ROME (CNS) -- The Catholic News Service team in Rome won 12 awards from the Catholic Media Association, which were announced during the 2024 Catholic Media Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Incorporated in 1911, the Catholic Media Association is an organization of publishers and media professionals for a total of about 355 member organizations, which include 890 media professionals.

Catholic News Service has been providing complete, in-depth coverage of the popes and the Vatican for more than 70 years. Its six-person team is made up of three full-time reporters, one photographer, one multimedia journalist and one administrative assistant.

CNS took home four first-place awards with the following comments from the judges:

-- Cindy Wooden, Carol Glatz, Robert Duncan, Paul Haring and Justin McLellan: Best In-Depth News/Special Reporting by a National Newspaper or Wire Service for "Pope Francis' 10th anniversary."  

"This extraordinary team effort exploring various aspects of Pope Francis’ 10th  anniversary combines thought-provoking interviews, memorable writing and significant context to provide a comprehensive picture of what the pope has accomplished and what lies ahead."

Click through to see the stories and photos in this winning series:

10 years as pope: Pushing the church to bring the Gospel to the world

Pope from 'ends of the earth' brings new style to Rome

Pope brings Latin American Catholic experience to the universal church

Pastoral and practical: Francis seeks healing, hardline against abuse

Pope's anniversary sees Curia reform complete, financial reform ongoing

Around the world in 10 years: Pope's 40 trips reflect his priorities

-- Carol Glatz: First place for Best Coverage, Ecumenical and Interfaith Issues for the following series of stories on the Vatican archives and Catholic-Jewish relations.

"Excellent analysis and writing about an important issue."

Click through to see the stories and photos in this series:

Silent no more: Vatican archives give voice to wartime tragedy

Despite prejudices, many Catholics helped rescue Jews in Nazi-occupied Italy

Study, not blame or shame, needed with pope's wartime record, scholar says

-- Lola Gomez: First place for Best Photograph, Immigration/Migration for "Pope Francis prays at migrants monument." 

"A stunning image of contrasts. The Pope and his light-colored vestments stand out against the dark statue. Seemingly deep in prayer, the image captures the Pope with a look of concern among the sullen faces of those that make up the statue."

 

-- Lola Gomez: First place for Best Photograph, Scenic, Still-life or Weather Photo for "Sunrise at Fatima, Portugal."

"Astonishing image with the shrine perfectly framed by the columns and using the colorful sky as the contrasting backdrop. Top-notch photo."
 

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CNS took home a second-place award with the following comment from the judges:

-- Lola Gomez, Justin McLellan and Robert Duncan: Best Multimedia Package for Seasonal for "Pope celebrates feast of the Immaculate Conception."

"Nice work taking audience to a place they may not be able to travel."

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CNS took home two third-place awards:

-- Robert Duncan: Best Video, Catechesis for "WYD pilgrims experience God’s mercy."

-- Cindy Wooden, Lola Gomez and Robert Duncan: Third place for Best Coverage, Papal Trips for "Pope Francis visits Mongolia." With the following comment from the judges:

"This is a great set of articles that allows the reader to experience the full papal visit, day to day. The detail in the stories helps to give the reader a feel for the impact of the papal visit and the hope for the future for a still-nascent mission in an exotic part of the world with diverse and numerous religious challenges. These articles help the reader to understand the importance of ecumenicism."

Click through to see the stories and more photos in this winning series on Mongolia:

Message from 'heart of Asia': Pope's words go beyond Mongolian borders

Pope, Mongolian religious leaders vow to promote harmony, shun violence

Pope encourages little Mongolian flock in faith, unity, witness

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CNS also won five honorable mention awards:

-- Lola Gomez: Best Photograph, Holy Days/Liturgical Seasons for "Children bring flowers to baby Jesus at papal Mass."

 

-- Carol Glatz, Lola Gomez and Robert Duncan: Honorable mention for Best Coverage, Papal Trips for "Pope Francis' trip to Marseille."

