JOHN B. GEST FORUM - Lunch and CLE

Wednesday, May 23, 2012
12:00 - 2:00PM (registration begins at 11:45AM)

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. 

Director of Education & Ethicist, The National Catholic Bioethics Center

Topic: The Ethics of Healthcare Mandates and Nationalized Healthcare

 

Location:

Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, LLP
Justice Roberts Room, 28th Floor
123 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19109-1029

Attorneys attending this event may receive one Continuing Legal Education credit in Ethics. The cost, including lunch, is $50 and $275 for a table of six.

Space is limited, so RSVPs are strongly encouraged.  Please email stthomasmoresocietyphila@gmail.com, or call David Rovner, Esq, at (215) 576-7600, ext. 121. Checks, which may be delivered on the day of the event and need not be sent in advance, should be made payable to the St. Thomas More Society of Philadelphia, and may also be mailed in advance to David Rovner, Esq, 261 Old York Rd, Ste 200, Jenkintown, PA, 19046.

Rev. Dr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk is a priest of the diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts. As an undergraduate he earned degrees in philosophy, biochemistry, molecular cell biology, and chemistry, and did laboratory research on hormonal regulation of the immune response. He later earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Yale University, where he focused on cloning genes for neurotransmitter transporters which are expressed in the brain. He also worked for several years as a molecular biologist at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Fr. Tad studied for 5 years in Rome where he did advanced work in dogmatic theology and in bioethics, examining the question of delayed ensoulment of the human embryo. He has testified before members of the Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Virginia and North Carolina State Legislatures during deliberations over stem cell research and cloning. He has given presentations and participated in roundtables on contemporary bioethics throughout the U.S., Canada, and in Europe. He has done numerous media commentaries, including appearances on CNN International, ABC World News Tonight, and National Public Radio. He is Director of Education for The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. 

60th Annual Red Mass & St. Thomas More Award Dinner

Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Cathedral Bascilia of SS. Peter and Paul    5:15 pm

to be followed by

Annual St. Thomas More Award Dinner

The Union League

recognizing

Honorable Tom Corbett

Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Governor Tom Corbett to Receive St. Thomas More Award for 2011

The Board of Governors of the St. Thomas More Society is honored to announce that the Honorable Tom Corbett, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, will receive the society’s annual St. Thomas More Award for 2011.

Stay tuned for more details on the 60th Annual Red Mass and St. Thomas More Award Dinner, to be held November 16, 2011.
The Saint Thomas More Award is presented by the Society annually to a member of the legal profession whose life and accomplishments exemplify the principles and ideals of St. Thomas More. The inscription on the award reads as follows:

St. Thomas More.Attorney - Public Servant - Jurist - Scholar - Teacher. A practitioner of his Catholic religion, he combined an intense concern for the problems of his day with a personal moral commitment. And he placed obedience to his conscience over blind obedience to governmental authority. Presented by the St. Thomas More Society of Philadelphia in recognition of traits held by St. Thomas More.

Recognizing Governor Corbett’s long dedication to public service and his outstanding defense of values consistent with the Gospel, especially the protection on unborn children, the Board of Governors of the St. Thomas More Society of Philadelphia believes that Governor Corbett is a worthy recipient of the St. Thomas More Award for 2011.

More About Governor Corbett

Tom Corbett was inaugurated as the 46th Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on January 18, 2011.

A life-long Pennsylvania resident, Governor Corbett has a long and distinguished career serving the citizens of the Commonwealth. In the early 1980’s, he served President Ronald Reagan as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, specializing in prosecuting organized crime and drug cases and serving on the National Drug Task Force.

Following several years of private law practice, Corbett was called back to public service in 1989, when President George H. W. Bush appointed him to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

In the 1990’s, Corbett provided criminal law and policy expertise to then-Congressman Tom Ridge, later filling several key roles in Governor Ridge’s administration. In 1995, Corbett was appointed by Governor Ridge as Attorney General and served in that capacity to 1997. He then returned to private practice and formed his own law firm, Thomas Corbett and Associates, which specialized in government relations.

In 2004, he was elected Pennsylvania Attorney General, a position to which he was re-elected in 2008 with more than three million votes—more votes than any Republican candidate in the history of Pennsylvania. As Attorney General, Corbett received national recognition for his efforts to protect children from internet predators, seniors from fraud and abuse, communities from gangs and the violence associated with illegal drugs, and the citizens of Pennsylvania generally from governmental corruption and abuses of power.

Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Corbett served his country as a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard 28th Infantry Division from 1971 until 1984, rising from private to captain.

Corbett received his undergraduate degree from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania, and his law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas.

Membership

Click the image below to open and print our Membership Application Form.

Officers

President: Joseph D. Mancano, Esquire Partner, Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLPVice President: Michael D. O’Mara, Esquire Partner, Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP Treasurer: Alan Ross, Esquire Retired Secretary: Robert G. Bellwoar, Esquire Partner, Law Offices of Schubert Bellwoar

Saint Thomas More Award

The Saint Thomas More Award is presented by the Society annually to a member of the legal profession whose accomplishments in some way represent the principles and ideals of St. Thomas More. The inscription on the award reads as follows:

St. Thomas More. Attorney - Public Servant - Jurist - Scholar - Teacher. A practitioner of his Catholic religion, he combined an intense concern for the problems of his day with a personal moral commitment. And he placed obedience to his conscience over blind obedience to governmental authority. Presented by the St. Thomas More Society of Philadelphia in recognition of traits held by St. Thomas More.

