Archdiocese of Detroit, Detroit Catholic earn 17 awards at Catholic Media Conference

Archdiocese's 'I AM HERE' campaign earns Fr. John Catoir Social Media Evangelization Award for support of Eucharistic Revival

BALTIMORE — The Archdiocese of Detroit’s Communications Department took home 17 awards during the 2023 Catholic Media Conference, including multiple awards for the archdiocese’s groundbreaking “I AM HERE” Eucharistic campaign.

The annual gathering of Catholic journalists, digital media professionals, communications directors and marketing specialists was held June 6-9 at the Marriott Inner Harbor in Baltimore. The conference is sponsored by the Catholic Media Association.

For the second year in a row, the Archdiocese of Detroit earned the Fr. John Catoir Social Media Evangelization Award, given to the diocese or organization that makes the best use of social media in sharing the Gospel message.

This year, the archdiocese won for its "I AM HERE" campaign, which highlights stories of individuals’ devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, including testimonials in English and Spanish, photography, videos, podcasts and devotional materials in partnership with the Hallow app and the U.S. Bishops’ National Eucharistic Revival.

The "I AM HERE" campaign took home multiple other awards, including "Best Social Media Campaign" (First Place); "Best Podcast - Expression of Faith" (First Place); "Best Initiative or Campaign – Package" (First Place); "Best External E-Newsletter" (First Place); "Best Use of Photos in Social Media" (Second Place); "Best New Website" (Second Place); and "Best Podcast Program" (Third Place).

Recognized for their work on the campaign were Edmundo Reyes, director of communications and marketing; Emily Mentock, creative director; Leah Butalid, content coordinator and podcast co-host; Ronald Pangborn, podcast producer; Valaurian Waller and Marek Dziekonski, photographers; Fr. Mario Amore, podcast co-host; and Philip Hetue, art director and web developer.

Detroit Catholic also earned several awards, including first place for “Best Investigative News Writing” for reporter Daniel Meloy’s story about the mystery of a 19^th century church discovered at the bottom of Lake St. Clair, and first place for “Best General News Photo” for photographer Waller’s depiction of local Ukrainian Catholics’ response to the Ukraine War.

Detroit Catholic’s reporting on the local impact of the war, spearheaded by Meloy and staff reporter Gabriella Patti, earned second place for “Best News Writing Series – International Event,” and honorable mention for Meloy’s editorial, “War in Ukraine becomes a real-life lesson for students.”

Michael Stechschulte, Detroit Catholic’s editor-in-chief, earned second place for “Best Investigative News Writing” for a story about the impact of inflation on Detroit-area food banks and pantries, and honorable mention for “Best Editorial on a Local Issue” for a November column reacting to the passage of Michigan’s Proposal 3, which dramatically expanded abortion access in the state.

Archdiocese of Detroit video producer and director Andrew Kleczek and co-producer Rick Giffin won first place for “Best Freestanding Presentation of Online Video – The Clergy” for a documentary in partnership with Detroit Catholic on the ministry of retired Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Donald F. Hanchon.

The archdiocese’s weekly email newsletter won second place for “Best External E-Newsletter,” and the Archdiocese of Detroit's social media accounts collectively earned honorable mention for "Best Use of Social Media Accounts."

In addition to awards won by the Archdiocese of Detroit, the Michigan Catholic Conference picked up four recognitions at the conference. The MCC earned first place for "Best Package - Political Issues" for its statewide Catholic action plan to defeat Proposal 3; honorable mention for the same campaign in the "Best Initiative or Campaign - Package" category; third place for "Hot Topic - The Dobbs Decision" for Jacob Kanclerz's column, "Defense of life, support of mothers didn’t end with Roe — and it won’t end with Dobbs;" and second place for "Best Press Release" for its statement in support of the Dobbs decision, "Catholic Bishops in Michigan Celebrate Life, Reaffirm Support for Mothers in Need."