By Catholic Philly staff • Posted March 14, 2023

Professor Helen M. Alvaré will receive an honorary degree at the Concursus ceremony May 17 at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood.

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.

Alvaré, a native Philadelphian, is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Robert A. Levy Endowed Chair in Law and Liberty at Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University.

Alvaré will be awarded a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, and will give the Concursus address. She will be the first recipient of two honorary degrees from Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. In 1993, she received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the Religious Studies Division.

“It will be a tremendous privilege to honor a native daughter of the region and a distinguished scholar of the First Amendment, family law, and law and religion at our annual Concursus ceremony,” said Father Keith J. Chylinski, the Seminary’s Rector. “Her professional accomplishments and courageous witness to the Faith will certainly serve as an inspiration to our graduates and to all who attend.”

Past recipients of the seminary’s honorary degree include 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, she 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.

In addition to her books, and her publications in law reviews and other academic journals, 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.

Prior to joining the faculty of Scalia Law, Professor Alvaré 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.