The newspaper story telling of the rediscovery of Father Thomas O’Reilly’s crypt beneath the burned out Shrine of the Immaculate Conception has won an award for The Georgia Bulletin.

The newspaper received the award at the Catholic Press Association annual convention which was held in Chicago May 23 to 25. The annual CPA awards, which were announced the night of the rededication in Atlanta of the Shrine, are presented based on the quality of articles and photography appearing in Catholic newspapers around the country during the previous year.

The Georgia Bulletin front page article, which was called “Historic Vault Unearthed in Shell of Immaculate Conception Shrine,” received a third-place award in the category of Best News Report Originating with a Newspaper on a Local Story. The story was written by Gretchen Keiser with accompanying material by Monsignor Noel Burtenshaw on Father O’Reilly and Father Thomas Cleary. The judges said the story was “spot-coverage of a local, significant event, ‘done well by the Catholic paper, which is the place you’d want to see it done well.’” The judges also complimented the supporting material in the accompanying story and the excerpts from Atlanta newspapers of the 1800s which were used to tell the story.

First place in this category was won by the National Catholic Reporter and second place by the National Catholic Reporter.