Sr. Lydia Timkova of the Dominican Sisters of Blessed Imelda teaches a catechism class in Mukachevo, Ukraine, in February 2023. The image's photographer, Gregg Brekke, worked with GSR international correspondent Chris Herlinger in reporting on much of the Ukraine portion of the series "Hope Amid Turmoil: Sisters in Conflict Areas." He also won two awards of excellence for his photography, including work that appeared in GSR. (Gregg Brekke)
by GSR Staff
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Global Sisters Report has once again been honored by a national journalists' group for its series "Hope Amid Turmoil: Sisters in Conflict Areas" — one of 10 awards awarded to GSR and the National Catholic Reporter by the Associated Church Press and announced May 17 at the group's annual meeting in Chicago.
The series, which was published in 2023, won an award of excellence in the category of theme issue, section or series by a news service, website, blog or social media.
The judges said of the yearlong series, which focused on the ministries and witness of sisters in countries riven by conflict: "An exhaustive chronicling of the poignant stories of the ministry of women religious and those they are called to serve. Their global outreach is tending to the existential needs — mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological — of innocents in war-ravaged lands.
"These are profiles of faith, compassion, courage, commitment, resilience in the presence of an enemy bent on destruction. Absolutely compelling reading. Far and away the best in this category."
ACP also honored GSR with an award of merit for independent website.
The Associated Church Press is a professional organization "brought together by a common commitment to excellence in journalism as a means to describe, reflect, and support the life of faith and the Christian community." Three awards were given in each category: honorable mention, award of merit and award of excellence.
GSR editor Gail DeGeorge, second from left, and international correspondent Chris Herlinger, appear with Associated Church Press President John Thomas III, far left, and Vice President Sally Hicks, far right, during an May 17 awards ceremony. DeGeorge and Herlinger are holding an award certificate honoring the GSR series "Hope Amid Turmoil." (GSR photo/Olivia Bardo)
Other GSR awards included:
- Latin America regional correspondent Rhina Guidos won an award of merit for a report on shelters and migrants in the category of national reporting (broader topic or trend). Guidos also won an honorable mention for a news story for reporting on church repression in Nicaragua.
- Freelancers Luis Donaldo González and Nuri Vallbona won an award of merit for reporting on sisters accompanying youth gang members in Mexico in the category of international reporting.
- National correspondent Dan Stockman won honorable mention in the category of in-depth coverage for reporting on Catholic sisters in the South.
At the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta Oct. 17, from left: Matthew Myers, New Ways Ministry's staff associate; Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry's executive director; Pope Francis; Loretto Sr. Jeannine Gramick, New Ways Ministry's co-founder; and Robert Shine, New Ways Ministry's associate director (Courtesy of New Ways Ministry)
National Catholic Reporter staffers, meanwhile, won four ACP awards for reporting:
- Staff reporter Katie Collins Scott won an honorable mention for reporting on Catholic dioceses and gender policies in the category of national reporting. She also won an award of merit for theme issue, section or series newspaper or newsletter for reporting on solutions to homelessness.
- NCR news editor Joshua J. McElwee won an award of merit in the news story category for reporting on Pope Francis' meeting with Sr. Jeannine Gramick, an American sister known for her LGBTQ ministry. He also won an award of merit in the category of news story for reporting on the results of the major Vatican summit in late 2023.
In addition to these awards, freelance photographer Gregg Brekke, who worked with GSR international correspondent Chris Herlinger in reporting on much of the Ukraine portion of the series, won two awards of excellence for his photography, including work that appeared in GSR.
GSR staff writers Herlinger, Guidos and Doreen Ajiambo and GSR freelancers Patrick Egwu, Thomas Scaria and Tawanda Karombo were honored last month for the series by the Religion News Association for reporting in 2023.
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The ACP entry for the series also included work by sister columnists, chronicling their experiences in conflict areas. The series was among the most ambitious GSR has produced in its 10-year history.
Herlinger's Ukraine reporting was also recently awarded highest honors in the Religion Communicators Council's 2024 DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards.
In addition, a story by Ajiambo, GSR's Africa/Middle East correspondent, has been longlisted in the One World Media Awards.
Ajiambo's 2023 story, "Sisters foster healing for survivors and perpetrators of Sierra Leone's civil war," was also part of the "Hope Amid Turmoil" series.
The ACP’s annual convention was held May 15-17 at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. This year's ACP contest was entered by 67 organizations in 76 categories, for a total of 821 entries.
