguished Attorney Award -- Timothy P. Wickstrom, a partner in the law firm of Wickstrom Morse LLP. A member of the bar since 1983, the primary focus of Mr. Wickstrom's practice has been personal injury cases and other complex litigation matters. He also has extensive experience in insurance related matters and in certain civil rights violations.

Prior to going into private practice, Mr. Wickstrom served as a law clerk for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He is a 1980 Holy Cross graduate and earned his juris doctorate degree from the Columbia School of Law at Catholic University in 1983. He is also a 1976 graduate of St. John's High School in Shrewsbury and a product of St. Peter's Elementary School in Northbridge.

Mr. Wickstrom is an active member of the Worcester County Bar Association and volunteers as a legal consultant to St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, St. John's High School and Notre Dame Academy in Worcester.

Mr. Wickstrom and his family are active in St. Patrick's Church in Whitinsville. He...