St. Thomas More Red Mass

The St. Thomas More Society of Worcester County honored the following individuals at its Sixty-third Annual Red Mass on Oct. 24 at St. Paul Cathedral in Worcester.  

This year’s honorees are:  

DISTINGUISHED JUDICIAL OFFICER AWARD  

Alicia Doherty has been a member of the Massachusetts bar for more than 20 years and has diverse professional experience in the practice areas of probate and family law. After gaining admission to the bar, Alicia served with distinction as a law clerk for the justices of the Probate and Family Court Department across the state. Thereafter, Attorney Doherty embarked on a career in private practice where her primary focus was in the areas of probate and domestic relations law. Most recently, she returned to service to the Massachusetts Trial Court where she now works as an Assistant Judicial Case Manager (ACJM) at the Worcester Probate and Family Court. As an ACJM, Attorney Doherty works closely with the justices of that court and also serves as a resource to members of the bar representing clients in that court. Known for her pleasant and easygoing style, Attorney Doherty has earned the respect of her colleagues at the Court and in the bar, as well as members of the public litigating matters in the Probate and Family Court.  

Attorney Doherty is graduate of Boston College and New England School of Law. She is an active member of St. Bridgid’s Church in Millbury, where she has held a leadership role in the parish’s St. Vincent DePaul Society chapter. Attorney Doherty’s volunteer efforts at St. Bridgid’s have focused primarily on combating food insecurity, with her efforts recently expanding to include providing suitable winter clothing to area families in need. In recognition of her efforts and her longstanding commitment to the St. Vincent DePaul Society, in 2006 Attorney Doherty received the Top Hat Award from the Diocese of Worcester Central District Council.  

Attorney Doherty and her husband, Todd Hammond, reside in Sutton and are parents of two daughters who both attended Assumption School in Millbury, and Marianapolis Preparatory School in Thompson, Connecticut.  

DISTINGUISHED ATTORNEY AWARD  

Thomas J. Wickstrom, partner, Wickstrom Morse, LLP, Whitinsville 

Attorney Thomas J. Wickstrom is a partner in the law firm of WickstromMorse in Whitinsville. A graduate of UMass Amherst and Western New England College School of Law, Attorney Wickstrom has been a member of the bar since 1991. His diverse practice focuses on the areas of real estate development, estate planning, probate, and business formation. He is an active member of the Worcester County Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Real Estate Bar Association for Massachusetts. Attorney Wickstrom’s years in private practice have been marked not only by exceptional service to his many clients but also an unfailingly polite demeanor toward all those he encounters.  

Attorney Wickstrom has an extensive history of service to his faith community and the public. He has served as the chairman of the board for Our Lady of the Valley School in Uxbridge. He has served as a trustee and director of the George Marston Whitin Community Center. Attorney Wickstrom has also been a member and former president of the Uxbridge Rotary Club, and a past director of Commonwealth National Bank.  

Perhaps most notably, Attorney Wickstrom has recently played a leadership role in partnering with Our Lady and the Valley School to establish the Grace Rett Athletic Complex and Education Center on campus. Through his leadership efforts and the generosity and courage of the family of Grace Rett, a former OLV student who died tragically in automobile accident in early 2020, construction started on this $4 million, 7,500 sq. foot complex this past May and is expected to be completed in 2022.  

A conscientious and humble servant, Attorney Wickstrom is also devoted to his family and his Catholic faith. He, his wife Tracey, and their four children reside in Whitinsville where they are active parishioners at St. Patrick Church.  

BISHOP BERNARD J. FLANAGAN ECUMENICAL AWARD  

Jay Z. Aframe, partner, Phillips, Silver, Talman, Aframe & Sinrich, P.C., Worcester  

Attorney Jay Z. Aframe, of Worcester, is a graduate of Clark University and George Washington University National Law Center. A member of the Massachusetts bar since 1975, Attorney Aframe’s diverse practice has been focused in the areas of estate planning, trusts, and various aspects of business law.  

For many years Attorney Aframe served an adjunct faculty member at Clark University offering instruction in business law. Jay has also served as a lecturer on estate planning matters for various professional organizations as well as a volunteer panelist for the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education.   

Attorney Aframe has also been extensively involved in numerous civic and charitable entities in the Worcester area, with a particular focus on organizations associated with the area Jewish community. Attorney Aframe is a former board member and president of the Jewish Community Center. He has also served as president and board member of the Jewish Healthcare Center, Eisenberg Assisted Living Residence, the Jewish Home of the Aged Foundation and the PresiReed Charitable Trust.  

Attorney Aframe is a longtime, active member of the Beth Israel Synagogue in Worcester.  

CATHOLIC LAYPERSON AWARD  

Darlene M. Perro, assistant clerk, Worcester District Court, Worcester.  

For more than four decades, Darlene M. Perro has worked in various professional capacities at the Worcester District Court. Ms. Perro currently serves as an assistant clerk to that court serving under Clerk Magistrate Brian D’Andrea. Prior to her elevation to assistant clerk, Ms. Perro served for many years as a sessions clerk, running one of the busiest court sessions in the state, the Worcester District Court’s criminal arraignment session.  

Throughout her time at the court, Ms. Perro has served as a mentor to countless new employees and a resource to members of the bar. She generously shares her wealth of knowledge and experience with others, and is well known as a smart, compassionate, and hard-working member of the legal community. Ms. Perro truly understands that public service is a noble calling, which was something instilled upon her at an early age by her father, the late Richard J. “Dickie” Perro, who for many years worked as a police officer in Worcester.  

Ms. Perro is also extensively involved in her faith community. She is a parishioner at St. Bernard’s Church of Our Lady of Providence Parish in Worcester. She is active in all aspects of parish life. Through her fundraising efforts, Ms. Perro has supported the youth initiatives at the parish, including the after-school homework center, female self-defense classes, and AA/NA programming.  She has taken on numerous leadership roles at the parish by volunteering her time at golf tournaments and meat raffles to support these most worthy efforts.  

She has also been instrumental in the church’s efforts to combat food insecurity. Ms. Perro routinely donates and solicits others to support the Parish Food Pantry and even regularly prepares meals herself for the parish staff and area families in need. Lastly, Ms. Perro has also been active in religious education programming at the parish.  

A graduate of North High School, Ms. Perro resides in Worcester.  

The St. Thomas More Society is founded upon the personal qualities exhibited by St. Thomas More, a statesman, author, and former Chancellor of England. St. Thomas More was beatified in 1886 and canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1935.  

The term “Red Mass” is named after the color of the vestments worn by the celebrants and judges attending the King’s bench in Westminster, England. In keeping with tradition, the deep red vestments are still worn each year at the Red Mass.