Click through to see the stories and more photos in this series on Marseille and migration:

Message in Marseille: Welcoming the 'stranger' is a global mandate

People have a duty to save migrants in danger of drowning, pope says

Pope laments closing ports to migrants, fueling fears with false alarm

-- Justin McLellan, Lola Gomez and Robert Duncan: Honorable mention for Best Coverage, Papal Trips for "Papal trip to World Youth Day in Lisbon."

Click through to see the stories, videos and more photos in this series on World Youth Day in Lisbon:

Pope to young people at WYD: God calls your authentic, not virtual, self

Awaken the 'weary' church by becoming 'restless,' pope says in Portugal

Don't be afraid to change the world, pope tells youths at WYD closing Mass

 

-- Robert Duncan: Honorable mention for Best Video, Feature for "Vatican Nativity scene highlights St. Francis, Holy Land."

-- Carol Glatz, Lola Gomez and Robert Duncan: Honorable mention for Best Multimedia Packages, News for "Pope encourages children to work for peace."

According to my resources, the name Carmen is a derivation of Carmel which is one of the titles given to Our Blessed Mother, namely, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. This is the patronal feast of the Carmelites. The Order of Carmelites takes its name from Mount Carmel, which was the first place dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and where a chapel was erected in her honor before her Assumption into Heaven. July 16 is also the feast of the "Scapular of Mount Carmel". On that day in 1251, pious ...

St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Feast day-July 15) St. Bonaventure, known as "the seraphic doctor," was born at Bagnoregio, in the Lazio region of central Italy, in 1221. He received the name of Bonaventure in consequence of an exclamation of St. Francis of Assisi, when, in response to the pleading of the child's mother, the saint prayed for John's recovery from a dangerous illness, and, foreseeing the future greatness of the little John, cried out "O Buona ...

St. Kateri Tekakwitha is the first Native American to be recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church. She was born in 1656, in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon. Her mother was an Algonquin, who was captured by the Mohawks and who took a Mohawk chief for her husband. She contracted smallpox as a four-year-old child which scarred her skin. The scars were a source of humiliation in her youth. She was commonly seen wearing a blanket to hide her face. Worse, her entire family died during the ...

St. Henry, son of Henry, Duke of Bavaria, and of Gisella, daughter of Conrad, King of Burgundy, was born in 972. He received an excellent education under the care of St. Wolfgang, Bishop of Ratisbon. In 995, St. Henry succeeded his father as Duke of Bavaria, and in 1002, upon the death of his cousin, Otho III, he was elected emperor. Firmly anchored upon the great eternal truths, which the practice of meditation kept alive in his heart, he was not elated by this dignity and sought in all ...

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St. Benedict is believed to have been born around 480, as the son to a Roman noble of Norcia and the twin to his sister, Scholastica. In the fifth century, the young Benedict was sent to Rome to finish his education with a nurse/housekeeper. The subject that dominated a young man's study then was rhetoric -- the art of persuasive speaking. A successful speaker was not one who had the best argument or conveyed the truth, but one who used rhythm, eloquence, and technique to convince. The power ...

Martyr with eleven companions in Lebanon. A Spanish Franciscan, Emmanuel and the others were caught up in the rising of the Druses in Lebanon. The Franciscan community, eight in number, and three Maronite laymen were slain by the Islamic rebels. He was beatified in 1926.

Capuchin mystic who had many spiritual gifis. A native of Binasco, near Milan, Italy, born in 1660, she entered the Capuchins atCitttidi Castello, Umbria, in 1677. She remained there for the rest of her life and served as novice mistress for thirty-four years. A mystic, she was the recipient of a stigmata in 1697 and visions, the accounts of which are quite detailed. She impressed her fellow nuns by remaining remarkably practical despite her numerous ecstatic experiences. Veronica was named ...

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