National Catholic Monthly, The Marist Messenger, received three awards at the annual Australasian Catholic Press Association annual awards dinner held in Bathurst last week.
Father Kevin Head, editor of the Marist Messenger said he was delighted with the awards.
He was particularly pleased that the efforts of his small staff, working with few resources, had received some recognition.
The Awards the Marist Messenger received were:
The Best Print Magazine
Citation: Sometimes the best things come in small packages. So it is with the Marist Messenger.
This year the ‘magazine of Catholic spirituality’ celebrates 90 years of publication, a truly wonderful achievement for the Marist Fathers in New Zealand.
The magazine is compact in format (and in administration and operation) but is packed with good reads – no admonitory preaching here, just inspiring spiritual reflections from laity and religious, including daily insights into the readings of the day, interesting Marist history, guidance from Pope Francis and short biographies of the month’s saints.
The Messenger is both edifying and entertaining – with a jokes section guaranteed to raise your spirits with a laugh.
There’s also a crossword.
Happy 90th birthday, Marist Messenger. Ad multos annos.
The Best original photograph
A cropped copy of the award-winning photograph appears above. Click here to view the original.
It was taken on Ash Wednesday by Jonathan Pierce at Challenge 2000 in Johnsonville, just north of Wellington.
Citation: “This photo beautifully displays the intersection between faith and culture in New Zealand, with a poignant moment captured on Ash Wednesday of the ashes being drawn in a cross on the forehead of a man, with two women on either side in the background.”
“Using traditional photographic techniques such as the rule of thirds, exquisite details have been captured and sharp focussing communicates a message of hope, and also reverence for the moment.”
The best headline
‘A Very Modern Model of a Marist Seminarian!’
Citation: Catchy and a bit of fun without being crass or taking away from the article, the best headline. “A Very Modern Model of a Marist Seminarian”
The citation said, “The loose alliteration cleverly adds to the rhythm of the headline without overpowering its attractiveness to the reader.”
The NZ Catholic, Tui Motu and the Nathaniel Report also received awards.
Click here to read the full list of awards.