SAINT THOMAS MORE AWARD RECIPIENTS 2009 - Father Thomas M. Betz, Esq., OFM Cap. 2008 - Honorable Robert P. Casey, Jr. United States Senator; pro-life advocate. 2007 - Honorable Antonin Scalia, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. 2006 - Mark A. Sargent. Dean of Villanova Law School, active in Catholic legal community. 2005 - C. Clark Hodgson, Jr. Civil trial lawyer, recipient of Papal honors. 2004 - Gerard J. St. John. Civil trial lawyer, past president of the Saint Thomas More Society. 2003 - Honorable Anthony J. Scirica. Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. 2002 - Rev. Mr. Clement J. McGovern, Jr. Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County; permanent deacon. 2001 - John J. Cahill, Jr. Estates lawyer; past president and long time member of the Saint Thomas More Society; Board member: Calcutta House. 2000 - Mary DeFusco. Public Defender; also active in several Catholic lay groups. 1999 - Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua. Archbishop of Philadelphia; a graduate of St. John’s Law School; active in immigration law. 1998 - Honorable Rick Santorum. United States Senator. 1997 - Frank P. Cervone. Executive Director, Support Center for Child Advocates. 1996 - James A. Strazzella. Professor of Law, Temple University School of Law; former president, St. Thomas More Society. 1995 - J. Willard O’Brien. Dean of Villanova Law School; Professor of Law. 1994 - John Rogers Carroll. Criminal trial lawyer; founding member of Lawyers Helping Lawyers and other organizations addressing problems of alcohol and drug abuse. 1993 - Honorable Lisa Aversa Richette. Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia; active in charitable activities focused on the needs of homeless women; author regarding juvenile justice. 1992 - Honorable Robert P. Casey. Governor of Pennsylvania; outspoken pro-life advocate. 1991 - William Bentley Ball. Appellate lawyer well known for his participation in landmark religious rights cases in the Supreme Court of the United States, first executive director and general counsel of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, former professor of law at Villanova Law School, recipient of Papal honors. 1990 - Honorable Genevieve Blatt. Judge of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania; the first woman to win a statewide election for judicial office in Pennsylvania and, prior to that election was the first woman to win statewide election for any governmental office, a member of the Board of Managers for the 41st Eucharistic Congress (1976), recipient of Papal honors. 1989 - Thomas M. Schubert. A lawyer in general practice who represented and assisted many Catholic religious organizations. 1988 - Harold Gill Reuschlein. Founding Dean, Villanova Law School, recipient of Papal honors. 1987 - Bro. Bartholomew A. Sheehan, S.J. Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey; member, New Jersey Assembly; general counsel, Camden Trust Company; President, Camden County Bar Association; Jesuit Lay Brother, recipient of Papal honors. 1986 - Honorable Carol Los Mansmann. Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. 1985 - William D. Valente. Professor of Law, Villanova Law School; active in Catholic legal community. 1984 - James L. J. Pie’. First Deputy City Solicitor; identified with many Catholic causes and organizations. 1983 - Honorable Armand Della Porta. Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania; advocate for Philadelphia Catholic Schools, recipient of Papal honors. 1982 - John R. McConnell. Trial lawyer who handled primarily defense matters in civil cases; adjunct professor of trial techniques, Temple University School of Law; Chancellor, Philadelphia Bar Association.

The Red Mass

The Red Mass is offered for the legal profession at the beginning of the judicial year to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, strength and hope. The name “Red Mass” comes from the color of the vestments of the clergy and, originally as well, from the robes of the assembled judges and scholars. The red vestments of the clergy recall that the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles and disciples in the form of tongues of fire on Pentecost Sunday. Judicial robes in Europe, where the tradition began, are often a brilliant scarlet. Similarly, the academic robes of professors with doctorate degrees in law were a bright red. Although Masses invoking the Holy Spirit are celebrated on other occasions, notably at the beginning of the academic year at universities, the historic predominance of red at the opening of the judicial year has identified the name “Red Mass” almost exclusively with the Eucharistic liturgy celebrated at that time. The tradition began during the thirteenth century in several European countries. In England, the Red Mass is celebrated on a date close to September 29, Michaelmas (the feast of St. Michael), which is the first day of the fall court sessions. In the United States, the Red Mass is celebrated around that date in many dioceses and, on occasion, in connection with bar association activities. In Philadelphia, the tradition began in 1952, when the Red Mass opened the 150th Anniversary celebration of the Philadelphia Bar Association. The St. Thomas More Society of Philadelphia sponsored Philadelphia’s first Red Mass in 1952 at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. An overflow crowd heard Archbishop O'Hara deliver a homily on "The Natural Law." It was such a magnificent occasion that the officers of the Society quickly laid plans to assure that the tradition would be continued. Ever since, the annual Red Mass has been the Society's most visible activity.