America's Largest Catholic Newspaper
Catholic New York went out a big winner in the annual Catholic Press Awards program by taking third place in General Excellence Newspaper Division, part of a slew of 17 awards, the most in CNY’s 41-year history.
The awards were announced July 7 at the closing banquet of the annual Catholic Media Association Conference in Portland, Ore.
Regarding the general excellence designation, in the category of non-weekly papers with staffs of six or more, the judges called CNY “a high quality newspaper with welcoming cover.”
“The newspaper covers substantive topics for a general Catholic adult audience. The special sections add a nice element to the newspaper and give it flexibility to appeal to a wide variety of people to cover a variety of themes. A pleasure to read. Nice work!”
It was the eighth time America’s largest Catholic newspaper has been cited for general excellence, including five first-place citations, during Cardinal Dolan’s 13 years as Archbishop of New York. The cardinal is the publisher of Catholic New York.
In May, the archdiocese announced Catholic New York would publish its last edition Nov. 17. A new digital communications program will be unveiled in late 2022 or early 2023.
This year, CNY also received awards for editorial writing, columns, photography, Spanish-language stories and a yearlong series offering a historical look at priesthood in New York.
CNY editor in chief John Woods was one of four finalists for the St. Francis de Sales Award, the highest honor offered to a Catholic journalist by the Catholic Media Association.
The de Sales Award recipient was Ann Augherton, the longtime managing editor of the Arlington Catholic Herald in Virginia.
CNY was cited three times for its editorials, all written by Mary Ann Poust, a retired news editor at CNY who has been a consistent winner in the category over the years. She received first-place honors for a local editorial on Dorothy Day’s sainthood cause that the judges called a “persuasive piece with a strong perspective, well written.” In the national and international category, she took home second and third, respectively, for editorials condemning anti-Asian violence and supporting Church efforts in strife-torn Haiti.
Also honored were Mary DeTurris Poust, for her third-place Life Lines column in the spiritual life category, which was cited by judges as “a very relatable set of columns that offer guidance and hope with the everyday challenges of a woman’s life,” and Garan Santicola, for his third-place Beauty and Truth column in the culture, arts and leisure category, which judges said “are well-researched pieces, rich in depth of resources that bring historical figures to life.”
May Their Memory Be a Blessing, a yearlong monthly series taking a historical look at priests who have served in the Archdiocese of New York over the decades, penned by two archdiocesan priests, Msgr. Thomas J. Shelley and Father Michael P. Morris, received honorable mention in Best Reporting on Vocations to Priesthood, Religious or Diaconate.
In coverage that appeared in Católico de Nueva York, CNY’s monthly supplement in Spanish, reporter Armando Machado received third-place awards for Best Coverage/Treatment of Vocations to the Priesthood, Religious Life or Diaconate for his story on newly ordained Father Elizondo Contreras, O.S.A., and for Best News Writing on a National/International Event about the 100th anniversary of the coronation of the Virgin of Altagracia, which the judges called “very well written.”
(Machado was also twice honored in the CMA Book Awards for “Two Days in Panama: Stories of Sacred Awakening” in Pilgrimages/Catholic Travel and Pope Francis categories for Machado’s “unforgettable trip back to his country of birth, Panama, during World Youth Day Panama 2019.”)
The paper’s eight photography awards won by Chris Sheridan, Maria R. Bastone and Mary DiBiase Blaich included their joint third-place entry in Best Photo Story—News for a two-page spread of Holy Week photos throughout the archdiocese.
CNY also earned three first-place photo honors, two for Ms. DiBiase Blaich for images in the Catholic education and sports categories, and one for Sheridan in the feature category for a shot on the cover of the 9/11 anniversary issue that judges called “a beautiful, artistic photo.”
Ms. DiBiase Blaich captured a total of four awards, including a second-place General News photo honor in the Spanish-language division.
