Recognizing Outstanding Contributions to Catholic Journalism

Guidelines, Inspiration and Past Finalists

St. Francis de Sales Award Nomination Form (must be logged in)

Key Elements of a Strong Nomination

To help you craft a compelling nomination, here are some key elements to consider:

Specific Contributions: Highlight the nominee’s notable achievements, such as groundbreaking projects, leadership roles, or creative initiatives that have elevated Catholic journalism.
Impact: Explain how their work has positively influenced the Catholic media landscape, including specific examples or measurable outcomes (e.g., readership growth, community engagement, or innovations).
Professional Excellence: Describe their dedication, skills, and ability to uphold the highest standards of Catholic journalism.
Career Highlights: If applicable, showcase a legacy of consistent excellence and professional contributions over their career.
Colleague Testimonials: Include quotes or insights from peers, team members, or collaborators to illustrate the nominee’s character, influence, and commitment.

Use these elements as a guide to ensure your nomination stands out and accurately represents the nominee’s achievements.

Encouraging Diverse Entries

The St. Francis de Sales Award celebrates individuals who have demonstrated excellence in Catholic journalism, whether through a single transformative year or a lifetime of dedicated service. We encourage nominations for:

Established leaders with decades of contributions.
Emerging talents who have made an extraordinary impact in a short time.
Professionals working across diverse media platforms, including print, digital and multimedia.
Individuals who reflect the richness and diversity of the Catholic community.

Your nomination is an opportunity to spotlight someone who has raised the bar for Catholic journalism and inspired others through their work, regardless of their title, tenure, or background.

2024 St. Francis de Sales Award Finalists

Tom Dermody, The Catholic Post

Tom Dermody spent 43 years at the Catholic Post in the diocese of Peoria, joining the staff immediately out of college. He spent 32 years as editor of the newspaper, following stalwarts including Msgr. Robert G. Peters and Albina Aspell, both recipients of the St. Francis de Sales Award.

Upon his retirement, Tom told a colleague: “I wanted to use any gifts I have to give back to the Lord. The blessing was that it was a continuing education, not only in the things of the world, but in things of God.”

By his colleagues, Tom was admired for his creativity and love for the faith.

One shared: “The unique thing about Tom Dermody is that he never left; he stayed and made the Post his life’s work. Somehow by the grace of God, Tom literally ‘grew up’ with the paper, advancing in wisdom and age as he spent almost two decades covering stories as a reporter and photographer. Named editor/business manager in 1995, he put heart and soul into his new responsibilities.”

Dermody retired in 2022. The Diocese of Peoria announced the closure of the Catholic Post in January 2024, with the final edition dated Dec. 24, 2023.

For his faithfulness in bringing the Good News to the people of Peoria and his enthusiasm in sharing his gifts with colleagues in the Catholic press, Tom Dermody is nominated for the St. Francis de Sales Award.

Ana Rodriguez-Soto, Florida Catholic

Throughout her 40 years as a Catholic journalist, Florida Catholic editor Ana Rodriguez-Soto has been an exemplar of professionalism, dedication, and creativity in bringing Catholic news to the Archdiocese of Miami. An avid supporter and dedicated worker for the Catholic Media Association, Ana retired earlier this year.

As a high school senior in 1979, Ana began working for the Archdiocese of Miami Spanish-language newspaper, "La Voz Catolica," as intern and interim editor. She never looked back.

Her illustrious career in Catholic journalism has included the receipt of many Catholic press awards, and Ana’s colleagues describe her as humble and joyful.

Ana has covered many stories and met many people: United Nations members, popes, and even saints, like Mother Teresa. She has served three archbishops, a half-dozen auxiliary bishops, more than 100 parishes, and over 60 schools in the Archdiocese of Miami, making friends wherever she goes. She has lived through the Mariel Boatlift and the Surfside disaster, providing quality coverage on earth-shaking events.

She taught her team to have empathy for the people we encounter as journalists, saying: "Humanity first. Journalism second. And it will flow."

Ana’s colleagues described her as never too busy to listen or to instruct — taking the time to teach colleagues how to write a good lede or about camera ISO or shutter speed.

Ana has impacted the whole community from parishioners and freelancers, to ministry members and "Florida Catholic" readers, who have shared how much she will be missed in retirement.

For these many reasons and more, Ana Rodriguez-Soto is nominated for the St. Francis de Sales Award.

Joseph Sinasac, Novalis

In a media environment in which ongoing change is our constant, and competition for attention narrows our vision of audience, Joe Sinasac has, for five decades, led the Catholic communications community to see that the path to the future is forged by collaboration across media, across borders, across languages and across points of view.

From his work as a daily reporter and editor for 15 years before joining The Catholic Register, Canada’s national English Catholic weekly, as publisher and editor, Joe has demonstrated his commitment to journalism and religious publishing as the means to reach and faithfully impact Catholics in print, on air and online.

Joe has covered the funeral of Mother Teresa in Calcutta in 1997, the visit of Pope John Paul II to Toronto for World Youth Day in 2002, JP II’s funeral in Rome in 2005 and the visit of Pope Benedict to the United States in 2008.

He has served as chair of Canadian Catholic News, a news-gathering cooperative, and as the publishing director of Novalis, Canada’s largest Catholic publisher of books and missalettes. Because of these experiences, Joe understands that to be effective, his view needed to encompass an expanding world.

Amid his many projects and responsibilities, Joe still found the time and devoted the energy to be there to help make his colleagues better. He served for years on the CPA-CNS Liaison Committee, chaired the organizing committee for the annual Catholic Media Conference in 2008 as well as served on the committee for the CMC 2017 in Quebec City, led the CMA as a member of the board of the directors for 10 years and provided wise financial management as its treasurer for three terms, including the creation of a long-term ethically based investment fund.

He also served as a member of the executive committee of the ecumenical Canadian Christian Communicators and was involved in helping craft the CMA’s Fair Publishing Practices Code and its revision.

For his decades-long service to the Catholic community, Joe Sinasac is nominated for the St Francis de Sales award.