The Catholic Free Press won three Catholic Press Association awards for work done in 2015. The awards were given out during the Catholic Media Conference held last week in St. Louis.
Executive Editor Margaret M. Russell announced the awards at a dinner following the newspaper’s 65th Anniversary Mass celebrated Monday at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Worcester.
Mrs. Russell surprised the staff and guests with copies of the pages that contained the award-winning articles or designs. She said the newspaper entered in six categories and won prizes in three. All of the winning entries highlighted religious vocations.
Editor Margaret Russell shows Bishop Reilly the award winning stories about his 40th anniversary as a bishop.
Photo by Tanya Connor
An honored guest at the dinner, Bishop Emeritus Daniel P. Reilly, was the subject of one of the winning entries.
“Servant of the Lord,” articles about Bishop Reilly’s 40th anniversary of ordination as a bishop, were written by Tanya Connor and William T. Clew. The series of articles garnered second place in the category Best Coverage of Vocations to Priesthood, Religious Life or Diaconate in a weekly diocesan newspaper with a circulation of 25,000 or less.
The newspaper’s coverage of the Year of Consecrated Life won third place for a weekly diocesan newspaper with a circulation of 25,000 or less. The stories included: “God-Centered,” by correspondent Patricia O’Connell, a story about three children in the Duffy family who have entered religious life; “Sacred History” by William T. Clew, about the Little Franciscans of Mary who started St. Francis Home; and “’Bro Ro’ No Mo’” by Tanya Connor, a story about Assumptionist Ronald Sibugan, who went from being a Brother to being ordained a priest.
“Bro Ro” was also the featured centerpiece in the second-place winning entry designed by Elizabeth Agbey in the Best Front Page in a broadsheet category.