Attorney John "Chuck" Davy wrote a new hymn, titled "The Law of the Lord is Good," and he will premiere it Thursday at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church in Butler during a Red Mass, which is a special service held for the legal community.

This year, a special Catholic Mass for the legal community will premiere a hymn written by a member of the Butler County Bar Association.

Attorney John "Chuck" Davey, who has an office on South McKean Street, regularly played the organ for the Red Mass. Then, in 2002, former Butler County Judge Martin O'Brien suggested Davey write an original song for the service.

He took it to heart, and Thursday, "The Law of the Lord is Good" will be performed for the first time.

The Red Mass seeks guidance from the Holy Spirit for all who seek justice, according to attorney Mary Jo Dillon. The association coordinates the Mass in honor of the first session of the state Supreme Court. Judges, prosecutors, attorneys and government officials are invited to the 5 p.m. service. The public also is welcome.

The Red Mass is an ancient celebration that began in the Middle Ages and is named for the color of the vestments worn. Dozens of groups celebrate this Mass, and this year, it was celebrated in Washington, D.C., in honor of the first day of the U.S. Supreme Court.

O'Brien attended the Allegheny County Red Mass in 1996 and decided to form a committee with attorney Phil Lope to bring it to Butler.

Starting in 1997, the Butler County Bar Association celebrated the Red Mass, beginning with then-Bishop Donald Wuerl, according to Dillon. The association celebrated the Mass at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church annually for several years, but after the 2002 celebration, bar association leadership stopped planning the celebration.

Now, the mass is returning to the county. Attorney Joy Maffei is serving as chairwoman.

That's why even though the hymn came to Davey in a moment of inspiration a month after the 2002 service, he hasn't had a chance to showcase it.

Davey said after he committed to writing a hymn, he wondered if he would regret that decision. But, about a month later he woke up in the early hours of the morning with a tune in his head. He thought the melody through, deciding on the key of F. Once he had it all worked out, he fell right back asleep, he said.

"It was as though I was up just to get it out," he said.

When he awoke in the morning, he wrote down the tune just as he remembered it. Several days later, he sat down to write the lyrics.

He based the words on Psalm 119. The psalm, which has 176 verses, begins "Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord."

"It was an obvious choice," Davey said, explaining it deals with the law and responding to the law of God.

In a few more days, he had completed four verses of the hymn, beginning with "The law of the Lord is good/For it revives the soul."

It took Davey about 12 days to write the hymn.

Davey said he wanted a hymn that would be easy to sing, easy to pick up and was enjoyable. He also is the organist at Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church on East Jefferson Street.

Copies of the hymn will be included in the bulletin that day. About 75 to 100 people are expected to attend, Davey said.

The Rev. Stephen Neff will be the celebrant, Maffei will be the lector and attorney Leonard Grence will be the cantor.

<B>WHAT: </B>Red Mass for guidance for the legal community<B>WHEN: </B>5 p.m. Thursday<B>WHERE: </B>St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, 124 N. McKean St.