Alvaré will also deliver the last graduation ceremony Concursus address at the seminary’s Wynnewood campus before its relocation to Lower Gwynedd in 2024
Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary will award a Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, to Philadelphia native Helen M. Alvaré, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Robert A. Levy Endowed Chair in Law and Liberty at Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University, at its Concursus ceremony. Alvaré will also give the Concursus address. Concursus is the Seminary’s annual graduation ceremony where academic degrees are awarded to seminarians, as well as religious and lay students, enrolled in its college and graduate college programs.
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
10:00 a.m.
The Chapel of St. Martin of Tours
Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary
100 East Wynnewood Road
Wynnewood, PA 19096
Livestream: https://www.scs.edu/livestream_events/2023-concursus/
The Seminary’s honorary degree will be conferred by Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez, Archbishop of Philadelphia, on behalf of the Saint Charles Seminary Board of Trustees. Alvaré will join a distinguished list of honorary degree recipients from the seminary, including Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, Archbishop Borys Gudziak, Dr. Jacqueline C. Rivers, Professor Andreas Widmer, Justice Samuel Alito, Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta and former Pennsylvania Chief Justice Robert N. C. Nix.
In addition to her roles as associate dean and professor, Alvaré has been faculty advisor to the law school’s Civil Rights Law Journal, and the Latino/a Law Student Association, a Member of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life (Vatican City), a board member of Catholic Relief Services, a member of the Executive Committee of the AALS’ Section on Law and Religion and an ABC news consultant. She cooperates with the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the Organization of American States as an advisor especially respecting women and family.
Professor Alvaré publishes regularly in news outlets, including the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, and the National Catholic Register. She also speaks at academic and professional conferences in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Australia.
Professor Alvaré has taught at the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America; represented the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops before legislative bodies, academic audiences and the media; and was a litigation attorney for the Philadelphia law firm of Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young. Professor Alvaré received her law degree from Cornell University School of Law and her master’s degree in Systematic Theology from the Catholic University of America. She completed her undergraduate studies at Villanova University.
Background on Saint Charles Seminary
Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary was founded by Bishop Kenrick as the diocesan seminary for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1832, making it the oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in the Archdiocese. It has a current enrollment of 136 seminarians, representing 14 dioceses and religious orders. Thanks to the prayers and generosity of so many people, this institution has been able to continue its mission of forming future priests continuously for the last 190 years, both for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, as well as many other dioceses and religious orders throughout the country. For more information on Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, please call 610-667-3394 or visit www.scs.edu.
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