Todays Catholic
July 1, 2025 // Diocese

Diocese Claims 24 Awards from Catholic Media Association, Including Editor, Writer, and Photographer of the Year

Todays Catholic

Nearly 400 members of the Catholic media from the United States and Canada gathered in Phoenix from Tuesday, June 24, to Friday, June 27, for the Catholic Media Association’s annual conference, which concluded with an awards ceremony that celebrated the outstanding work done by Catholic media outlets in 2024.

Three staff members of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend’s Secretariat for Communications were honored for their work – Nicole Hahn, Secretary for Communications; Joshua Schipper, Digital Content Producer; and Scott Warden, Editor-in-Chief of Today’s Catholic. Three freelance writers – Kasia Balsbaugh, Jill Boughton, and James Mount – were also recognized for the articles they wrote for Today’s Catholic. In all, Today’s Catholic and the communications staff garnered 24 awards at the ceremony, which was held at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Phoenix on Friday, June 27.

“I am beyond thrilled with the work being done for Today’s Catholic and in our communications office,” Hahn said. “We continuously look for ways to improve what we do, so it is a wonderful feeling to have the work of our staff and our freelancers recognized on such a big stage.”

Bishop Rhoades poses with Nicole Hahn, secretary of communications, and Scott Warden, editor-in-chief of Today’s Catholic, after the diocese was honored with 24 awards by the Catholic Media Association.

 

Warden, who joined the staff of the Secretariat for Communications as editor of Today’s Catholic in August of 2023 after serving as managing editor at Our Sunday Visitor for nearly 10 years, received 18 awards, including first-place finishes for Editor of the Year, Writer of the Year, and Photographer of the Year in the General Excellence categories among all Catholic publications in the United State and Canada. For his award as Editor of the Year, the judges noted that Warden “delivers on all levels, offering both diversity and depth. His storytelling fascinates, engages, and flows seamlessly, while the exceptional photography captures not just people and events, but humanity itself.”

Staff of the Secretariat for Communications earned an honorable mention for their work on the Annual Bishop’s Appeal video, and Schipper and Warden collected a second-place finish in the category of Best Use of Photos for Social Media.

The most-awarded piece published by Today’s Catholic stemmed from the coverage in January of 2024 of parishioners at St. Henry Catholic Church who volunteered to help feed the homeless in downtown Fort Wayne. Warden and freelance writer James Mount combined to win four awards for the article (“Love Them Like God Loves Them”), including a first-place finish in the category of Best Story and Photo Package by Two Individuals or More.

Warden also won first- and second-place prizes in the category of Best Photo – Hot Topic Eucharistic Revival and was awarded second place for his feature story on the Kloska family’s St. Peter’s Pub in South Bend.

Joshua Schipper

Schipper, who joined the staff of the Secretariat of Communications in January of 2022, earned four awards for his outstanding photography, including a second-place finish in the category of Best Photo – Catholic Education.

Today’s Catholic won multiple awards for its coverage of the National Eucharistic Revival, including first-place, second-place, and honorable mention awards for best photo, and an honorable mention for best writing for Warden and Hahn.

“While these awards might seem like personal accomplishments for those who won them, they are truly a recognition that Today’s Catholic continues to serve our readers with the absolute best in Catholic journalism,” Warden said. “Next year, Today’s Catholic will celebrate the 100th anniversary of our founding by Bishop John Francis Noll, an innovator in Catholic media. These awards show that through their outstanding work, the staff and freelance writers at Today’s Catholic continue to carry out his mission of catechizing and evangelizing in order to bring souls to Christ.”

Rob DeFrancesco, executive director of the Catholic Media Association, told Today’s Catholic: “I’m so happy to celebrate Today’s Catholic and the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend for their well-deserved recognition at the 2025 Catholic Media Conference. Their great work shows what excellence in Catholic media looks like and reminds us all how important it is to share the Good News of Jesus with joy, enthusiasm, and a commitment to doing our best.”

Here is a full list of the awards:

 

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