Sister Melanie DiPietro
Distinguished Practitioner in Residence
Sister Melanie DiPietro is the Director of Seton Hall Law's Center for Religiously Affiliated Corporations. She comes to Seton Hall University School of Law as a Distinguished Visiting Practioner. Formerly a shareholder, and now counsel, of Buchanan-Ingersoll and Rooney, Sister Melanie works extensively with nonprofit corporations in governance, transactional and litigation matters. Her practice includes the interaction of Roman Catholic canon law (church law) and American law in the representation of religiously affiliated corporations. In addition to her law degree, Sister has a doctorate in canon law.
Sister Melanie is currently an elected member of the American Law Institute and member of the board of Dominican Health Services. In addition to service on the boards of on health, educational and housing corporations, she has served on the legal commission of Caritas Internazionales, Rome, Italy, the Urban League, Pittsburgh, PA., the Human Relations Commission of the City of Pittsburgh, and the Board of Public Welfare, Commonwealth of PA and the former National Association of Christians and Jews, Pittsburgh, PA..
She is an author and speaker, both nationally and internationally, on matters concerning nonprofit governance, especially in multi-system religiously affiliated corporations. She organized the first Colloquium of Anglican and Roman Catholic canonists sponsored jointly by the University of St. Thomas in Rome, Duquesne University Law School and Cardiff University, England.
Publications
Law Review Articles
Duty of Obedience: A Medieval Explanation for Modern Nonprofit Governance Accountability, DUQUESNE L. REV., Vol. 45, No. 1 (Fall 2007)
Law Journal Article
SSM Health Care: The Integration of Catholic Social Thought Values in a Modern Health Care System, ST. JOHN’S UNIVERSITY, JOURNAL OF CATHOLIC LEGAL STUDIES, Vol. 46 (2007)
Human Dignity First: John Paul II, Systems Analysis and the ERISA Fiduciary, 44 J. Cath. Leg. Stud. 523 (2007) (with Alison McMorran Sulentic)
The Relevance of Canon Law in a Bankruptcy Proceeding, 29 Seton Hall Legis. J. 399 (2005)
The Relevance of Canon Law in a Bankruptcy Proceeding, 29 Seton Hall Legis. J. 399 (2005)
Other Articles
A Burden or a Benefit CCUSA's Code of Ethics and Board and Governance Responsibilities, CHARITIES, USA, Winter, 2008/Volume 35 Number 4 (Catholic Charities, USA, Alexandria,Virginia,2008) (Winter 2008)
A Juridic Meaning of Sponsorship in the Formal Relationship Between a Public Juridic Person and a Healthcare Corporation in the United States, in SPONSORSHIP IN THE UNITED STATES CONTEXT THEORY AND PRAXIS, Canon Law Society of America, Alexandria, VA (2006) (eds. Rosemary Smith, SC, Warren Brown, OMI, Nancy Reynolds, SP)
An Examination of the Universitas Rerum and the Universitas Personarum of New Public Juridic Persons Succeeding to the Healthcare Apostolates of Religious Institutes in the United States, J.C.D. diss. Pontifical University of St. Thomas, Rome, Italy (June 2003)
Joint Ventures in Church-Related Corporations: What Happens to “Church Related”?, Jubilee International and Ecumenical Canon Law Conference; The Administration of Church Property, Co-Sponsors: The Angelicum University, Rome, Italy and Cardiff University, University of Wales, Cardiff and Duquesne University School of Law (February 4-5, 2000)
Text Book
Clergy Discipline and Canonical and Secular Court Process in the United States, Proceedings of The Second Colloquium of Anglican and Roman Catholic Canon Lawyers, Windsor Castle, London England (May 2000) (Published by the University of St. Thomas, Roma, Italy, 2001)
Acts of the Colloquium; Public Ecclesiastical Juridic Person and Their Civilly Incorporated Apostolates in the Catholic Church in the U.S.A.: Canonical – Civil Aspects, Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome and Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1998)
Book Chapters
Chapter 22 of Church Finance Handbook, Canon Law Society of America, The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. (1999) (Eds. Kevin E. McKenna, Lawrence A. DiNardo and Joseph W. Pokusa)