WASHINGTON—The Very Rev. Paul D. Scalia is the 2023 recipient of The Heritage Foundation’s Jocelyn and Robin Martin Distinguished Intern Alumni Award.
Heritage President Dr. Kevin Roberts presented Scalia with the award April 12 in recognition of his efforts to defend religious liberty and life, and his faithful service in the Catholic Church.
Scalia, who served as a government relations intern at Heritage in 1991, is the pastor at St. James Catholic Church in Falls Church, Virginia, part of the Diocese of Arlington. Since his ordination in 1996, he has served as parochial vicar at several parishes. He also currently serves as the Episcopal Vicar for Clergy for the diocese.
“We are tremendously grateful to Father Scalia for his leadership as a Catholic priest and proud to recognize him with Heritage’s Distinguished Intern Alumni Award,” Roberts said. “Father Scalia understands the importance of teaching future generations about the heritage of our country and especially the foundational role of religious liberty. He inspires parishioners with his Sunday homilies and is committed to building strong communities of faithful public servants in our nation’s capital.”
Scalia is one of nine children born to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and his wife Maureen. He graduated from Langley High School in McLean, Virginia, and the College of the Holy Cross in Worchester, Massachusetts.
Scalia is an accomplished writer and speaker. He is the author of two books, “That Nothing May Be Lost: Reflections on Catholic Doctrine and Devotion,” (published in 2017) and “Sermons in Times of Crisis: Twelve Homilies to Stir Your Soul” (published in 2019). While attending College of the Holy Cross, he helped launch a newspaper on campus, The Fenwick Review. He has written for various publications and is a frequent speaker on matters of faith and doctrine.
“The Heritage Foundation is very important to me in my vocation as a priest. It was the summer of 1991, while I was interning at Heritage, when I finally discerned to enter the priesthood. Heritage has always been a part of my vocation story,” Scalia said. “I’m honored to receive Distinguished Intern Alumni Award and appreciate all that Heritage is doing to educate and train the next generation of American leaders.”
Since 2016, Heritage has recognized exemplary alumni from its top-notch Young Leaders Program. The Distinguished Intern Alumni Award reinforces the tremendous impact that Heritage and its donors have in developing the next generation of conservative leaders.
Past awardees include Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser, Judge Neomi Rao of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Commonwealth Foundation President Charles Mitchell, WMAL host and Daily Caller editor Vince Coglianese, and author and businessman John Coleman.
