By Gretchen Keiser, Staff Writer

BALTIMORE—Two special issues of The Georgia Bulletin on “The Eucharist” and “Living With Death” received first-place awards and staff photographer Michael Alexander was honored for individual excellence at the Catholic Press Association’s national convention May 24-26.

The newspaper staff received a total of seven awards for work done in 1999.

The staff won first place for the special edition on “The Eucharist,” published June 3, 1999, in conjunction with the third anniversary of the Eucharistic Renewal in the archdiocese. The national award was in the category of best regular special supplement.

Calling the edition a “remarkable effort” delivering “solid catechesis through lively feature and human interest stories,” the judges said “this special issue instructs and spreads devotion in a natural and appealing way. This is fascinating from end-to-end, with excellent stories of ordinary people in everyday circumstances living out the Eucharist. A unique and strong effort that showed marvelous editorial planning.”

Second place went to the Catholic Standard of Washington, D.C., for an issue on All Souls Day and third place to the Pittsburgh Catholic for an issue on vocations.

The staff also won first place for the issue on “Living with Death,” published Feb. 18, 1999 during Lent. This award was for the best one-shot special issue. “Excellent local coverage, good photography and quality writing put this issue in first place,” the judges said. Second place was given to The Leaven of Kansas City, Kan., for an issue on Honduras one year after Hurricane Mitch, and third place to the Catholic Universe Bulletin of Cleveland for an issue on the newspaper’s 125th anniversary.

Alexander received first place nationally in the category of individual excellence by a newspaper photographer/artist. Calling Alexander “a pro,” judges said “his high quality photo/illustrations are beautifully executed, powerful, sensitive, and visually illustrate the primary theme.”

The cover illustration for “The Eucharist” issue by Alexander also received an honorable mention in the category of best illustration originating with a newspaper.

Kathi Stearns, executive editor, received a second-place award for an article in the “Living With Death” issue on Nancy and Ken Proctor of Lawrenceville, whose two sons, Ron and Dan, died after contracting the AIDS virus from tainted blood they received during transfusions for hemophilia. The award was for best personality profile in newspapers with circulation over 40,000. “This story of a journey of faith is very compelling,” the judges said, adding that it was “written in a way that is very important.”

A third-place award for best promotional house ad was won for a design by Michael Balfour, creative director/production, with copy by Stearns published Dec. 23, 1999. The ad promoting the publication was praised for “good use of two-color design,” good copy and typography.

In awards given to Catholic newspapers for seasonal issues, the “Living With Death” issue of The Georgia Bulletin received an honorable mention for its Lenten theme.

In other awards, U.S. Catholic magazine, a monthly magazine published in Chicago by the Claretians, won first place for general excellence among general-interest magazines.

Crossroad Publishing Co. in New York won the book award for best popular presentation of the Catholic faith for “The Reform of the Papacy” by retired Archbishop John R. Quinn of San Francisco.

Religion and politics were frequent themes as the CPA held its annual convention. It featured an address by satellite from Republican presidential hopeful George W. Bush and a blast against anti-Catholicism from the president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

A May 26 appearance by Texas Gov. Bush — who answered questions by satellite — made national news when Bush said he did not believe any innocent people had been executed in Texas and criticized the Clinton administration for failing to denounce the campaign to change the Vatican’s permanent observer status at the United Nations.

Vice President Al Gore, the likely Democratic Party nominee for president, had declined an invitation to address the CPA convention.

During his 15-minute appearance, Bush reiterated his support for capital punishment and his opposition to partial-birth abortions and talked about education reform, tax breaks for struggling families and the need to create a “hospitable society.”

“I believe our country must be prosperous but prosperity must have a purpose ... to make sure the American dream touches every willing heart,” he said.

Vicki Thorn was honored with the CPA’s 2000 Herald of Charity Award for her work as founder of Project Rachel, a Milwaukee-based national program to train priests and therapists to help heal post-abortion trauma. Since she founded the program in 1984 in the Milwaukee Archdiocese, 4,500 priests and therapists have been trained.